Memorization:
Imagination, Motivation, Comprehension, and Repetition
1. Listen. Either working with a partner, or by recording and playing back a scene (voice memos on my phone have really expanded my abilities here!), listen closely to what the other characters are saying. When you listen, form pictures in your head or think of images that you can use to keep a storyboard of sorts of the scene. When you really listen to what others are saying, you get a deeper understanding, and your responses
2. Write out your big blocks of text, plus the lead in lines and next characters lines. Then write them again. And Again. As you're writing imagine what you are writing as a comic book. If you are still having blanks, you're taking on too much. Break your speech up into parts. write out each part 5 times. use the imaging trick above. Now go back and put it all together.
3. Ask yourself these questions: What does my character want in this text? What's in my characters way? How do they get around what's in their way?
4. Make sure you understand EVERY word you're saying. If you don't understand it, dollars to jelly donuts your audience won't either. Talk to your director or your stage manager or your drama coach, or google, but DO ASK! You'll be glad you did, and you'll find it much easier to memorize.
5. Work with a partner or work with a recording. Go as far as you can. When you get hung up on a line, go back to the beginning and try it again.
6. Incorporate movement. whether it's your blocking or just walking/moving in place, reciting with body movement helps your brain to remember. This works especially well with music, but it also works great for Shakespeare.
Do you have any other methods when you're committing a script to memory? Share them in the comments!
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