How to Memorize
Virtually Anything!
Strategies and Tricks to memorize scripts
and speeches faster.
Doug Fahl
Better Ways to Memorize
Table Of Contents
CHAPTER 1 - BETTER WAYS TO MEMORIZE
3
The Problem with Learning by Rote
4
Use Time to Your Advantage
4
Attention and Absorption
5
CHAPTER 2 - FOUR STRATEGIES TO MEMORIZING
7
Strategy 1: Brute Force (Rote Memorization)
7
Strategy 2: Add-On (Simon)
9
Strategy 3: The Absorption Approach
11
Strategy 4: The Top-Down Approach
13
CHAPTER 3: DISCOVERING YOUR LEARNING STYLE
16
Style 1: The Visual Learner
16
Style 2: The Aural/Audio Learner
17
Style 3: The Semantic Learner
18
Style 4: The Physical/Kinesthetic Learner
19
Style 5: The Logical Learner
20
Style 5: The Social Learner
21
Style 6: The Solitary Learner
21
CHAPTER 4 - MNEMONIC TRICKS FOR MEMORIZATION
24
Acronym
24
Acrostic
25
The Peg System
25
Location System (Loci)
26
Keyword Method
27
How to Memorize Virtually Anything! - Doug Fahl
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Better Ways to Memorize
Image Association
27
Chaining
28
Music Mnemonics
29
Poetry Mnemonics
29
Model Mnemonics
30
Physical Mnemonics
30
Flashcards
30
Number System
31
Trigger Words
32
First Letter Technique
34
CHAPTER 5: OTHER TIPS FOR MEMORIZATION
36
CONCLUSION
38
MORE INFORMATION
39
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Better Ways to Memorize
CHAPTER 1 - BETTER WAYS TO MEMORIZE
Actors need to face the reality that we simply must memorize many, many, many di erent things over the course of our
careers. Yet, so many of us struggle with memorization. We don't need to fear learning new material. In this guide book, I
will present to you some strategies and tricks you can utilize when faced with di erent memorization scenarios to help
you memorize more e ciently.
We will also take a look at how the brain processes memory and help you discover your learning type so you can gure
out which techniques will work best for you. Along the way, you will learn some useful tactics that you can employ and
nd the method(s) that work for you regardless of the content.
First, I want to speak generally about memorization and why it may help you to stop thinking of memorization as a chore
that you must do and start thinking of it as something that can happen naturally if you just allow it to.
Why does the thought of memorizing a piece of text intimidate so many people?
I used to have a di cult time memorizing things myself. As I've gotten more accustomed to the process and learned some
new approaches to memorization, I've found myself much less frustrated with memorization and can allow it to happen
more e ortlessly. Now I rarely worry about memorizing scripts. I trust that the techniques that I've learned will allow the
scripts to sink it with minimal e ort.
I have con dence that you can reach this state as well.
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Better Ways to Memorize
The Problem with Learning by Rote
When faced with the task of memorizing an entire script, an actor, with no other techniques available to them, might
start at the beginning of their script or speech, covering their lines with a piece of paper. They will scroll down one line
at a time, hammering the lines into their brain and sweating as they stumble again and again over each section of dialogue.
We call this common practice "Rote Memorization". This strategy employs brute force to whip those nasty lines into
your memory. Many beginning actors think they only have this option available for learning their lines. Most actors will
use this strategy at some point in their process, but I nd it the least e ective technique to commit scripts to memory.
For example, focusing your attention less on learning the actual words and more on learning the stimulus for the
dialogue—how your character reacts to the words the other characters speak—works surprisingly better as a learning
approach. One exercise incorporating this idea goes as follows: An actor would memorize a sequence of events given in
the script. Another actor would feed the rst actor their rst cue line. The actor would then simply react naturally,
speaking as they would without referring to the written dialogue. The actor would then refer back to the script to ne
tune the reactions and compare their instincts with the printed word. They would continue this exercise until their
instinctive verbal responses match the printed word.
Start by breaking your scene down into beats, behaviors and intentions. Start by remembering those sequences of events.
Then the lines will naturally start to fall into place. So many actors start memorizing long before they've had a chance to
understand the moment-to-moment story they need to portray.
