Take that, Sucker!

Every time I see an actor, especially before an opening, going furiously over lines, making sure he/she won't forget them at a critical moment, I think: "Sucker!" Perhaps something kinder, but the caution's the same.

The play's been rehearsed for 4 weeks, the lines at the last rehearsal were perfect - so why is the actor worried about forgetting? Probably because the lines were memorized, not learned properly. Psychologically, if you're worried about lines and go over them just prior to opening, you are creating a perfect scenario. You WILL forget. And you've set it up!

On the other hand (there are five fingers, yuk)if the lines have been learned, not memorized, then the implication is they've been assimilated through association with an inner emotional beat and become part of muscle memory. Actors who go about learning lines this way spend much less time studying the script and find themselves absorbing dialogue AS THEY REHEARSE.

About 15 years ago, I found myself having to take on Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet, 4 days before opening. It was a 15 show run and the good Friar had to go on with "The Bible" in hand. What I found was that as I adapted to the environment and interacted with other actors, the text began to stick and I actually had very little "book" work to do. After the 5th performance, the Bible became a prop and I didn't have to refer to it again.

Try it. Not Friar Laurence, heaven forbid! But try dealing with your lines this way. It's far more organic and really helps keep you out of your head.

On Camera actors have a somewhat harder row to hoe. Get the sides 24 hours before the audition and show up ready to go. Memorization may be the only salvation in that case - or as in having to learn three scenes for tomorrow's shoot after putting in a 12 hour day on set. I suspect, however, that the best film actors will tell you lines are learned, not memorized. Take that, sucker!