The primary query each actor will get requested by well-meaning members of the family following a efficiency is: “How did you study all of these strains?!” It’s not their fault, it’s the principles. The query comes from a standard, kind-hearted-yet-misguided notion that the educational of the phrases is the toughest half (the place, in precise reality, it’s the anxiousness of efficiency and the worry of vulnerability that actually cooks your noodle.) At the moment, although, I’m going to put out a number of methods of studying these pesky monologues. And the subsequent time some harmless Aunt or Uncle presses you on your approach, you may ahead them this text and inform them to have a learn! Moreover, in case you are making an attempt to memorise a monologue and battling the method, this text can be helpful for you as effectively.

The easiest way to memorise a monologue is to determine the method that works greatest for you, break the monologue down into smaller chunks and study it methodically, half by half, till you may re-assemble and repeat it verbatim. There are three major modes of studying: auditory, visible and kinaesthetic. Realizing which of them swimsuit you greatest after which tailoring a line-learning methodology to swimsuit will massively profit you within the monologue studying course of.

Let’s get into it!

Break it Down into Beats

Subsequent to how you can movie a self tape, our most mentioned subject on StageMilk might be what are beats? Beats are the essential chunks of a monologue/scene/story, that denote a shift within the scene both in what the character’s goal is, or how they resolve to attain their purpose (by way of actions). They’re normally denoted by a shift in emotion, a chunk of knowledge realized or given or the same second of dramatic motion throughout the story.

Beats are a significant a part of script evaluation and the muse of breaking down a script into smaller, workable chunks. The articles linked above are tremendous helpful assets on this topic, and you need to learn them as they communicate on the subject in higher element. 

Primarily, the primary a part of studying your monologue is to spit it up into its key concepts—its beats. By breaking it down into its beats, we make the monologue extra manageable, and simpler to navigate. Loads of actors discover themselves overwhelmed by the entire monologue, and the considered having to study an intimidating wall of textual content. By breaking it up into beats we are able to study it thought by thought, thought by thought and make it extra manageable for ourselves on the identical time.

In that beats article linked above, I exploit a monologue from Julius Ceasar for instance. have a look beneath:

As you may see, I’ve named every beat—given it a theme, so to talk, in addition to numbered it. This helps me have an thought of what the tone of the thought is behind the beat, and helps make clear the construction of the piece as effectively.

On this monologue, Brutus begins off figuring out he has to kill Caesar, however not having the correct motive to homicide his pal. Over the course of the piece, he convinces himself that it could be for the higher good to cease Caesar earlier than he turns into a hazard. By breaking it up into smaller, extra manageable chunks, I can perceive the character’s thought course of simpler and see how he modifies from one viewpoint to one thing else by the tip. 

How do you Study?

In terms of studying, there are numerous strategies you may undertake that can assist you within the training course of. In my expertise as an actor and educator, I subscribe to the VAK thought of training. Visible, auditory and kinaesthetic. 

Visible learners study by seeing. Artists, designers, folks with detailed reminiscence or recall for complicated visible conditions get pleasure from utilizing graphs, maps and diagrams, love color coded flashcards or thoughts maps and so forth.

Auditory learners study greatest by listening to issues. If you happen to’re a musician, or you may quote complete episodes of tv or motion pictures verbatim, or recall huge passages of podcasts or speeches from reminiscence, chances are high you might be an auditory learner.

Lastly, kinaesthetic learners study by doing. Generally dancers, bodily theatre practitioners and sports activities folks study greatest by doing with their our bodies. They’ll discover themselves stressed and fidgety in conventional educational contexts, and doubtlessly battle with extra summary conceptual matters. 

Typically, persons are have a major class they align with greatest and a secondary class that’s kinda useful. For me, my major is auditory: I can keep in mind complete swathes of flicks, TV reveals and songs. I can quote stuff that I’ve heard solely a couple of times fairly effectively from reminiscence, and this provides me an enormous benefit with line studying. It additionally implies that I must construct my line studying course of round listening to the phrases and their that means.

My secondary class is kinaesthetic. I play a number of sports activities, and realized guitar primarily from finger positions somewhat than musical notation. I’ve discovered, purely by trial and error, that if I want I can use motion to assist the strains get into my physique. I’ve additionally discovered that I battle with assessing and understanding visible components, like studying a script and picturing what it appears like on the display.