Use Time to Your Advantage
Many actors carry their scripts for a long time before they get to the dreaded task of memorizing. They think "OK, one
day, I will sit down and I will memorize these lines." It’s as if they have a huge chore ahead of them that they will get to
later on. But, in most cases, especially in theater, you will have plenty of time to absorb your material. You have travel
time, bed time, and breakfast time. By reading our script over and over again in rehearsals and in between, we discover it
starts to melt into our consciousness. The more attention we give to the pockets of time we have to work on and review
our script, the easier the dreaded task will become.
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Better Ways to Memorize
Attention and Absorption
When you think of memorization, don't think of it as a chore you have to do. Think of it, instead, as something that you
e ortlessly absorb. Have you ever listened to a song on the radio and you've heard it several times and suddenly you nd
yourself singing along to it? You suddenly know most of the lyrics. How did this happen? You never sat down and
consciously rehearsed the song. You didn't struggle to memorize the song. You didn't agonize over learning the lyrics.
No, you simply heard the song a few times. You gave your attention to it over the course of a few days. You sung along
with it, or perhaps read the lyrics. And...viola! Suddenly you know the song. You naturally learned the lyrics and the
melody simply by giving it some time and attention.
You may have experienced the same thing after watching a good movie once or twice. Suddenly you know the order of
the plot, you know several key lines of dialogue. You even remember how a character reacts in a moment and you can
even anticipate when the audience might laugh or cry in response.
Memorization Secret Formula:
Repetition + Absorption + Attention + Time
So, relax! You got this. You memorize things all the time with little to no e ort.
But, wait! What about those di cult passages of dialogue full of non-sequiturs or lists? What happens when you don’t
have much time to memorize? What do you do when you have to memorize classical texts? Let’s not get ahead of
ourselves. The following tools and strategies will help you with even some of the more tricky situations.
How to Memorize Virtually Anything! - Doug Fahl
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Better Ways to Memorize
TO EXPLORE THIS CHAPTER FURTHER PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/cd2psLL43fw
How to Memorize Virtually Anything! - Doug Fahl
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Four Strategies to Memorizing
CHAPTER 2 - FOUR STRATEGIES TO MEMORIZING
You may employ several di erent tricks and techniques to get your lines learned, but in order to learn more e ectively,
you will want to consider your overall approach to learning lines. I have broken memorization techniques down into
four di erent strategies. You can utilize any of these general approaches depending on the given constraints and time
limits that you have for your project.
Think about how much time you have to memorize and decide which strategy will work best.
Strategy 1: Brute Force (Rote Memorization)
With Rote Memorization you will mostly employ repetition, repetition, repetition...and repetition. I equate this strategy
with using hardware tools, like a hammer or a drill. You pound that proverbial nail into your brain by repeatedly
hammering it in. Or, you drill your lines into your memory with the force of a power drill.
What does Brute Force Memorization look like?
As described earlier, you usually start at the beginning. You cover up your line. You read the cue line before your line. You
try to say your line from memory. You check it. You fail. You repeat the process until you have hammered that particular
line into your brain—you’ve transferred it from your short term memory into your long term memory. Then you move
onto the next line or section.
You then repeat the process in other ways. You have a friend follow along and correct you as you go. You record the lines
to an audio recorder and listen to them on your commute.
You drill your lines before bed.
You hammer them in before sleeping.
You twist them in while exercising.
You smash them in while sitting on the toilet
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Four Strategies to Memorizing
When to use Brute Force?
Rote memorization works adequately when you have tight turnaround times—when you must learn something very
quickly, such as for a sudden self-tape audition or being handed last minute script changes. The Brute Force approach
keeps your memory traversing the line between short term and long term memory. You live dangerously close to
forgetting any part of it. You might use this approach when you have to learn something quickly and then forget it
thereafter—like after shooting a scene in a lm.
When you need to just learn the words of a speech or a sequence of terms, this technique will usually su ce. Most actors
fall into this approach naturally, but it can feel more frantic than other approaches.
You can also use Rote Memorization as a way of testing your lines after trying other approaches. Once you have most of
your memorization work completed, you can scroll through your script covering up your lines to make sure that you
have all the words remembered exactly as written. Using this strategy as a sort of dustpan to “clean up the scraps”, works
much better than starting o the process with it..
Drawbacks to using Brute Force
Rote Memorization alone does very little to help you learn the character or the nuances of a role. It doesn’t always help
you memorize the story and your place in the story. It concentrates on speci c words and less on the meanings behind
the text. It can cause you to trip up when remembering the cues other actors give you because you have spent all your
concentration on learning just your side of the dialogue. This approach favors learning the text over learning the context.
