Have you just scored a role at your first community play? Are you trying to help your church’s Christmas program? Or are you just looking for a couple tips on acting? Let’s talk about the basics for a minute! Here are some tips that you can use in practice or in directing others. Let’s get organized!

  1. Know your character
    Investigate. What is this person like based on the description in your script, what they say, who they are, and what they do? You must know what influences and shapes them. For instance, are they proud? Do they stand very tall? Or are they weary with a slight slouch? Are they always running around and a little on edge? You can’t just speak your lines, you have to behave with them. Take time to ask questions about your character or take some notes on what you observe while you read your lines in the beginning.
  2. Practice your lines
    Practicing your lines out loud for yourself helps you memorize. In college I always said I had a horrible memory, until I took a class on oral interpretation and had homework like, “read your piece aloud 5 times before next class,” or, “read it 25 times before you perform it on Wednesday.” So I would walk through the dorm and put food in the microwave and repeat my lines over and over. They almost become a song in your head if you do it enough. Because of that class, I have become a firm believer that most people who say they have a rotten memory simply haven’t exercised it enough. This technique works really well for monologues, it is harder when you have to go back and forth, so having a partner to help you by reading others’ line is really helpful. You can’t only practice in your head, you must hear yourself.
  3. Switch up how you practice
    Have you noticed that you don’t seem to say your lines loudly enough? Shout when you practice. Slur your words? Practice hitting every syllable clearly – you’ll sound like a funny robot but it’s worth it. Especially punch out those “T’s.” Are you too slow? Practice your lines as fast as you can. Going to a different extreme can help balance you out.
  4. Have a memorization due date
    Your director will probably give you a due date, but if they’re inexperienced, they may not. Make sure you have one. After the first week of practices, if you have been repeating your lines over and over on your own, you should be ready to start looking up from your lines here and there. The transition is kind of like going from a tricycle to a bicycle with training wheels. Practice looking up from your script here and there so you start learning where your trouble spots/lines are early on and get used to looking around.

I hope this helps! Directors have the responsibility to communicate what they want from their actors, but a good actor knows that personal responsibility and diligence will go a long way to make a production go smoothly. Plays are collaborations, after all!