Performing a Script

Performing a script involves much more than memorising lines. It requires a deep understanding of character, plot, and context, as well as the use of effective vocal and physical skills. Through techniques such as readthroughs, line runs, actioning, and using cues, actors bring the script to life. Mastery of these skills allows an actor to engage with their role in a way that is dynamic, expressive, and convincing for the audience.

Establishing Character and Plot

When performing a script, one of the first tasks is to establish both the character you are playing and the plot of the play. This is crucial for understanding how your character fits into the larger narrative and how they interact with other characters.

Establishing Character

Characterisation involves understanding who your character is, their motivations, background, relationships with others, and how they change over the course of the play.

To establish character, actors often ask themselves key questions: What does my character want? What is their emotional state? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How do they respond to other characters and events?

The script provides clues about your character's behaviour, such as dialogue (what they say), stage directions (how they move or behave), and the context of the play. By interpreting these elements, actors can build a fully realised character.

Establishing Plot

Understanding the plot is essential, as it drives the structure of the play. This includes recognising the key events, shifts in tension, and how your character contributes to these developments.

Actors should identify the exposition (the opening scene that introduces the characters and setting), the rising action (events that lead to the climax), the climax (the most intense or pivotal moment), and the resolution (the conclusion of the conflict).

Readthroughs

A readthrough is one of the first steps in rehearsing a script. During a readthrough, all the actors come together to read the script aloud in its entirety, often for the first time.

Purpose of a Readthrough

To familiarise everyone with the play, the characters, and the overall structure.

To hear the script come alive, especially the dialogue, and to begin to understand the flow and rhythm of the interactions.

To establish a sense of ensemble and how characters’ relationships develop through their interactions.

To identify initial ideas for characterisation and physicality.

Key Points During a Readthrough

Pay attention to tone, pacing, and emotional intensity. This helps actors get a sense of the overall mood of the play.

Listen to other actors’ deliveries and responses. In drama, listening is just as important as speaking, as it informs how you react and interact with others.

Learning a Text

Learning the text of a play is a fundamental part of preparing for a performance. There are several techniques actors use to memorise and internalise their lines and actions.

Line Run

A line run is an exercise in which an actor runs through their lines without stopping, often done with a partner or during rehearsals.

This is useful for memorising the script and improving fluency in delivering lines. It also helps you feel more confident in your role.

Listening to a Script

Listening to recordings of the script, whether through audio or watching previous performances, can help actors understand intonation, pauses, and emotional cues.

It is also helpful for learning the timing and rhythm of the dialogue.

Drawing Pictures

Some actors use visual aids like drawing pictures or diagrams to help them understand their character’s journey or emotional arc.

This can include drawing how the stage is set or mapping out key moments in the plot. It helps connect the text to visualisation, which can aid memory and interpretation.

Actioning

Actioning is a technique where actors assign physical or emotional actions to each line of dialogue. It involves asking, "What am I doing with this line?" For example, "Am I persuading, arguing, comforting, or threatening?"

This helps make the lines more dynamic and ensures that the actor's intentions are clear in the delivery. It can also help you focus on what your character wants in each moment.

Reading or Writing

Reading the script aloud and engaging with it repeatedly is one of the best ways to internalise your lines.

Writing out your lines can also help reinforce memory. The physical act of writing can aid in memorisation and understanding.

Cues

Cues are signals that tell the actor when to begin speaking or performing an action. Cues are essential for maintaining the flow of a performance and for timing interactions.

Types of Cues

Verbal Cues: These are lines spoken by other characters that prompt you to deliver your response. For example, if a character says, "What will you do now?" your response is triggered by that line.

Non-verbal Cues: These could be physical actions or movements, such as a character entering a scene or a change in the lighting.

Musical or Sound Cues: In some productions, music or sound effects serve as cues for actors to enter, exit, or make a specific gesture.

Reacting to Cues

It is important to be alert to cues during rehearsal and performance. Not only should actors know when their line or action is coming up, but they must also be ready to react appropriately to cues from other characters or the environment.

Practice synchronising your actions with the cues to maintain the rhythm and energy of the scene.

Vocal and Physical Skills

An actor must use both vocal and physical skills to effectively perform a script. These skills help to convey emotion, character, and action to the audience.

Vocal Skills

Projection: Ensuring that your voice can be heard clearly by the entire audience, particularly in larger venues. This requires control of breath and volume.

Clarity: Speaking clearly so that your words are easily understood. This is achieved by careful articulation of consonants and vowels.

Tone and Pitch: Varying the tone (the emotional quality) and pitch (highness or lowness of your voice) to convey different emotions and create variety in your performance. For example, a character who is angry may have a sharp, high-pitched voice, while a calm character might have a steady, deep tone.

Pacing: The speed at which you speak. Slower pacing can build tension, while faster pacing might suggest urgency or excitement.

Pauses: Strategic use of silence or pauses can heighten dramatic tension and give the audience time to absorb important moments.

Physical Skills

Body Language: Non-verbal cues, such as gestures, posture, and facial expressions, communicate a character’s emotions and intentions. For example, crossing arms might show defensiveness, while an open stance can suggest openness or vulnerability.

Movement: How you move on stage affects how the audience perceives your character. A slow, deliberate movement might indicate hesitation or contemplation, while rapid movement could show excitement or anxiety.

Blocking: Blocking refers to the planned positioning and movements of actors on stage, ensuring that the action is clear to the audience and that it supports the overall staging of the scene.

Gestures: The use of hands, facial expressions, and other parts of the body to emphasise speech and action. For example, an actor may use hand gestures to emphasise their point or convey emotion.