How to Memorise Your Lines Like a Pro

Here’s our guide on how to memorise lines as an actor

Memorising lines is hard work. If only we lived in a Matrix-style world where lines could be miraculously downloaded directly into the brain! Alas, that technology hasn’t been invented yet, and we must resort to tried and tested techniques for line memorisation.

Still, our brains are extraordinary things. People can memorise entire books by heart when they set their mind to it. Even though memorising lines can be challenging, it is within your power.

Need to learn some lines for a play? Read on and discover some of the techniques that professionals use to get the job done.

How do actors memorise lines?

There are lots of different techniques that actors use to memorise lines. Two of the most popular options are brute-force repetition and memory techniques.

Repetition and rote learning

This method is nothing fancy, it’s just rote learning. You repeat the lines, over and over again, hammering them into your brain. This tends to be a boring and painful method, but the one that can get results.

Some actors manage to find ways to enjoy learning by repetition. Done a certain way, it can become almost a meditative experience. You can also try moving around while learning lines. Repetition and rote learning is the same way we learn the alphabet and how to count. The action of repeating the words repeatedly helps to know them well so that it requires no thinking to recite them.

Memory tricks

It has been shown that memory techniques like a mnemonic device can help people to learn their lines faster. You might try things like attaching visual images to the lines. Some people are stronger in visual and spatial memory than verbal memory, and so they find that building pictures and spaces in their minds for their lines can yield better results.

What should you do if you forget your lines as an actor?

Even after you’ve spent days and weeks learning your lines, you can forget them. This happens to even the best and most professional actors. It even happens to them onstage, in the middle of performances. The horror!

If you forget your lines during a show, the important thing is that you don’t panic. Remember that time always seems to work differently on stage for an actor — everything slows down. When you’re up there on stage, trying to think of your lines, it can feel as though an infinity of time is going by when, in actuality, there’s only silence for a few seconds. Let the panic pass over you, relax, and more often than not, the line will come.

Whether you’re having trouble learning your lines or struggling with any other component of acting, we can help with acting classes in Sydney.