You know what's stressful? College. But you know what's even more stressful than that? Having a crap load of commitments on top of college. I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I decided to take on all this stuff with my current schedule, but it's far too late to turn back now.
Out of these commitments that I have, my most favorite, and infuriating, is the play that I've auditioned for--and for those of you reading this that happen to be in this play, I say this in the most loving way. After a full year of being away from theatre, I had nearly forgotten how much time, effort and energy goes into them. But that's another story for another time. I know you guys only clicked on this link so you could get a few line memorization tips, so why waste time having a long, philosophical, talk about theatre when that clearly isn't what you came for? So, without further ado, here are the five tips I have for all of you.
1. Breathe!
Now I know it looks like a ton of lines now, but that's only because this is the first time you've popped open your script since the read through, and the deadline for having them all memorized is in two days. In other words, calm down! Take a breath and just take a minute to mentally prepare yourself for what you're about to immerse yourself in. Do some stretches too, if you really need to. Just don't let yourself get too distracted. Remember, you have a deadline. Once you've finished calming yourself down, have yourself another look at your script and start reading.
2. Read Between the Lines
This tip goes hand in hand with breathing. If you're in a hurry to get your lines down, the best way to do it is to read them aloud. I've always found it a bit counterproductive to try memorizing lines just from reading them silently. If I need to retain information, I need to hear it. Therefore, simply recite your lines. This way, not only will you get a better feel for them, you'll also get a stronger connection to the character you're portraying and a chance to explore all of the vocal possibilities for them.
3. Music is Love, Music is Life
I know I probably use this tip a lot, but that's just how effective it is! Music really is one of the most useful tricks to remembering things, especially lines for plays. If you find the right song, your whole mood changes and suddenly you find yourself picking up on the words more quickly. Music can also be a good way to help overcome distractions. I challenge you, if, or when, you're in a play, to try reciting your lines while listening to some music. It's such a hard thing to do! But once you succeed, the lines will come more naturally to you.
4. Get Some Space
Take time to breathe every once in a while. You might be pressed for time, but you'll end up forgetting everything you worked so hard to memorize if you keep at it all day without pause. So take maybe an hour long break in between each scene, or section, you've been working on, then come back to it and see what all you remember.
5. Bring a Friend
This will definitely be one of the harder tips for those of you with easy stage fright, but it's a necessary evil. If you have a friend, or family member that's willing to sit back and listen to everything you've worked on so far, take full advantage of them. This'll be an opportunity to put yourself at ease AND further reinforce your knowledge of the lines. It's no secret that things can be harder to remember when you're in a crowd; it happens with presentations, recitals, names, birthdays, the list goes on. It's all about keeping your nerves in check. So when you do this, just be sure to keep your head held high, back straight, and confidence sturdy. You've come so far since you started, now it's time to share that progress! And if you mess up, don't worry, and don't try to repeat the line you fumbled on--that's how you forget everything else--just keep going through it. And if you mess up consistently, that's alright too. You can even add a bit of improv if you really need to, depending on how familiar you are with the lines. Just don't panic if it isn't perfect. This performance is like the rough draft of an essay, it isn't supposed to be pretty. There WILL be flaws, and many of them, so the sooner you make peace with that, the easier this will get for you.
Well then, now that you have all of these wonderful tips--and have totally used them already--you're ready to take on the stage! So go out there and make your director proud!
