Performing Arts Study Skills

Line learning Advice

• Break It Down:  Don't try to learn the whole script at once. Focus on one scene, one page, or even just one speech at a time. Mark your lines with a highlighter. Once you've mastered a small section, move on to the next. This makes the task feel much less overwhelming.

• Record and Listen:  Use your phone to record yourself saying your lines. You can also record the cues (the lines spoken by other characters just before yours) with pauses where your lines should be. Listen to these recordings on your way to school, while doing chores, or before you go to sleep.

• Write Them Out by Hand:  The physical act of writing helps to cement the words in your memory. Write your lines out repeatedly in a notebook. This engages a different part of your brain and can be incredibly effective for kinesthetic learners who learn by doing.

• Understand the "Why":  Lines are much easier to remember if you understand the motivation behind them. Ask yourself: Why is my character saying this? What do they want to achieve? What has just happened? When you connect the words to an emotion and an objective, they stop being just words and become part of the story.

• Practice with a Partner:  The best way to learn lines is by running them with another person. This helps you get your cues perfect and mimics the feel of a real performance. If you can't find a scene partner, ask a friend or family member to read the other parts for you.