Acting Script Analysis: What Happens Next?
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, Part II, and Part III
The button of an audition is so important. It’s the final impression you leave with the people you’re auditioning for – so spend some time thinking about it.
First, what’s a button? It’s that last beat that indicates to the audience, “This scene is done and this is how my character feels about it.” In film, we see it as a reaction take on a character to close a scene. In theatre, it’s the moment you hold as the curtain falls or the lights fade to black.
In an audition setting, it’s important that you know what happens next for your character so that your button reflects your understanding, as an actor, of how your character fits into the story. It may also change your line reading.
Let’s look at an example of each – reflecting understanding of your job in the plot, and impacting your final line reading.
If your character has just given a rousing speech, encouraging fellow students to walk out of school at noon to protest, you might hold a look of hopefulness and defiance on your face. But if you have read the whole play, and you know that this is the first time this character has stood up for themselves, that this is a pivotal, life-changing moment for this character, there is a different tone to that final moment.
Is your character kicked out of school because of this moment? Do people join them and walk out, or do the other students just laugh and go back to their phones? If you don’t know what happens next because you don’t have access to the full script, then make a best guess. Make a CHOICE. Whatever you do, don’t say your last line and then instantly drop character. That’s a fast track to File 13 (the trash).
In another example, what if your character says the line, “Yes, I will marry you!” Now, let’s say you’ve read the whole script and know that your character is lukewarm to the idea of marriage, and in fact, these people don’t get married. Or what if the script reveals that these people are the loves of one another’s life? Try saying the line “Yes, I will marry you!” when you really want to marry someone, versus when you aren’t sure about the prospect of marriage at all. Try it again, as if your character is actually contracted to marry another in an arranged marriage but it is this person your character wants to marry.
What happens next in a script is so important to your understanding of your scene or monologue – for the entirety of it, as well as that crucial button at the end.
What happens next for you?
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!