Carey Mulligan writes (and rewrites) lines until they’re locked in. Daniel Kaluuya goes into hermit mode to delve into his characters and dialogue. When it comes to memorizing lines, every actor—from seasoned performers to novices who just landed their first role—benefits from figuring out what works best for their particular learning style.
That’s why we asked you, the Backstage audience, for your go-to memorization methods. Your responses covered kinesthetic learning, deep textual analysis, color-coded systems, recording apps, and more. Here’s our roundup of some of the top ways to get off-book.
“Movement. I have to move my body when memorizing lines; otherwise, they’re just words on a page I learn by rote. Doing dishes, random cleaning around the house, going for a walk—making sure I move as I read one line, then say it out loud, then repeat. It helps me get the words in my body and not just in my head. Then it’s easy to switch that movement for actual blocking and choreography, and the words are already used to being connected to movement.”
—Lisa Gay Gardner
“I write out my lines in different phrasing to get to the crux of what’s being said, so even if I miss a word, I understand where I’m going and can save it. I also do this for my cast members’ lines, and the result is I normally know all of my lines as well as everyone else’s. Also, after I rewrite it all out, I run the script several times by myself, playing all roles myself until I have all cues memorized. After I have cues and lines memorized, I run the show and pantomime blocking and begin layering in pacing, tone, and emotion.”
—Adam Poynter
“I work on analysis first. I read the script maybe three times [and] make sure I understand any and all words, and the context from which they are spoken specifically towards me, so I can understand the context for my lines. Once I’ve done that, I break down my script into beats so I understand the story of said scene and the individual beats. Once I have all that down, I begin working on my lines, and during this, I will go by each line and figure out the purpose of WHY I am saying this line…. Understand what you are saying AND WHY, then the lines come.”
—Mercer Sage
“Creating strong, clear imagery in my head of what I’m saying and ALSO what the other person is saying. Helps me to have the character’s thoughts, not just the lines.”
—Casey Bessette
“Record everyone else’s lines on my voice memos app, but saying them in a neutral way so that I don’t get used to them being said a certain way. I leave a few seconds of silence for when I would say my line. It’s magic.”
—Johnny J. Gordon
“Shakespeare as of lately! Memorizing each line and looking for patterns and certain [enunciations]. Numerics. The ‘rrrr,’ ‘th,’ etc. Highlighting. Pasting it on a wall and reading it every hour and creating muscle memory through repetition. Once memorized, only then I get into character and depth.”
—Jaz Danz
“In blue ink, I write my lines. In red ink, I write my cue lines. If it’s a Shakespeare script, I write my cues on one side of an index card and my lines on the other side. If it’s not Shakespeare, I write my lines and my cues in a notebook. Then I audio record my cues and my lines per scene with a brief gap in between my cues and my lines, and listen to it on repeat while I try to say my line out loud before I hear myself say my lines on the recording.”
—Wen D. Beest
“I always try to use triggers. Think about what the line was said before, since [the] majority of lines are in response to someone, what the scene is about, where I am, what’s happening, etc. To ring a bell. Also, like others, read through the script again and again and again.”
—Niko Portante
“Repetition and understanding! Knowing what your character is feeling in the moment helps get the words out! Then just doing it over and over again!”
—Collin David Beach
“Understand the story, understand the character, find the want in each scene, read and write out everyone’s lines in the scene, read only my lines, read only the others’ lines, cold-read and listen to it in everyday life, throw it all away, be free, listen and react.”
—Liam Bell
Make sure to follow Backstage on social media! “We Asked, You Answered” will return soon to gather more real-world insights from working actors across the industry.