It feels more like work—like cramming for an exam—than other strategies. You will often feel under-prepared. It also has
the danger of getting you locked into one particular way of saying your lines.
Actors often resort to Brute Force when they wait until the last minute to start memorizing their scripts. They end up
drilling and hammering all night trying to cram for an o -book date.
In general, memorizing lines with Brute Force will likely stress you out. I use this approach only when I absolutely have
no other option.
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Four Strategies to Memorizing
Strategy 2: Add-On (Simon)
Do you remember the old electronic game from the '80s called Simon? I like to use that game as an analogy to this
approach. The game gives you a sequence of colors to remember and after you repeat the sequence it randomly adds an
additional color to the end of the sequence. You continue repeating the growing sequence back until you eventually fail.
Some players can reach sequences of up to 100 or more.
What does the Add-On Strategy Look Like?
How do we apply this game mechanic to our scripts? You would break your script down into manageable chunks
(individual lines, pages, etc). You start by committing the rst chunk to memory until you have it down (usually by
using Rote Memorization). Once you have it down, you add on the second chunk and then run the entire sequence from
the beginning. Then you add the next chunk and so on.
When to use the Add-On Strategy
This approach works well when you need to learn a principal role which spans the length of a script or when you need to
commit a lengthy monologue to memory. You use the Add-On approach when you must learn the sequence of events or
scenes, such as when doing a one-person show. You also would employ this technique when you have ample time to learn
your lines as you will need to divide your available period of time into equal chunks to learn the entire piece.
I once played the lead role in a production of “Shipwrecked: An Entertainment” by Donald Margulies. Although the
show has other characters and many sections of dialogue, the character of Louis, remains on stage the entire show. He
narrates the story with long passages of monologue and intermittently segues in and out of scenes with the other
characters. The role required a huge amount of memorization.
I had about 90 days with the script in advance of rehearsals, so I decided to use the Add-On strategy by learning one page
of this 90 page script each day. Each day I would commit a new page to memory and then run through the entire script
from the beginning. By the time the show started rehearsals I had already memorized almost the entire show.
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Four Strategies to Memorizing
Drawbacks of the Add-On Strategy
Even though I had learned most of the script, I struggled to learn the last several scenes because I had spent so little time
with them. I had the beginning of the show down pat, but once rehearsals started I didn’t have much time to nish the
process.
There lies the biggest problem with the Add-On Approach. You do learn the beginning sections very well, but then as
you move on you feel less and less prepared with the nal sections. We must remember that when you play sequence
games like Simon, no matter how long you can maintain a streak, you will eventually fail. You can’t possibly continue
adding on a new piece of information and repeating back the old stu without eventually failing.
Fortunately, for us, the script will eventually come to an end, thus we need not fear the in nite sequence.
When you use the Add-On approach you need to make sure you leave enough time to make it to the end of the play. So I
recommend utilizing this strategy only when you have a long time to learn a project and can break it down into
manageable chunks.
However, this approach works with shorter passages as well. Perhaps you have three days to learn a monologue. Learn the
rst third of the monologue on day one, then add part two the next day and so on. Ideally, you want to leave a few extra
days to run the whole sequence.
If you work in lm and television, you might not nd this approach as useful as others because you may need to learn
your script out of sequence. You will work on your script in out-of-order chunks rather than as a whole piece.
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Four Strategies to Memorizing
Strategy 3: The Absorption Approach
Here, I like to imagine a sponge just soaking up everything around it and naturally just absorbing the lines into memory
—absorbing the little spills that happen along the way. Your lines will sop up into your sponge over time without you
having to struggle or drill them or hammer them away.
What does the Absorption Method look like?
You start by reading the script all the way through. You become very familiar with it. You look at your character. You
look at your lines. You look at your blocking. You understand the plot. You soak up all that in a broad stroke.
You wring out your sponge as you go into rehearsals and you have a read-through. At the read-through you start making
discoveries and connections and seeing how other actors give you stimuli. You sop that information up.
Then you have a blocking rehearsal, where you’ll add physicalization and you can start associating your lines with your
location on the stage and with the props that you hold and with the other actors and how they interact with you. You
absorb your exits and entrances and the actions that you must do and you start to associate all the physical details with
your lines.
