BWW Blog: Amanda Grillo - LINE! : A Guide to Getting Off Book

Getting off book... not everyone's favorite part, but a necessary one in the rehearsal process. Once the book is out of your hand, you can move freer and explore the character more. You can really dive into specific choices when you aren't preoccupied by the book taking up space in your hands. How does one get off book, you might ask? Well here are some tips and tricks based on what I've learned in my experiences, with input from some of the cast from Our Town.

In my experience, for every person out there, there is a different memorization technique. One of the most basic forms was finding a friend to run lines with you....over....and over or even reciting them to yourself. Michael Kennedy, who plays George Gibbs, jokingly shares, "I've always found the most effective method of getting off book to be repeatedly reciting your lines to yourself until your friends and family are convinced you've gone completely insane."

Some people, like Erica Quaedvlieg, who plays Emily Webb, enjoy combining traditional methods with technology. She shares with us, "I like to read it over and over until I believe I've got the gist of it, then I either write it out or type it out. If I mess up I go back and do it all over again. This helps me memorize correctly down to the exact wording!"

With science by his side, Jared Reynolds, who plays Doc Gibbs and directed Cabaret III, shares with us some information about the brain and use of memory, "Read it, out loud, right before you go to bed. Sleeping with info in your short term memory allows it to move to long term memory better and faster"

Some actors make roadmaps for themselves. They write out the cue line, and their response. Some just do it on any sheet of paper. I personally find it easiest to use flash cards and make a game of it. If you have no one to run lines with, this method can easily be set up in a jeopardy game format. A similar method can be done using sticky notes. That way, you must flip the card or lift the flap to check your line.

I once worked with an actor who was dyslexic. The easiest way for that person to memorize lines were audibly, so we recorded their lines; allowing them to listen to it like an audio book, since they struggled to read the physical script.

These are only a few of MANY ways to get off book. I'm always open to new ideas. What's your trick to get off book?

Come see Our Town

November 16th thru 19th at the Bucknall Theater (University of New Haven)

Need more Connecticut Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...