How strict are you when it comes to books down time? I once had a director who took the scripts physically off people. Now, even with a rehearsal schedule, people are clinging on to books for dear life and they really do know the lines...well most of them...

Just wondering what others do? I am expecting Rod and Anne-Marie will have some comments on this one. Please?

Best wishes

Louise

A lot of the time it is just lack of confidence - people don't really believe that they can do it without the book and cling to the script as some kind of security blanket. Right at the start of rehearsals we set a date for books down - usually dividing it up into pages, scenes or acts so it becomes manageable.

When the first BD rehearsal comes round we sit round in a circle and read the script as fast as we can without pauses or expression. This means it is fresh in our minds when we do it the second time with moves, intonation etc but without books.

The first time without books is always slow, painful and very frustrating, but once that hurdle has been crossed things generally start to improve rapidly. However, I think it is vital that EVERYONE puts their book down at the same time - no excuses, no exceptions.

I'd be interested in knowing how various directors deal with those who simply don't learn their lines until dress rehearsal week. We've tried asking nicely, talking to seriously, bribing, cajoling, shouting, tears, storming out etc, but some people seem oblivious to the effect their lack of application has on the rest of the cast.

I am always the annoying smart alec that has their book down within seconds of first rehearsal (I exaggerate just a teensy bit there). This is always a clever thing to do because if you forget your lines you can always peep over someone else's shoulder and read their book yet they think you know it all! Quite seriously, it IS always easier if you're first with books down because when you (shakily) deliver your lines you KNOW you will get the correct response. It beats me why others don't see this.

The "unspoken etiquette" in our drama society seems to be that people are allowed an extra week beyond the date. After that time their hands are chopped off...

I always make a start as soon as I've been cast, but the first time you do any of it without the book, it still goes hideously wrong. But better to have that hideous rehearsal as soon as possible and hopefully improve!

Sorry, Louise, I was dozing.

(After all, I HAVE retired.) (Honest I have.)

There are so many different ways of learning lines, but they must all have the same objective. A strict director can help. Post-BDP rehearsals have a different structure and purpose from the pre-BDP ones. Tardy actors frustrate this purpose.

On this subject, I am an awful hypocrite, being the world's worst line-learner. But I know my cues!!

I had this idea ages ago and may try it out sometime...

Why not use a overhead projector to project the words onto a wall in front of the actors...

1. This gets books down.

2. Gives confidence is moving about.

3. Gets their heads up and projecting their voice to the front.

Hmmmmmm I'm going to try this sometime in chorus numbers...

Hey for chorus numbers why not have little pics of what moves they're supposed to be doing - won't make any difference but hey...

QUOTE (Maureen @ Mar 24 2003, 12:54 PM)

little pics of what moves they're supposed to be doing

I do this in my copy of the script. Well I did when I prompted. I've tried it again with certain scenes where there's a lot happening on stage in short time. It lets you see where the pauses might happen if any are scripted or if a prop is being brought on/off stage which may require a door being opened (good example would be the laundry basket for Flying Feathers?) It does help some people as they can copy the notes into their script once they're off (*if they haven't made the note straight away).

The only problem is you look a wally sometimes when you are making gestures which the person you are trying to communicate with does not understand. See brackets!*

Just trying to help people can get you into trouble sometimes. But Maureen, your idea sounds good if you have enough room to set this up.

L

Found myself thinking some more about this, then saw George's letter and - just in time before throwing up - realised he was joking.

I tried to cover the entire philosophy and practice in my book, but was scared of getting boring about it. All through my interpretational and planning phase I'm searching for a reality. When I get cast and into rehearsal, I know that actors and technicians will have new ideas that I would hate to waste - want to incorporate.

Oddly enough, I've always preached against turning up to the first rehearsal with all lines learned because actors cannot learn words without giving those words a system of delivery that they have dreamed up in isolation from their fellow-actors and without any influence from me, the director.......

....sorry, someone's just arrived for a session on their audition-piece - I'll have to carry on later, but it's all in the book.

We have discussed HOW to learn lines on another thread, so first I suggest pointing all your actors in that direction first (after giving them a copy of Rod's book of course).