Then by the time you have reached the o -book rehearsal (usually the next time you revisit the scene), you will have run
through the scene several times you will naturally feel more at ease dropping the script at that point—with that particular
scene.
At this point, you may still need to call "line", but you will have a sense of which passages you get tripped up on and
which parts you have down pat. When you get to work-throughs of the show, you will throw in a lot of repetition and
ne tuning into the process that your sponge can soak up even more. You'll get practice running from point A to point B
and your sponge will grow fuller.
Trusting in this process will make your memorization feel a lot less like cramming for an exam the next day. When you
get down to crunch time, you will feel more relaxed. You’ve mopped up the big spills and gone back over it with your
sponge several times. Now you just need very little e ort to let the remaining uid evaporate.
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Four Strategies to Memorizing
When to use the Absorption Strategy?
I nd this approach especially useful when doing theatre or any project where you have an extended rehearsal process to
learn your lines. Use it when you have the luxury of time—when you can “soak it in” rather than “suck it up”.
Drawbacks to the Absorption Strategy
Absorption works really well when you have a rehearsal process, but if you need to learn your lines on your own and you
don't have the bene t of working with the other actors, you will probably not soak up the lines as easily.
Some actors nd it di cult to trust this process and will still feel the need to resort to other approaches. Also, you face
the danger of seeming like an unprepared actor if you don’t hit the milestones of o -book dates as laid out in the
schedule.
Absorption requires a certain amount of dedicated rehearsal as well as a certain amount of time. If you don’t have the
luxury of time or a rehearsal process, this approach may fail you.
But, you can still use the strategy even when working on a fast-paced lm or television scene. Use whatever blocking
time you have on set to put some physicalization to the lines that you've already prepared using Brute Force. This will
help relax you into absorbing them further. When you have another person available to read opposite you, you can
absorb a little more. You also may nd that after you get past the initial sensations of acting a rst take, that you will have
the opportunity to repeat the scenes many times in subsequent takes, so you absorb a little more each time you give a
performance. (Please note: I don’t ever suggest you wait until the camera rolls to get your lines down, but sometimes in
lm you have things thrown at you on set, so you must absorb those details each time you get a chance to try them).
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Four Strategies to Memorizing
Strategy 4: The Top-Down Approach
I think of this strategy like a funnel. The broad rim of the funnel represents the entire script. As you move down the
funnel, you work down to scenes, then to pages, then to monologues, then sentences and nally you reach the narrowest
part of the funnel—the individual words.
You might also think of this as sculpture. When a sculptor creates a bust from a slab of marble, they never start by
working on the wrinkles around the eyelids. No, they start with the big stu . Breaking away large chunks to form a
silhouette. Then they shape the major areas of the face—the eye sockets, the nose, the mouth. They continue to whittle
the sculpture down—pass over pass—until they nally get to the ne details: wrinkles, blemishes, etc.
The same approach applies to make-up. You start with foundation; then shadows and highlights; then the detail work of
the lashes and lips.
How does the Top-Down Approach work?
Think of your script as that slab of marble or the top of a funnel. Start rst by studying the entire show. Read it all the
way through. Familiarize yourself with the story and the sequence of events and also how your character plays into those
events. Ask yourself what choices your character makes and what actions they take to move into the next scene.
Memorize the sequence of events rst and recite them from memory.
Then move down to each individual scenes. Focus on what your character wants in each scene and how they go about
getting it. Then start looking at individual beats. What do I want in this moment? How do I react to this line? Break the
script down into smaller chunks. What tactic is this character using to get what they want in each beat? Break all of these
sections down into smaller chunks and memorize what your character wants and the reasons they say the things they say.
Don’t worry about getting things word perfect yet.
Then you want to focus at the sentence structure. How does this character say these words? What triggers the character
to think of each sentence? What stimuli do you get from another character?
By this point you will essentially not need your script to get through the show. You will have most of it committed to
memory just by having chiselled away at it. Then you simply go back over the script with a nal pass and concentrate on
each speci c word and make sure that you haven’t learned something incorrectly.
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Four Strategies to Memorizing
Start with the big stu . Work your way down. During the process, you'll start to see the areas where you need work.
You’ll see parts of the script that you have easily committed to memory and you’ll discover the stumbling blocks that
you need to return to when you revisit the material later.
