Line-Learning Ideas for Student Actors
If you’re the parent of a student with learning differences, click here.
Introduction
Memorizing your part in a play may sound tough, but you can do it! You’ll just need to stay disciplined throughout the rehearsal process to make it happen. Spend time with your script every school night, right after you finish your homework. And don’t wait until right before the deadline–start memorizing as soon as the director gives you a script.
How much time you need to spend each night will vary based on the size of your part and the length of your rehearsal period. Here are some general rules of thumb:
- Elementary-aged actors should spend about 10 minutes a day on their parts.
- Middle schoolers should try for 15-20 minutes.
- High schoolers, depending on the play, may need 30 minutes or so.
You might be wondering why the director wants you to know your lines weeks (or even months) before the first performance. Isn’t opening night soon enough? you may ask. The answer is DEFINITELY NOT! Learning your lines at the last minute makes it more likely you’ll forget them under the pressure of a live audience. Plus, there are some things you can’t practice in rehearsal–like pacing (how fast or slow the play goes), interpretation (the way you deliver each line), and collaboration (your interactions with the other characters)–until you know your lines. Otherwise, you’re working too hard on memorization to think about the stuff that makes acting exciting!
You’re guaranteed to have more fun as an actor when you learn your lines by the director’s deadline. Plus, drama is a team sport, so just one person who doesn’t know her lines on time can derail a whole performance. Don’t let that person be you!
Basic Line-Learning Ideas
Try these six proven strategies to get started on your way to line-learning success.
1. Highlight your lines.
The first step in your memorization should be to mark all of your lines with a colored marker. Include any lines that you speak as part of a group.
2. Silently read the script.
Begin by reading the entire script, so that you get the basic story firmly fixed in your mind. Then, move on to read only the portions of the script that involve your character–but read them over and over again. Don’t just focus on your own dialogue–you also need to go over the lines that come right before and after yours. These are called your cues.
3. Start testing yourself.
Now that you’ve read your lines and cues repeatedly, it’s time to check on how well you remember them. Cover one of your lines with a piece of paper and read the cue right before it. Now, can you recite your line from memory without moving the paper? If not, read the line out loud several times in a row to learn the words. Go back and check yourself with a paper covering the words again. Did you get it right this time? Working on a page or two at a time, repeat this process with the entire script. (Note: Many directors require word-for-word line memorization–close is not good enough! That’s because each of your lines is a cue for someone else. Other actors are listening for your words to know when to speak. If you don’t say a line properly, a fellow performer may miss his line entirely.)
4. Ask a friend or family member to help you “run lines.”
Have someone else hold your script and read your cues aloud. Then try to speak your lines in the right places (without peeking at the script). For many actors, this is the single best way to memorize. In some ways, memorizing lines is actually harder than studying for a test. On an exam, you can sit there and think for a while, hoping the answer will come back to you. But actors don’t have that luxury! It’s only when you can rattle off each line as soon as your helper speaks the cue, with no prompting and no delay, that you are “off book” (in other words, you truly know your lines).
5. Go back and work on the hard parts.
It’s tempting to spend a lot of time on parts of the script that you “mostly know” already. After all, it’s easier that way–but it won’t help you reach your goal. Focus on the stuff you don’t know yet. The first time you run lines with someone (see step 4 above), you will probably be surprised by how much review work you still need to do. Some actors ask their line-running helpers to mark the lines they struggle with. That way, you can focus on those segments of the script during your review time.
6. Even after you know every line, keep reviewing.
If you follow all of these suggestions, you may know your lines before the director’s deadline. But that doesn’t mean your work is finished: Keep reviewing the script! You need to stay sharp, continually getting more comfortable with your character’s words, right up through the final performance.
Other Strategies
Use the methods listed above first–they work just fine for some actors. But that doesn’t mean they’ll work for you. If you’re struggling, here are some other ideas you might try. Pick one that looks promising and give it a shot.
