Break Down the Script

Line Analysis: Breaking down the script

Copyright Evan Nossoff, 2001; all rights Reserved. Please contact coach@sacactors.com prior to publication and/or distribution of this sheet. Permission is freely given upon request; we just wanna keep track of it.

The process outlined in this tip sheet integrates line analysis with memorization, making both easier. I’m an advocate of early line memorization. When actors have their lines down they can become more involved in the life of the play. Carrying around the script keeps them from looking around and making contact with their fellow actors.

The first task with a script is to break it down into its component parts so that you can begin to recognize the thoughts of the character. This sounds much more involved than it is.

To break down a script:

When you work on a monolog, scene or play, your first job is to break it down. To break down a script:

Use a copy of the script and a pencil.
Make a slash mark to separate out each thought.

For example:

To be or not to be. That is the question.

Here are some ways the example can be broken down:

To be / or not / to be. / That / is the question.

To be or / not to be. / That is /the question.

To be or not / to be. / That is the question.

This can be broken down in many ways. Don’t worry about being perfect, it’s just a first cut. The more often you do this, the easier it becomes.

Your job as an actor is to flush out the thoughts, ideas and objectives behind the words and then use voice, body and the words to communicate.

This technique also helps memorization by helping you understand the thoughts and ideas behind the words.

Once you break down the monolog or scene you are ready for step 2, creating the imaginary situation you are in. Some of this you can figure from the text. For other stuff you can use your imagination, but make sure your embellishments add to the direction the script is taking.

Here are some elements of the imaginary situation:

Where are you?
Who are you talking to?
What are you doing?
What do you want to happen?
How are you going to get it?

Human foibles: In real life we don’t know what we are going to say next. And so we put in pauses; say "ummm" and "errr"; give a little laugh or smile; interrupt ourselves; or change our minds in mid sentence. To make your monolog sound real, look for the places where you can use these things to help you communicate.

Now here is an example from a very densely written play:

From Galileo by Bertolt Brecht

They used / to hug the coasts / and then / all of a sudden/ they left the coasts / and spread over the oceans. / A new age was coming. / I was onto it / years ago. / I was a young man / , in Siena. / There was a group of masons / arguing. / They had to raise / a block of granite. / It was hot. / To help matters, / one of them / wanted to try / a new arrangement / of ropes. / After five minutes’ discussion, / out / went a method / which had been employed / for a thousand years. / The millennium of faith / is ended, / said I, / this is the millennium / of doubt./ And / we are pulling out / of that contraption. / The sayings of the wise men / won’t wash / any more. / Everybody, / at last, / is getting nosy. / I predict / that in our time / astronomy / will become / the gossip of the market place / and the sons of fishwives / will pack the schools.

Now you try it -- and see if you can logically break it at different points...sometimes you can...sometimes the author is so clear the divisions are obvious.

They used to hug the coasts and then all of a sudden they left the coasts and spread over the oceans. A new age was coming. I was onto it years ago. I was a young man, in Siena. There was a group of masons arguing. They had to raise a block of granite. It was hot. To help matters, one of them wanted to try a new arrangement of ropes. After five minutes’ discussion, out went a method which had been employed for a thousand years. The millennium of faith is ended, said I, this is the millennium of doubt. And we are pulling out of that contraption. The sayings of the wise men won’t wash any more. Everybody, at last, is getting nosy. I predict that in our time astronomy will become the gossip of the market place and the sons of fishwives will pack the schools.

Some thoughts:

Rhythm: As you can facility with breaking lines down you’ll find yourself either discovering a natural rhythm of the writing or creating one. That’s a good thing.

Confusing Text: If a phrase or line bothers you, it time for research, analysis or consultation. Dictionaries come in handy. One thing I look for is an action being taken that is not documented in the script or an object the phrase refers to such as the "We are pulling out of that contraption" of the piece above. If you imagine a specific contraption (in this case it is an old and incorrect model of the solar system) you have the thought you need to doo the line.

It takes discipline to break down the lines every time you do a new piece, but the payoff is that by doing so you both begin your exploration of the script and your memorization.

See the Memorization sheet for how to use your line break down to ease into memorization.