But when?

Each director has their own ideas of when. I decide on a date in my own mind, about six weeks into rehearsals. Then I set them an absolute deadline for books down of about a week and a half prior to my own personal deadline. At auditions, every actor is made perfectly aware of the deadline I am setting them all, and asked whether or not they feel they can achieve that time if they are given the part.

Now you've got them!

As the books down time draws near, some actors will work extremely hard to keep in your good books. Some will be lax. On your pre-announced deadline day, ALWAYS ensure you have a prompt at rehearsal, and ask the cast to put their books down.

Ignore the ones who need plenty of prompts but who have tried hard. But the ones who really really don't know it and haven't tried.....stop the rehearsal and ask them clearly but politely so that everyone can hear, why they haven't been able to learn their lines. Make sure you ask them 2 or 3 questions, then give them back their book and carry on rehearsal with the offender keeping a book. Next rehearsal they will have been shamed into learning their lines, and you'll have books down by your own secret deadline time!

And remember, from day one you need to keep reminding them all that rehearsals are NOT the place for learning lines. That should be done at home in between rehearsals, when they are also running their moves. At rehearsals you are showing them what you want, making changes as necessary, and working to gel the whole production - actors, costumes, lights, sound, stage management, set, etc, etc. The actors are only a part of it.

Homework, homework, homework!! Boy, do I hate the person who doesn't look at their script between rehearsals - you can always tell them, because they keep leaving their scripts behind and don't notice until next time!

QUOTE (Rod O'West @ Mar 26 2003, 10:43 PM)

Found myself thinking some more about this, then saw George's letter and - just in time before throwing up - realised he was joking. I tried to cover the entire philosophy and practice in my book, but was scared of getting boring about it. All through my interpretational and planning phase I'm searching for a reality. When I get cast and into rehearsal, I know that actors and technicians will have new ideas that I would hate to waste - want to incorporate. Oddly enough, I've always preached against turning up to the first rehearsal with all lines learned because actors cannot learn words without giving those words a system of delivery that they have dreamed up in isolation from their fellow-actors and without any influence from me, the director....... ....sorry, someone's just arrived for a session on their audition-piece - I'll have to carry on later, but it's all in the book.

I really agree about not learning lines before rehearsals are underway. I need to carry the sound of the voices of the rest of the cast in my head before I learn my lines. It is only at that point that the words cease to be black shapes on a white page and start to become interactive dialogue. Learning them by rote in isolation is the road to disaster and can lead to the whole play becoming wooden and failing to develop depths beyond the first couple of read-throughs.

QUOTE (Hilary @ Mar 27 2003, 8:15 AM)

Learning them by rote in isolation is the road to disaster and can lead to the whole play becoming wooden and failing to develop depths beyond the first couple of read-throughs.

I think this is very interesting. Unfortunately I have recently seen this happen. It really brought home how much there is to a character (which I feel could be played better) who was being read in by someone else while thge actor was absent. The read-in player added moves (as directed by the director and the script) and brought the character to life. Whilst the absent actor knows the lines, it does lack something.

slowly creeping back for cover...

With any character I play, I have to live with them in my head throughout the rehearsal period (and not just during rehearsals). By the time production comes around I know what type of home they live in, what their taste in decor is like, how they dress, what they like to eat and drink, what kind of music they listen to, what they do in their leisure time, exactly how they feel about every other character in the play and how they would react to any given situation, within or outside the play. This applies whether they are in one scene with 20 lines or appear on all 60-odd pages of the script.

Usually I write it all down in the form of a monologue - how they got to the situation in the play, how they feel about it and where they go and what happens to them after it's all over.

Mostly, I go to sleep thinking about them and wake up with another aspect of the character fully formed in my head in the morning - don't know how or why it does, but it helps the interaction with the rest of the characters no end.

It all started when one director (the best I've ever worked with), stopped the rehearsal mid-scene and went round every actor asking how their character felt about the situation - it made us all think and set a pattern which I've followed for every production since.

