Photo Credit: Oscar Cortez via cc
It is exciting to open a fresh new script and begin the journey of building your character – but a good script shouldn’t stay all neat and tidy for long, the best scripts are full of notes, scribblings, symbols and doodles!
Once you have read the script then the next important part of any actor’s job is to begin script analysis. Good script analysis will give you a foundation upon which you can build your character. By exploring the text in some depth then you will approach rehearsals with confidence, you be familiar with both your character and the text. I have directed theatre and nothing bugs me more than an actor who comes to the first day of rehearsal without some knowledge of the play and some early ideas and decisions on character. Do your homework – it’s part of your job!
Grab a pencil (and a sharpener and an eraser too!) and let’s get your script messy!
Always use a pencil because that way your script analysis work, ideas and thoughts will never be set in stone. Rehearsals are a time of discovery so be ready to change your mind, rethink your analysis and rub out and change anything as you approach performance.
How to Approach Script Analysis
For an example of a script which I have begun to analyse look at the bottom of this article for a script of a monologue from the tv show ‘Breaking Bad’ which I have used in auditions.
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How to Approach Script AnalysisI always start by crossing out any stage directions, I don’t ignore them completely but they can get in the way at this early stage of character development.Often they have been written by the playwright to give you an idea of their intentions but more often they have been added by a publisher or editor or are based on the original production’s blocking.You’re using a pencil, so remember you can always restore them once you have completed your early script and character analysis.
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Add some ‘change/shift’ marksI add symbols now to show me where there is a change or shift in tone and character development. I use two forward slashes ‘//’ to illustrate a shift – these shifts in mood, language, tone or tactic can be called ‘beats’At the end of this article is an example using a monologue from ‘Breaking Bad’*Walter: My father died when I was 6. You knew that, right?becomesWalter: My father died when I was 6. // You knew that, right?Do you see the ‘beats’? Walter tells Walter Junior about his father dying then he switches mood because he is asking if his son knew that fact. He goes from self-revelation to questioning. He speaks a statement, then he wants an answer. It is not important how to play the beat as you will discover that in rehearsal, what is important is that you notice the change/beat.Ask yourself ‘What shift, what change, does the character make between these sentences or points?’ If you can find a beat then mark it up.These beats always help when you start playing the scene as they will signify a change in look, or a move, they might be when you start to speak louder, quieter, quicker or when you pause. The beats you mark will help you to create a more rounded and dynamic character.
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Highlight the significant wordsWhat are the most significant words in the speech? Mark these because they will be the power words of your character, the framework upon which everything else is built.I steal the accent symbol from music to mark up my power words – this symbol is a ‘>’ on top of the particular word. Once you have marked up these words if you list them they should give you a rough idea on what the piece is about for your character.
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Understand Every WordEvery word you speak you absolutely have to understand it (unless your character doesn’t that is!)Grab a dictionary and look up any unfamiliar words, if your character understands the word then you need to as well. Note down any definitions you need to understand in the margin.I will often also look up and explore some of my ‘power words’ the ones marked with ‘>’, there might be a different meaning which can usually help you to explore more deeply your character, or even look at what they are saying in a whole new way.
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Ask yourself QuestionsThis is the last step in my homework script analysis and it is probably the most important because it leads you to all kinds of fantastic exploration which you can do in rehearsals.Ask questions about your character as you read through the text. Keep your questions simple: “Is this true?”, “How?” and “Why?” are all really great questions.These are questions which you can discuss with the director in rehearsals and explore as the play comes together. They might not need asking out loud, you might be able to answer them yourself especially as you begin to appreciate the other actor’s interpretations of their characters. They can also go unanswered, some questions I have asked at this stage have still remained unanswered on the last night of performances.
These are the first five steps for script analysis. Keep noting down and scribbling in your script during rehearsals. Try adding doodles and sketches to help keep your creative mind open to all ideas.
Remember there is no ‘right’ way to do it.
That really is the beauty of acting – there will always be more to explore.
Remember there is no ‘right’ way to do it.
That really is the beauty of acting – there will always be more to explore.
* Click on the image below to see some early script analysis which I have done on a monologue from the tv show ‘Breaking Bad’ which I have used in auditions and classes.