The Learning of Lines

This week has been an interesting one. It began with Ingrid's birthday. Ingrid is my best beloved, to whom I will have been married 31 years this summer. Her natal day is actually May 2nd but since the government has kindly provided a bank holiday on the first Monday in May her birthday celebrations get extended using that day off work.

On Sunday, Enid, Ingrid's mother, treated us to a meal at the Chinese restaurant nearby. It was just the three of us and a very pleasant time we had of it too. We had spent some of the weekend erecting a gazebo in our back garden (the gazebo was Enid's present to Ingrid) along with the new patio table, chairs, heater and chiminee. All of this preparation was in readiness for the Bank holiday, which has, by tradition now, become open house from noon onwards. We have had many glorious May afternoons in the past (Ingrid is older than she looks!)

Imagine our dismay when we woke up Monday morning and it was raining. However Ingrid must have been a particularly good girl during the year because she was rewarded with glorious sunshine which started just before the first guests arrived and continued for the rest of the day.

Tuesday, the actual birthday day, was back to work but with a warm satisfied glow that we had right royally celebrated Ingrid's birthday.

On Wednesday, I attended the first readthrough of "Art", the July production of the Bench Theatre (www.benchtheatre.org.uk). I arrived at the director's house at 7.30 p.m., congratulating myself on just making it on time. I don't mean to be unpunctual but if I start a task beforehand I invariably overrun and then find myself running late for an appointment. However I just hate hanging around waiting for an event to occur. Anyway, there I stood on the doorstep at 7.30 p.m., mentally hugging myself, only to discover that the readthrough was scheduled for 8.00 p.m. I was a bit quieter than normal in the readthrough because unbeknowst to even myself I was beginning to catch the summer cold which always begins with a tickly sore throat. I was also beginning to appreciate how many lines I will have to learn over the 8 weeks of rehearsal. "Art" is a three hander and none of the trio are offstage for any real length of time.

When I was young I would learn lines almost instantaneously and mainly through the rehearsal process. These days however the learning of lines needs more laborious application and method if I am to succeed. In a masterclass with a professional director from the Chichester Festival Theatre, he showed techniques used by his actors which contrasted sharply with the non-professional experience. He commented then that amateurs tend to learn their lines in isolation rather than together. This can lead to a delivery that is parallel in performance as well, as interaction is overwhelmed by the physical act of remembrance. It is to the credit of top class non-professional companies like the Bench that some amateur actors give their characterisations a depth and a wealth of subtextual detail that goes way beyond any simple recitation of lines.

I have set myself the task of learning so many pages of script per week. I have learned the hard way that I need to start from the beginning and gradually work towards the end so that the lines are laid down in a continuous and unbroken progression. This works for me but can annoy some directors as the scenes at the end of the play are invariably rehearsed with the book even at late stages of the rehearsal period.

My son in law, Nathan (referred to as Beanie by some people in the family), is a lecturer in theatre studies and he came across a rehearsal technique which I am keen to try one day. The actors record their lines and the tape is then played back while the play is blocked so the actors can concentrate on physical moves and are released from carrying the script around. I think this might help in the process of physical and muscle memory, which in turn might aid the learning of lines.

Still, that's another time and for now it's.....My friend Serge has bought a painting..........