When to use the Top-Down Approach
I utilize this approach with almost every project I tackle. It works great for lm or theater scripts and it can help you with
smaller projects as well. If you just need to learn a monologue, for example, just treat the monologue as the top of the
funnel and work down from there. I suppose you won’t nd this approach too useful if you don’t have much time to
spend studying your script.
Drawbacks to the Top-Down Approach
This approach works best when you study and ask a lot of questions. If you must learn something on the y, you
probably won’t have time to implement this approach. You might also nd it less useful when learning scripts out of
sequence, as you would during the course of shooting a lm. You can still implement the strategy with each individual
scene, however. Additionally, this approach really only covers your side of the process and has its basis in the intellectual
exploration of your character, rather than in a more hands on approach like the absorption method.
So, now we’ve covered four general strategies to memorization. But, the process of memorization still requires us to
utilize some tricks and tactics to help us get through certain speci c scenarios like learning technical jargon, long lists,
classical language, and other troublesome challenges that pop up from time to time. In the next chapter, we will take a
look at learning styles. Identifying your learning style will help you gravitate toward speci c techniques and tricks that
will work best for you.
How to Memorize Virtually Anything! - Doug Fahl
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Four Strategies to Memorizing
TO EXPLORE THIS CHAPTER FURTHER, PLEASE WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/uBx70x6FkYo
How to Memorize Virtually Anything! - Doug Fahl
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Discovering Your Learning Style
CHAPTER 3: DISCOVERING YOUR LEARNING STYLE
Each of us has a di erent style of learning and once you determine which style you gravitate toward it will help you nd
the tools you need to memorize things faster. Researchers have de ned ve to seven di erent styles of learning,
depending on whom you ask. Each of us gravitates toward one main style of learning, but we also can utilize any of these
learning styles in di erent degrees. A person might nd themselves incorporating several learning styles to memorize
information. In fact, actors, generally must employ di erent learning styles from time to time when they learn music,
dance, or text.
Five Main Learning Styles or Types
Style 1: The Visual Learner
A visual learner learns through imagery. They respond to colors, shapes, symbols, photographs and drawings. They have
to "see" the information in order to process it. In their formative years, they started their reading process by looking at the
pictures in books and associating the words with those images. They may love comic books and other visual storytelling
mediums.
They respond well to data when someone presents it as a chart or a graph. They tend to jot down notes by drawing
doodles or using arrows and graphs, so they can see the information and process it. They make great designers, directors,
and photographers because they have a penchant for composition and visual aesthetics.
When memorizing scripts, they may nd it challenging to process the words exactly, but they will get the general
“picture” and will often resort to associating text with imagery. A visual learner will memorize more quickly if they can
watch a video or lm of someone else speaking the text and may quickly default to watching YouTube videos of previous
versions of shows to help them in their process. They will employ visual mnemonic tricks when memorizing di cult
passages by associating troublesome words with images in their brains. They may remember the way the paragraphs and
text looks on a page and can often determine their lines from the location on the printed page.
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Discovering Your Learning Style
Style 2: The Aural/Audio Learner
Aural Learners will learn new information by listening to people speak. They respond to sounds, music, and audible
cues. In their formative years, they may have received most of their information by listening to their parents tell them
stories or they may have studied while listening to music. They always seem to have their headphones in and they pick up
on subtle di erences in tone, pitch and tempo. Aural learners respond well to lectures or podcasts or radio programs.
They "hear" rst and process the spoken word into imagery and data.
Listening to music relaxes them and allows them to absorb material more easily. In fact, many aural learners nd
themselves musically inclined. They love to play instruments or sing or can at least appreciate singers and musicians.
They can more easily remember melodies and harmonies when learning music.
When memorizing, they may record themselves speaking their lines onto audio devices and listen to them repeatedly.
They will want to hear the words spoken aloud and often speak their lines audibly to get them ingrained. They may turn
di cult passages into songs or poems so they can remember them easily. They may struggle memorizing through reading
alone. Having a line spoken to them to refresh their memory will su ce. They will have a knack for discerning di erent
dialects and accents and will instinctively know when something sounds “o ”.
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Discovering Your Learning Style
Style 3: The Semantic Learner
Semantic Learners thrive around words. They love language and the use of language in the printed form. They learn
words and vocabulary quickly and easily. In their formative years, they learned to read sooner than other children and
probably always had a book or two with them. Others may have called them “bookworm” or “professor”.
They make great writers, storytellers, journalists and teachers due to their proclivity with words. They tend to process
information in their brains by seeing words and the meanings of words. Their often have a rich vocabulary and
encyclopedic knowledge of facts and information.