In the next production, we took it one stage further and actually made up story lines for our characters outside the plot. One day we'll go the whole way and have a rehearsal devoted to improvisation.

For anyone who's never tried anything like this, it adds a whole new dimension to the part, and therefore to the production and makes the acting infinitely more satisfying.

We always require our cast to mentally provide an entire history for each of our characters - especially for chorus members. At any point, I will ask them a question about their character (e.g. how many brothers and sisters do you have?) and expect the answer straight away.

Hilary, I wish more people could take this as seriously as you do - a lot of them, particularly the younger ones, tend to think the whole thing a hilarious joke!

This method is going to prove more difficult (or perhaps easier!) than usual for my current show, which has been double cast. I have put each 'pair' in touch with each other, most of them have never met except at the audition, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they cope with this particular aspect!

A lot of them are already arranging lunch or coffee meetings to get to grips with their character together, so it's looking promising....I'll keep you posted.

This is a really interesting thread that seems to encapsulate so many aspects of the director's craft... AND the actors'...

Please forgive me: I want to join in but need to catch up with everybody else's viewpoint first. Bit busy at the mo..

Thanks, Louise, for starting it.

About 3 a.m. some time soon, may I please join the fray in earnest?

Good to see you are interested in this thread, Rod.
Forgive me if I go off topic slightly but I will tie it all back in...

I agree it is good to see so much reaction to this topic. Since I haven't acted for some time (it seems like a long time to me but is only 3 plays ago) I am trying to think how I am with books down personally. I'd like to think that the next time I am faced with a part to learn, that I will learn it quicker than I may have done the last time. I'd like to be able to put the book down and have props to use, to move around and get into the character's mind. Of course it might depend on the size of the role. From previous experience (ie before having my children) I had more freetime and spent a lot of time learning lines. (That is another thread) Then I had a break and when I'd settled here I wanted to get back into drama so I had to find a group I liked and felt comfortable with. I had a small part to start with and that was hard to learn and I think it was something to do with family priorities and working part-time then. Now I've given up work and am happy to have a break once a week to go and watch/help out at rehearsals. Having done FOH and prompting I want to act again so I when the time arrives I will try hard to learn the lines early on. Only I've got a bit picky and (see the thread on Understudies) want to be with people who all feel the same about a production which is to do a good job and entertain people at the same time...not make them leave before the interval.

Sorry I digressed. Please someone get it back on track...

Louise

QUOTE (Anne-Marie @ Mar 29 2003, 4:11 AM)

We always require our cast to mentally provide an entire history for each of our characters - especially for chorus members. At any point, I will ask them a question about their character (e.g. how many brothers and sisters do you have?) and expect the answer straight away. Hilary, I wish more people could take this as seriously as you do - a lot of them, particularly the younger ones, tend to think the whole thing a hilarious joke!

I hope I haven't come across as terribly pretentious and 'luvvie', but I don't see how you can pretend to be another person if you don't know them inside out and back to front.

One of the most interesting aspects was other characters' views of their relationship with your character - often they see the interplay between you in a completely different way, and often highlight aspects of your character that you might not have considered.

I know what you mean about people viewing it as a joke rather than a serious exercise. However, I think much of this is down to embarrassment. Most would-be actors are quite happy to stand up there and deliver the lines on the page, but ask them to share their thoughts and either they don't have any, or they're too shy to talk about them. Almost invariably those who enter into the spirit of the exercise will be those who ultimately steal the show, regardless of how many lines they have to say.

Depending on how our reading goes tonight, I could be about to start studying a new part - probably the most demanding and complex I've ever attempted. If we decide to go ahead, then details will gradually emerge when I appeal to you all for inspiration!

AMAZING COINCIDENCE!!!

"Jonah's Jottings" next week - out Sun 06 Apr 03 - is about this very subject! Now, I wonder how that happened...

Reading back over this thread since getting back from holiday, I also agree (as a director) on the point about not learning the lines before rehearsals start. After all, your director may not WANT you to say them the way you have learned them, and sometimes has even obtained permission from the playwright for some lines to be updated or localised (perhaps when referring to a town or city).

It's far harder to un-learn lines!