You may be like me, otherwise you may be massively visible! It’s all good! Everyone seems to be completely different, so I’m going to provide you my greatest memorisation techniques for every sort of VAK studying.

Studying your Monologue

Visible Learners

The perfect method I’ve seen for visible learners to get their strains down is Andy’s methodology, seen right here, in The best way to Study Strains FAST:

Seize a pad and a pen and write out the monologue, beat by beat, noting down the primary letter of every phrase in a sentence with the precise punctuation. Then, utilizing that as a reference, repeat the sentence again utilizing simply the letters on the web page. When you’ve executed one sentence and might recollect it with out trying on the web page, transfer onto the subsequent till you’ve learnt the entire beat. After getting that beat, begin on the subsequent, and rinse and repeat. Magic!

If you happen to battle with a specific phrase or thought, you may draw little symbols or doodles to essentially push that specific clean house. Something to make it visible and enjoyable for your self! Simply do not forget that the letters and punctuation have to be precise.

Auditory Learners

The temptation for auditory learners is to file the monologue and hearken to it time and again till you keep in mind it. Whereas this looks as if a logical course of, I’d really advise towards it. It’s too simple a strategy to ingrain a mode of supply; you’re inclined to repeat the monologue precisely as first recorded, which stops you from taking path. It’s particularly constricting in a scene when one other actor is current, as you may’t be certain of what they’ll convey to the scene that may modify your supply (do not forget that a monologue remains to be about speaking along with your scene companion—even should you’re doing all of the speaking.)

My suggestion is to do an train often known as “The Whats.”

Undergo your monologue, sentence by sentence, and outline what each phrase means—both what the phrase actually means or what it means to my character. 

For instance:

Shall I examine thee to a summers day? 

If I used to be studying that, I’d say to myself out loud:

“May I: me, Romeo, examine: make a comparability between, thee: you, Juliet, love of my life (insert picture of precise one who is that for you in actuality), in the direction of, a brilliant, heat 24- hour interval in January?” 

This will take a very long time, relying on the script! However it actually does provide help to study the strains AND the ideas behind them. If you happen to drop a phrase, as an alternative of getting caught you’ll subconsciously add in the same phrase and preserve the second going.

By saying the phrases out loud, it means you hear them and take into consideration their that means, context and subtext. It retains your work recent and doesn’t lock you right into a single mode of efficiency.

Kinaesthetic Learners

My kinaesthetic mates! You’ve got to maneuver it! I discover one of the best ways to study as a kinaesthetic learner is to assign every phrase within the sentence a gesture, and dance it out!

Be sure to use your full physique and repeat the identical gestures for a similar phrases. I discover this works very well at the side of “The Whats” train above. Combining a number of types can actually assist get the phrases into your physique, so give it a go subsequent time you might be memorising!

The Pitfalls

There are two huge pitfalls on the subject of studying strains, notably if you’re studying monologues.

The primary is studying by rote. The issue with repeating sentences time and again is that they begin to turn out to be meaningless—simply noises you’re making in a specific order. It might probably additionally imply that should you drop a phrase, you go completely dry (a worry worse than loss of life for me!)

The second pitfall is locking in decisions early after which missing flexibility. While you go for an audition, the director may need a very completely different thought of the piece to how you’ve practiced it; you must be versatile and in a position to play with the textual content! If in case you have realized it by rote, or from a recording, it is vitally unlikely that you should have the power to play with it.

As an alternative, when you’re studying your strains, attempt to study them neutrally: not placing an excessive amount of emphasis on specific phrases or including an excessive amount of emotion. Get fully off ebook first, then search for that emotional arc. Add in these pictures, spend money on the given circumstances and so forth! If you happen to do that while you’re making an attempt to study it, and commit totally each time in the identical method, the piece will turn out to be predictable and really feel picket and rehearsed. Study it first, then add in your emotional and imaginative aptitude!

Conclusion

There you’ve it: how you can memorise a monologue! After getting picked one out, (its personal problem, see right here for suggestions), break it down into manageable beats, decide a studying type that resonates with you and begin on the very starting. It’s an excellent place to start out. By making it manageable for your self, preserving emotion out of it and actually utilising the way in which you study greatest, you’ll find which you can get your subsequent monologue down in file time!