Learning lines?
Mon, 18 May 2009, 01:12 pmLee Sheppard26 posts in thread
Learning lines?
Mon, 18 May 2009, 01:12 pmSo - I find myself in the current situation of having to learn a large number of lines for an upcoming production, something I haven't had to do for a few years now.
I suppose I'm doing it the usual way (for me, at least) - reading and re-reading, starting at the beginning and learning a few pages at a time, going back and constantly testing myself, sitting at home or on the train with the script and a bookmark to cover up my lines etc. Seems to be working so far.
Just wondering how you other thespians go about learning your lines? Do you learn key scenes first? Use voice recorders? Have them tattooed on your body? Maybe there's a technique out there we can all benefit from...
Cheers
Lee Sheppard
- Keeping it strictly amateur -
building the character
Mon, 18 May 2009, 02:26 pm"Mr Guskin outlines a process in which you learn the lines through the evolution of the character thus making for a more flexible and organic portrayal."
I once worked with a director who adopted that kind of approach. The play was a comedy . . . one of those 'tangled web we weave' things, with a lot of rapid fire lines.
What he did was ask each member of the cast to think about their character's history. In one of the earlier rehearsals, I played the role of interviewer, and asked questions of the characters. The director's idea was for the cast to be so throughly soaked in their character that the script became almost irrelevant. I have to say that it worked very well!
But . . . that does not necessarily help in this circumstance. I have real difficulty learning lines, and the way I have to do it is just repeat them over and over again. I am not that adept at 'becoming' another person (which is why my on-stage career has been minimal, and only under sufferance).