The Power of Memorization

If there's one thing I've learned from my years on stage and in front of the camera, it's that memorization is key -- dare I say, necessary -- to doing your best work as an actor. Having your lines fully memorized before an audition or a performance has been a "given" for most professional actors up until the last few decades. However, due to some misconceptions about "method acting" and the increasing demand for improvisational skills, there seems to be a growing trend of performers who feel there shouldn't be much work or attention paid to memorizing lines. This has then led to a myth circulating among many actors that working hard on memorizing lines results in an audition or performance that is in some way overworked or stale. And like most myths, this couldn't be further from the truth.

What many actors are trying to avoid is a performance where their lines sound rote or rehearsed, lacking a certain sense of truth or spontaneity. But this kind of performance is not the result of "over-memorization". Instead, it's a symptom of poor memorization techniques. Actors have to be mindful and avoid falling into certain cadences, rhythms or pitches while repeating their lines in practice. Repeating the same pace and tone, time after time, can often result in getting "locked in" and this can become dangerous. Being "locked in" with how lines are going to be delivered can not only prevent an actor from being a good listener, but can also block moments of spontaneous inspiration that could happen during a performance or rehearsal. As a coach, I have been quite shocked at the number of actors I have encountered who don't even have an effective system for memorizing lines. So I decided to write a blog about memorization and why it's so important to the success of an actor's work.

The root of successful memorization can be summed up in one word: Focus. In the rehearsal and homework stages of memorization I think about subtext and I paraphrase what my character is really trying to convey, regardless of the printed word on the page. By putting each of my lines into my own words, it soon becomes clear what my character is really saying and how those thoughts connect, chronologically. Then I memorize this progression as a story, a sequence of thoughts. The brain best holds on to information in the form of a story and I've found that my brain is more likely to recover from going blank when I can jump to the next "thought" instead of the next word. At the very worst, if my brain glitches and I have to improvise, I will instinctively know the "thought story" and be able to move the scene forward instead of grinding it to a halt. It's common to hear complaints that the actor is too much "in their head" -- a phrase typically associated with someone having difficulty maintaining all of these jobs at once.

When first approaching the script/dialogue, the common mistake I see many actors make is trying to memorize the text like they memorize numbers. When people memorize numbers, they are attempting to memorize a series of symbols in a certain order. And it's quite typical for performers to do this by trying to memorize their lines as a sequence of words stitched together in a certain order. Even though this method is feasible, it only sets the actor up for greater mishap in the future. I've found that if an actor has used this method and their mind goes blank during a performance, it's harder for their brain to get back to the point where it left off.

In terms of the nuts and bolts of memorization, it's truly subjective. It's about finding what works for the individual. With that in mind, here are several different techniques that have been time-proven to be effective:

• Start with small chunks. Don't attempt more than a few pages at a time. Biting off more than is chewable can often lead to frustrations that result in giving up before any true progress is made.

• Use a hand or a piece of paper to cover the script page. Begin by sliding the page/hand down, revealing one line at a time. Memorize the first line. Don't move on until the first line is memorized. Then memorize the second line and attempt the first two lines together. If you make a mistake, cover the whole page and go back to starting with just line #1. Do not add a new line until all previous lines can be recited in order, perfectly. The difficulty in this method is that it requires you to be your own taskmaster. But with some determination, this method can be very effective.

• Another method (my favorite) is to run lines with a phone/computer. Using an audio recording app/program, the actor speaks the lines of the other characters but leaves spaces of silence for their own lines between. When playing the recording back, the actor will hear the other characters' lines and be able to practice their own in the spaces between -- in a sense, having a conversation with their electronic device. I find this method helpful because I can put headphones on and run lines at any time, at home or on the go!

• I know many actors who find great benefit in writing out their lines. There's been quite a bit of science behind the effectiveness of putting to memory what one physically writes out and, in the past, I've worked with performers who will have a separate notebook and physically write out all of their lines. It's time consuming, but a wonderful way of making sure you're word-for-word.

Speaking of which, I strongly believe that we actors have a responsibility to honor the words of the writer. That means we must do our absolute best to speak the text exactly as it is written. And, speaking also as a writer, we writers choose each and every word very carefully, so it's hard not to get bummed when an actor messes up the sentence we labored over for so long. Besides, how impressive is it really if an actor has to change the line in order to make it work for them? The truly great actor is the performer who can make any line work, exactly how it's printed on the page.

It's worth mentioning again that, while rehearsing lines, actors should avoid locking in to a repetitive way of saying/delivering them. Try emphasizing different words in the sentence, try varying the pace. One actor I knew would learn lines while listening to music. He claimed it helped him avoid locking in to a pitch or a rhythm. In addition, have your work checked. We can never be truly objective about our own level of memorization so grab a friend, family member or colleague and have them test you. It's the only accurate way to know how "word perfect" you are.

So why? Why is all of this hard work on memorization so important? Well, it all comes back to brain space. What many experienced actors fail to share with younger actors is that there is a "sweet spot" of memorization. Putting large amounts of time into memorizing lines can result in a level of performance where the brain has much less work to do -- the lines seem to flow out of the mouth with very little effort, very little thinking. The brain now has free space with which to devote to other tasks.

This is great news for the actor as they are now able to devote less brain space to "what's my line?" and more brain space to "what's my character thinking in this moment?". Devoting large brain space to thinking the actual thoughts of the character can truly make the difference between a good performance and a remarkable one. It can sometimes get an actor "out of their head", and it can almost always free them up to listen better or be more open to a moment of spontaneity that erupts from some exciting work.

The students who work with me regularly know that they are to be off-book (memorized) before we even begin work. When an actor is able to drag their attention away from the tractor beam that is their script, the increase in quality is unmistakeable. They're able to focus on things that the character is focusing on, and the end product is a more truthful performance. And isn't that what we're all looking for? I'm constantly encouraging the young actors I work with to use their focus to get off-book as soon as possible and find that sweet spot. Having that extra brain space is a level-up to the acting game no performer will want to miss.