Drawn in the sand

Clearly the topic is lines. We're not talking about little white lines here, either, rather the big extensive lines that will swallow up vast tracts of time in the course of being memorized. I have a device to make all well though...

But first a little background is probably appropriate. With Summer coming on it is once again time for Shakespeare on the lawn at the Thorneloe Chapel. This month, from the 26th to 29th we will be presenting the much loved classic A Midsummer Night's Dream (in a slightly shortened format).

Now as mentioned, the problem with presenting a play is learning your lines, or as the thespians say "going off-book." Generally I find it hard to see how people could do this without some kind of trick. Here are some of mine.

Many would doubt it possible as I state presently that I am both typing this and studying lines simultaneously, but it's true. My first and possibly best trick is to record a reading of the lines involved to my trusty iPod. The easiest thing one will ever remember is a song that they want to sing along to. This way, I can play back any section of my nearly 20 minutes of recitation as though it Were a song. Sort of. I can do this pretty much any time outside of the shower. Better, it allows one to study handsfree and without keeping their eye on the page, making things Incredibly convenient.

Of course having an audible assist is great, but there is still no getting around the actual script. The script is your friend because it is the portable format that maintains your visual cues and all the notes to direct you on subtext that lines alone speak naught of. Pardon the vaguely archaic tone that crept in there.

Blocking (position onstage at any time and actions), tone and inflection, cues and of course silly drawings of the director are all contained in the script in one's own handwriting. And lines, too, naturally.

Lines! Sometimes we get a longer patch of lines - A "monologue," if you will. This is where trick two comes into play. Rather than be daunted by a large passage, the intelligent memorizer will instead begin to divide the passage. There are always logical progressions of sub-thoughts that can stand on there own. By taking these sub-thoughts as their own lines, we connect them with simple mnemonics or one-word categories and memorize in small portions until we have the whole.

But these things seem obvious. These are not the reason this note is being written. The real reason is that today being the 7th of June, there is only one day left for the cast to be off-book. This weighs heavily on me. There are several passages that Y.T. has down pat. Pat, pat.

Neither am I complaining that I am overburdened by the volume of lines to be memorized. I have fewer lines than some of the actors. The longest of monologues are presented by others as well. It is simply this: it is one thing to let one's self down and not be ready, but in taking a role, one makes a compact with all the others involved. One owes them a certain dedication and perseverance to ensure their efforts are equally met.

Offbook by tomorrow. Wish me 'break a leg'...