Association for Psychological Science: ‘To be or, or … um … line!’
Association for Psychological Science: ‘To be or, or … um … line!’
This is a fantastic article on the process of memorizing for the actor. Apparently, this couple has been doing research for a long time about this and have come up with the same principles that I discovered for myself in just 3 years of grad school! Anyway, for any actor, this article is a must.
This link was provided to me from Widgett over at Needcoffee, who discovered it over at Boing Boing. Enjoy.
January 30th, 2006 at 7:20 am
There is so many methods but no excuse for forgetting them.
All we have to do is walk and talk at the same time whilst remembering lines, its amazing how many actors I know who struggle with this.
January 30th, 2006 at 8:20 am
Silly isn’t it? I’m even a little bit ADD and have never had a problem remembering my lines for anything!
Still, among non-actor types, it’s still the favorite question: “How on EARTH do you remember all those lines?”
If you are doing Shakespeare, those same people are just in awe!
January 31st, 2006 at 3:34 am
I use rote, like I’m learning my times tables.
January 31st, 2006 at 7:07 am
http://www.mirroruptonature.com/greenroom/viewtopic.php?p=3#3
February 3rd, 2006 at 3:35 pm
The article manages to put a name to the process that I’m used to using, which is association with blocking. I learn the lines while I’m walking the blocking, and I associate it quickly. The way my mind works, I’m able to learn lines extremely fast and then recall them however I need to. As the article states, a lot of it comes from the focus of concentration that actors apply while rehearsing and performing. That’s why even ADD people like you, Tee, are able to remember them all without even really trying - you’ve already done the necessary work during rehearsal, so it’s in there solid by the time you step onstage. I know a lot of actors learn lines before coming into rehearsal, but I personally find that difficult and boring - mainly because I have no context with which to physicalize it. As I teach my acting class, the students are discovering that what makes acting interesting and effective is the ACTION in volved in it - the physical movement that “activates” the words and makes them come alive. Plus, the problem I face with learning them beforehand is that I preimpose a context that makes it hard to adjust to a director’s ideas. I know other people who have the same problem. They know their lines coming into rehearsal, and then they’re hard to work with because they refuse to try a new interpretation on their characters. Granted, this isn’t a problem for all actors, just some, and I think it depends more on individual personalities than anything else. I just find it boring and hard to do without the rehearsal context. Plus, since I’m actively involved in the process during rehearsal, I enjoy the discovery process more as well, and I learn the lines quickly.