I really need help in this basically because this is happening mostly in auditions that I've been to . I read the script and I try my very best , but then it just disappears into my mind or I get really distracted to the point I forgot I had an audition. Is there any tips that I can use to better harness my memory so I can be better prepared for auditions ? Cause I am starting to get sick of it and it needs to stop.
Acting : Remembering lines/ bring prepared for auditions and ADHD by Christopher Pornovets
Remembering lines/ bring prepared for auditions and ADHD
Other topics in Acting:
Check out Trending Discussions
Register / Log In
I'm not an actor but I think coaching might help you with memory training. For the short-term, tape your lines --- then keep replaying the tape over and over and over, so it sticks with you.
Lots of tricks & tips. Try rewriting all of your lines without punctation over & over-- it goes into another side of your brain. Try saying your lines with 5 or 6 different emotions or even singing them-- yet again, another side of your brain. Try saying them how you would say them-- sometimes it just helps if the thought makes sense to you before the words do. Memorization is a muscle that has to be reworked ALL the time. Like a pro athlete or a dancer, you have to train that muscle so that it becomes second nature. Best of luck!
Thanks but can you give me an example ?
1 person likes this
You're distracted because you are thinking about the audition process and not the character you are portraying...
I'm not sure what kind of example you would like. Can you expand & I'll do my best to elaborate!
3 people like this
See a doctor to check if there's any mild, medical remedies to help your focus. See an acting coach to help you run your lines. And if you're using rote memorization, STOP immediately. You have to break down the scenes viscerally and invest in the who.what.where.when.how.why, including the past, and developing fully imagery and physical reinactments of the implied circumstances. It needs to become something that you actually experience, not repeat like a multiplication table. Once an act or emotional life is experienced, it becomes part of your muscle memory and you can't lose it. It's IN you. As your understanding of the script and character deepen, you're not worrying about the words. Learning my lines comes last, not first. Worry = Tension = The actor's worst enemy. I encourage my clients with ADHD to also take the jinx off by adjusting their thinking that they "can't" do it. Go to this website: http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/article_0060.shtml and read the list of hundreds and hundreds of famous actors, entertainers, scientists, composers, heros, inventors and legends that changed our world to what it is today. Say "yes" ... if they can do it, so can you. Reduce your fear to right size. ADHD is something that needs more time to work with, that's all - like a foreign actor with a different language, they have to work much harder than an english speaking actor. I have a book out, buy it, don't buy it, up to you. But there's a huge chapter on audition techniques and script breakdown that I learned from my own mentor - the late, great Stella Adler. I burn through scripts now because of her techniques that allow me to merge with the script. And it works on all mediums - stage, television, and film. It's currently on sale here https://www.createspace.com/4038013 for the holidays. Up to 40% off with promo code SEECUGCS. I'm not upselling you. I believe the post above is enough to get you back on a path that will help you in your career. I wish you the very best.