MEMORIZATION
One of the first questions actors ask in my audition workshops is “Should I memorize the material?” Most people would tell you “Yes, absolutely.” My take on it is a little different after watching thousands of auditions over the years.
If you have an audition with the Casting Director and you have gotten the material the day before or last minute, the most important thing you can do is to make sure you understand the material completely. Where does the scene take place, who are you talking to and how do you feel about that person, what do you want, and what happened right before the scene started. When an actor first gets a script, the temptation is to look at it fast and count their lines. This is one of the worst things you can do. Sit down and read it silently to yourself, making sure you grasp all that the writer has intended.
Remember that Casting Directors are auditioning you to see if you are right for the part, if you have an understanding of the material, and if you grasp the tone of the piece. They are not auditioning you to see if you know how to memorize lines. If you have trouble memorizing lines, you might think of another profession. I could always look at an actor and see when they disconnected from the character and tried to visualize the words on the page so they could say the line right. Then a downward spiral ensues as the actor loses concentration, struggling for the lines.
So ideally, I would like actors to not use the word “memorize”. “To memorize”, always reminds me of memorizing a speech. Try to change the concept of “memorization” to… “knowing the material” . Be very familiar with the material so you can make as much eye contact with the Casting Director as possible. It’s fine to hold the script and glance down and grab a line if you need to, never breaking character as you do.
I do know of more than one Casting Director who believes that the actor who never looks at their script in the audition is the one who books the part. It is true that if an actor is looking down at their script too much, they look unprepared. But I promise you, that if you know what is going on in the scene and understand the relationships, the lines will come to you naturally out of a visceral understanding of the material.
If you are going straight to Producers for your audition or in a callback or “test” situation, your goal is to make as much eye contact as possible and never look down at the script. But, hold the script just in case you have that blank moment. The viewers would much rather you glance down at your script than watch you squirm and say “line”. Also, walking in the audition room without a script sends the message that you are at performance level, and you’re not. You haven’t worked with a Director yet. The goal is for the viewer to forget that you are even holding a script because it has become an extension of your hand, unnoticed.
Of course there will always be the audition where the Casting Director asks for you to memorize the scene. If this happens, by all means do it… they have their reasons. But in a general sense, you should approach the first audition as it being OK to hold your script. But be prepared and “know it”, so you can make as much eye contact as possible.