Acting Script Analysis: What are the Other Characters Saying?
All month, we will be answering the question, “Why am I saying this?” The one thing I work on with students most is knowing why they are saying a line. Rather than memorize lines, we learn lines, we learn why a character is saying the words they have been given.
Click here to read Part I
Ninety percent of acting is reacting.
Raise your hand if you’ve heard that before.
It’s an oft-quoted maxim because it’s absolutely true. No matter how many lines you have or don’t have, the time you spend on stage involves more than just the time you speak. There is also time that you aren’t on stage when the other characters are talking about your character, or talking about something your character cares about.
Listening and responding to what is being said is something we do in real life, and it is heightened on stage. To understand your own lines, you have to learn the lines of the other people, as well.
There are two reasons for this:
- You need to know how your character feels about what is being said, and
- You need to know what other characters say about yours.
Sometimes, you will get an audition scene that includes a big chunk of you listening to another character. Often, this is used to see how the actor stays engaged and in character when not speaking. Usually, this is done when a big reveal happens in the script and something changes for your character. If you aren’t accustomed to acting through the scene, but rather acting during your lines only, then a scene like this falls flat.
For example, take the line, “It’s just not fair!” Decide on a word to describe how your character feels while hearing the examples below that lead up to your line, “It’s just not fair!”
“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to fail you for the semester because you never turned in that paper on the endocrine system.”
“I got detention because when Ethan grabbed my water bottle off my desk and threw it against the wall, I said, ‘Dude?!’”
“I don’t care that you didn’t do it, you are going to march in there and apologize to Mr. Smith for what happened so this will all just blow over and we can get back to normal life.”
In addition to informing your line reading, other character’s lines provide important details about the scene. We might learn the history of two characters with a simple line like, “Well, the last time this happened…” We might also get insight into an important motivation for a character with a line like, “I know you said you really wanted…” There’s gold to be found in what the other characters are saying, so pay as much attention to those lines as you do your own.
Check back next week for Part III!
In the meantime, if you need coaching on your monologue, or would like to work on your script analysis skills to improve your confidence with auditions, contact me. I offer individual coaching in-person in the Louisville, Kentucky, and online through Skype or Zoom. I’d love to help you grow as an actor!