| Reading the Lines Naturally | | | | have mastered not only each literal and explicit |
| The best criterion for the amateur actor's line reading | | | | meaning (that is, each "denotation") but each implication |
| may be summed up in a single sentence: | | | | (or "connotation"). Don't take any chances; your grasp |
| Did the readings seem natural? | | | | of detailed meanings must be complete, sure, |
| Long hours of study and rehearsal, and the best of | | | | unequivocal. Note that some words whose superficial |
| good intentions, will bring only limited success if a | | | | meaning may at first seem evident might have been |
| reading seems stilted and unconvincing. Good reading | | | | used in a special sense and that if you are careless |
| of dialogue has the quality and the effect of real | | | | you may miss the point entirely. Remember also that |
| conversation. It is lively and expressive, varied and | | | | certain proper names, quotations, historical or literary |
| interesting. A conversationally spoken line has a certain | | | | allusions, and the like might have been given a |
| ring of the genuine and the normal which an obviously | | | | specialized application. |
| recited speech always lacks; it is without the | | | | But beyond such elementary problems of logical |
| exaggerated artificiality and the unreal monotony of | | | | meaning lie other and no less important considerations. |
| mechanical declamation. A good actor gives the | | | | The basic job in expressing the meaning of a line is |
| impression that he is thinking and uttering ideas for the | | | | proper grouping of the words that it contains. That is to |
| first time, not merely repeating memorized words. | | | | say, people normally do not speak in single words, but |
| Such naturalness in the reading of lines is not so | | | | in groups of words. Each of these groups, in turn, |
| difficult to achieve as it may at first appear. | | | | expresses an idea, or a relatively complete part of an |
| Conversing in real life and reading lines in a play differ | | | | idea. To break up the idea by chopping its natural word |
| in degree rather than in kind; the mental action involved | | | | group into separate words (or into unnecessarily small |
| is much the same in both. In everyday conversation, | | | | partial groups) makes for jerky reading that is both |
| the actor utters his ideas just as they are created in | | | | unnatural and difficult to follow. The single idea of "Go" |
| his mind. He speaks as he thinks, and the words come | | | | may be taken as a simple illustration. In the author's |
| out as he thinks - a phrase here, a hesitation there, a | | | | manuscript, this idea may have been phrased, "Get |
| word, a spurt of words, and so on. In delivering lines | | | | out"; or, "Please leave the room"; or again, "Will you |
| from a manuscript, on the other hand, the actor is | | | | please leave this room at once." The number of words |
| repeating impressions that he has gleaned from a | | | | actually used here to express the idea varies from |
| printed page. The point at issue, therefore, is that as an | | | | two to eight, although in each case the unit of thought |
| actor you must do in reading lines what you do in real | | | | is not the separate words, but the entire word group |
| conversation: just as your mind creates the thoughts | | | | itself. With a sentence like the one above, "Will you |
| you speak while you are conversing, so your mind | | | | please leave this room at once," a speaker does not |
| must recreate the thoughts you speak while you are | | | | think first and separately of will, then of you, then of |
| reading lines. If you are like most students, your reading | | | | please, then of leave, and so on; he thinks of all the |
| can be genuine, convincing, conversational only if your | | | | words, grouped as a single idea. Similarly, in a longer |
| mind is actively present at the moment of utterance. | | | | sentence or group of sentences, one's thought does |
| It is in this sense, then, that you are advised to read | | | | not move forward in a succession of single words, but |
| naturally. Nowhere has it been implied, of course, that | | | | progresses by word groups expressing single ideas. |
| you are just to "be yourself on the stage, regardless | | | | From the standpoint of an actor preparing to read his |
| of dramatic effect. If your day-by-day "natural" habits | | | | lines, the number of words that are to be combined in |
| are to mumble your words or to mouth them over | | | | a word group may vary considerably. The actor's |
| meticulously, such faults must obviously be corrected. | | | | decision must be based on the thought to be |
| You can find here no blanket justification for habitually | | | | expressed and the circumstances under which it is to |
| muffled or scratchy tones, or for a normally thin or | | | | be uttered. If a character wishes to be impressive, or is |
| breathy voice. Your lines on the stage must usually be | | | | speaking to someone who presumably has difficulty in |
| clearer and more interesting than in real life. Hence, | | | | understanding his ideas, he may use many and |
| faults must be adjusted, meaningless or misleading | | | | relatively short groups; under opposite conditions, few |
| details must be eliminated, and special points must be | | | | and relatively long ones. A typical word group, |
| heightened for proper effect. But at no time must your | | | | however, usually contains from six or eight to a dozen |
| speech seem stilted, mechanical, or artificial. | | | | or more words, smoothly tied together and expressing |
| Expressing the Meaning | | | | a single idea. Each of these separate groups must be |
| The first step in expressing the meaning of a | | | | considered as a thought unit, regardless of its length, |
| character's lines is of course understanding them. At | | | | and each must be set off from its neighbors by a |
| the very least this requires that you know the | | | | longer or shorter pause. Failure to group properly in the |
| common meaning of all the words used in those lines. | | | | reading of lines results in falsified meanings and in dulled |
| Use your dictionary as a guide, and be sure that you | | | | or warped characterizations. |