I guess this title is somewhat misleading. No, I can’t tell you how to memorize just about anything. Believe me, if I could, I would’ve gotten A’s in Organic Chemistry. But I digress.
What I can tell you is how to handle memorization, and provide some helpful tips that have helped me along the way.
As I’ve posted before, I’m an actress in this year’s Show Some Skin production. The show takes place this weekend, and for the past several weeks I’ve had to memorize two monologues written by Notre Dame community members. Knowing these lines, each word and what they represent, is key to Show Some Skin. Our purpose is to share the powerful and sometimes painful stories written by our fellow Domers, to understand the variety of perspectives that make up our campus.
Unfortunately, I am not the world’s best memorizer.
I was one of the last actors in the production to be off-book, and I still stammer and struggle over my lines. I have no theater experience, whereas some of the other actors are FTT majors and were born and raised on a stage. I suffer from stage fright. Others are most comfortable in front of hundreds of onlookers. You can see how this would be a challenge for me.
However, I developed a few tips that helped me nail down my lines once and for all.
Record yourself: Like everyone else, I’m not a fan of the way my voice sounds on video or over audio recording. But I got over this and recited my monologues into the iPhone “voice memo” application. I listened to this recording at work, on my way to classes, even during some of my more boring classes (I’m lookin’ at you, Stats for Life Sciences). Not only was this helpful for learning the lines, but also to practice inflections and emphases. This may not help much for studying as it does for learning lines, but emphasis can still be a huge advantage when listening to notes.
Recopy, recopy, recopy: I found recopying my lines to be extremely helpful. At first I looked at the script for every word, then I started stringing sentences together without help, and finally I was able to copy the entire monologue verbatim, without referring to the script. Recopying notes is a strategy many students use to study for tests, to create connections in the brain and to rehash the material in new, inventive ways. I used colored pens, highlighters, and other tools to make my monologue come to life.
Practice with others: This week, I’ve been in rehearsal for three hours every day, going over blocking and transitions and lighting – everything. However, outside of rehearsal I was muttering my lines to anyone who would hear them, discussing intention to even the most disinterested parties. My poor boyfriend has heard the phrase “South Bend Mom” more than anyone should. When it comes to studying, everyone knows finding a group can be helpful. It’s also great to get perspectives from each member, to bolster your own knowledge and memory of the material.
Ask for help: I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. In fact, I still am. Thankfully I had a supportive group of actors around me and a great production team, who were all in tune with everyone’s personal struggles and always willing to help. Situations that involve extensive memorization are always stressful. Don’t be ashamed to reach out when you need an extra hand. Maybe you need them to listen to your lines or your explanation of the benzyne mechanism. Maybe you need a hug and a few reassuring words. All of these things are a-okay when it comes to the wide world of learning and memorization.
Overall, memorization is complicated and often difficult. But learning strategies that will help along the way can help in all sorts of circumstances – from soul-crushing exams to perfomring on stage.
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