Act out your part while you practice the lines.
Try going through the movements (blocking) that you are learning in rehearsal as you practice your dialogue. You might feel a little silly doing it with no one else around. But for some performers, putting the action with the line is just what they need. Also, try different ways of saying each line as you memorize. That will help you stay focused on the task, and it will also help you remain flexible for rehearsal. When the director asks you to deliver the line in a different way, you won’t already be stuck on one way of doing it. (For an example of trying different line deliveries, let’s take the line “Please help me, sir.” The first time you run lines, say it with the goal of taking the other character on a guilt trip. The next time, say it as though you are pleading with him. The third time, try it as a threat. And so on.)
Use a voice recorder.
Record all of your lines and cues using the voice recorder function on your cell phone or home computer. When you listen to the recording, press pause every time you hear one of your cues. Then try to say your own line from memory. When you press play again, you’ll be able to hear how well you did.
Make flashcards.
Write your cue on the front and your own line on the back. Then use the flashcards to check your memorization.
Get together with your fellow actors.
Find some time during lunch, recess, or study hall (not during a class) and run lines with each other. If you and another actor both have Skype (or a similar messaging service) on your computer, you can even rehearse from home. Better still, ask your parents to host a line-learning party! Invite some of your fellow actors over on a Saturday, and study your parts while you hang out. (Note to parents: You may need to provide a bit of supervision to ensure that line-learning doesn’t get overwhelmed by other activities.)
Special Tips for Parents of Students with Learning Differences
Kids with learning differences can be successful onstage! However, it is vital for them to begin working on lines early. Some students can “cram” their lines just before the deadline and make it work. Kids with learning differences will probably find that approach impossible. Here are a some ideas for helping your young actor succeed.
Break up the script into sections.
Encourage your child to work on the script in short sections (perhaps as little as a page or two at a time), so that he doesn’t get overwhelmed. This is especially important for kids with ADHD, who may not be able to sit still for more than a page! You can also provide regular doses of encouragement. Congratulate your child on each milestone, even if it’s as small as learning a single page. To make the process less tedious (both for you and your child), you might try some of the offbeat line-learning ideas here.
Establish a routine.
Some students with learning differences have an ingrained need for routine and structure. If that’s the case for your child, be extra-vigilant about enforcing line learning as a part of homework time each night.
Be your child’s line coach.
Your young actor can begin to memorize on her own (by reading the script silently to herself), but she’ll need your help as a Line Coach before long. You’ll need to hold her script and read the cues aloud, then check to see if she can supply her own lines from memory. Often, kids think they know their lines sooner than they actually do. An actor is not truly “off book” (completely memorized) until she can say each line from memory, without pauses or mistakes, as soon as she hears the cue. Most children with learning differences need repeated coaching, not just one or two intensive sessions.
Use the “Call and Response” technique.
If your young actor struggles with reading, he may not be able to do much work on his own. The best way for him to learn is often the “Call and Response” technique. In other words, you read your child’s own dialogue aloud to him (breaking each line into chunks if necessary), and he repeats it back to you. Work with him until he knows each line thoroughly. Unfortunately, it’s a time-consuming process, but it will help your child experience success in his performance. If you’d like to help him practice when you aren’t available, try recording his lines using the voice recorder on your home computer or cell phone.
Don’t stop reviewing.
Some kids can squeak by without reviewing their lines once they’ve memorized them. Kids with learning differences usually cannot. Even after he’s off book, I suggest running lines with your young actor two nights a week. If you don’t have a background in the performing arts yourself and aren’t sure how your child is doing, don’t hesitate to ask the director for feedback.
Talk it over.
Read over the Introduction and Basic Line-Learning Ideas with your young actor. Ask her to tell you which strategies are likely to help the most. Your child probably knows how she learns better than anyone else, so ask the expert! Plus, if you agree on a line-learning plan now (with your young actor’s input), you may save yourself some battles later.