While it’s okay to take a day off every now and then, you likely want to practice every day if you want to memorize your lines as quickly as possible. If you’re playing the main character or something, you may need months of preparation. This will be different for everybody, but the point here is that you shouldn’t wait to the last minute.
This is especially important if you’ve been cast in a Shakespeare play or something like that, since it may take a few readings to understand the language.
There’s an upside here, too. By including the cues, you’ll build something called associative memory. You’ll start to associate that little bit of dialogue that isn’t yours with the sections as you learn them, which will actually help you memorize your lines faster![4] X Trustworthy Source American Psychological Association Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists Go to source For example, if you’re memorizing a line and the bit of dialogue before it ends with “…and your sister won’t pick up the phone,” then work on memorizing “pick up the phone” alongside your dialogue.
If you’re more of an auditory learner and you’re learning a well-known play, get the audiobook. Listening to the lines repeatedly will help a great deal if you struggle reading for long periods of time.
Some people find that singing their lines can help as well. If you get bored of saying the words in your boring old reading voice, try putting them to a tune!
As you master each individual section, practice putting all of them together. Try reciting the entire thing out loud to see if you can do it!
If you don’t want to act out your lines, or you can’t because the scene doesn’t involve movement, just walk around. Moving your body while you memorize will make it a lot easier for your brain to commit things to memory. [10] X Research source
Rehearsal Pro. This app will provide you with a variety of techniques and walk you through how to use them. If you feel like you’re hitting a brick wall, this is a good way to go. Script Rehearser. This program allows you to play back portions of your dialogue to memorize it in chunks. It will also compare your attempts so that you can see where you’re rushing or taking too long. Mind Vault. This is a great app for testing yourself on how well you know your lines. It generates quizzes based on what you’re memorizing to help you practice.
You can even play the recording when you’re driving or taking a shower. Recite your lines along with the recording, like you’re singing along to your favorite song. Try listening to the recording on repeat while you sleep. It’s an old trick, but there’s scientific evidence that this works![13] X Research source
If there’s a movie version of the play you’re learning, watch it! The images will give you some context to work off of when it comes to internalizing your lines.
You can highlight the side of the page where your dialogue is located, or highlight the lines directly.
See if you can write them out while you do something else, like watch TV, for an added layer of difficulty. If you can do this, you’re solid!
If you do forget a line in the heat of the moment, improvise! Work through it and keep your improvisation as close to the original text as you can remember. You’ll be very likely to stumble back on to the correct language soon.
