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With my years of experience with acting and public speaking, I've found that you cannot even begin to work on character representation, humor and so on if you don't have your lines solidly memorized. This can be one of the most frustrating parts about the entire process of a show or performance, but I've used several strategies to help learn lines quickly and painlessly.

1) Record the lines on your computer and put them on your iPod/mp3 player.
Constantly listening to your lines on the way to work or school is a great way to not only learn your lines quickly, but make use of time that might have otherwise been wasted.

2) Say each line 5 times aloud.
Sounds simple, but it really works. You'll at least have a good idea of what the line is if you don't have it completely memorized.

3) Type up your lines from memory.
Once you have an idea of what your lines are, just try typing them up from memory. Most likely, you'll find that you remember them a lot better than you may think you do.

4) "Test" them in front of someone.
Try reciting your lines to someone whose opinion you trust. You'll unconsciously pressure yourself to remember more, and may even get some tips for your character later on.

5) Pretend that you're on stage.
Similar to the fourth strategy, recite your lines aloud, but imagine that you're before an audience. You'll pressure yourself to remember more and develop your character.

I've had great success using these 5 strategies in memorizing lines for plays and for speeches. I'd recommend a combination of any of these to memorize your lines fast and effectively.

Learn more about this author, Caroline Fraissinet.
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