They may nd themselves interested in plays, rather than musicals, but can always appreciate clever lyrics. They may joke
around with puns and plays-on-words. They enjoy word games as well. They would thrive deciphering classical texts and
Shakespearean plays.
When memorizing text, they will look at the words on the page. They will remember the meaning associated with
individual words and will know when they get a word wrong because it won’t have the right meaning to them. They
often nd themselves o -book before the others, but may struggle with music, physical movement, improvisation and
character development. They may employ mnemonic techniques such as word associations or using acronyms to
memorize trickier passages.
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Discovering Your Learning Style
Style 4: The Physical/Kinesthetic Learner
The Physical Learner tends to move in order to process information. They talk with their hands. They get up and
demonstrate a concept. They gather cues through facial expressions and body language. They make excellent dancers,
athletes, magicians, mimes, personal trainers, etc.
In their formative years, they always found themselves spinning around, tumbling, crawling and exploring their spaces.
They may have completely ignored books or at least felt like they had to act out the stories in a physical manner. Physical
learners express through motion and physical touch as well. They learn by feeling how something feels in space and in
relationship to their body or their proximity to other people.
They will nd di culty memorizing text and musical passages until they get the opportunity to “put it on its feet”. They
will associate their lines with holding props or wearing certain costume pieces. They will thrive in dancing and staging
rehearsals and can quickly remember physical combinations, stage combat, and blocking. They may seem like stragglers
with getting o -book, but once they can move about through their blocking and physical routine, they will start to
absorb the material.
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Discovering Your Learning Style
Style 5: The Logical Learner
The logic learner learns through concepts and formulas. They put pieces of information together into organized
structures. They enjoy solving puzzles and working with numbers and letters. They make great mathematicians,
scientists, programmers, technicians, gamers, and accountants.
In their formative years, you’d probably nd the logic learner, “ guring out” what might happen in a storybook. They
use their logic skills to come up with answers and solutions to problems. They may have enjoyed playing board games or
solving puzzles in magazines and newspapers. They enjoy thinking about complex concepts or imagining the future of
technology. Others may call them “brainy”, “smart Alec” or “nerd”.
A logic learner likes to keep things organized. They may compartmentalize chunks of information for storage. They like
structure, but they also like tinkering and testing things. They may learn information faster by turning it into a game—
structuring their learning process with rules and objectives, but also providing a win-state or reward for mastering the
game.
When memorizing scripts they will have a mastery of the words and the logic behind the words. If something makes
sense logically, they will have an easier time remembering it. However, when faced with a disconnected thought or a
jump in reasoning, they will have to employ mnemonic triggers to bridge those gaps or dig deeper into the logic behind a
character’s choice of words. They may also struggle with developing emotional depth or resonance in a character.
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Discovering Your Learning Style
Two Additional Learning Styles
While most of us should t nicely into one or more of the above learning types, we also will naturally fall somewhere on
the spectrum between the following two types of learners.
Style 5: The Social Learner
The social learner will learn better when they learn alongside other people. They enjoy bouncing ideas o of others in a
social atmosphere. As performers, they will want to run their lines with others and get responses. They may wish to have
someone give them feedback. They have a di cult time learning and memorizing on their own, but thrive once they
have other people around them. They tend to have extroverted personalities. They prefer lively environments when
learning and often invoke play in their practice.
Style 6: The Solitary Learner
The solitary learner prefers the lone-wolf approach. They will memorize their lines on their own and may nd that
everything falls apart the rst few times they work around other people. Despite that, they will continue to do their work
in solitude. They prefer to learn in quiet environments—free from distractions. They tend to have introverted
personalities and get drained easily by the energy of others.
What To Do With This Information
Most performers need to adjust their learning style to adapt to learning di erent materials and working in ever-changing
environments. Like any skill, this adaptability develops over time and with practice. However, we all still have our styles
which will give us the most bang for our buck. Just knowing the di erent styles often helps someone gure out a
di erent approach when faced with certain challenges.
When you recognize your weaker styles of learning, you can start to learn some tricks and tactics to employ when you
need to get through those rough spots.
I’d also like to remind you that each of us ts into several di erent learning styles at the same time, so if one approach
doesn’t yield results for you, try leaning on another style and see if that helps.
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Discovering Your Learning Style
Personally, I learn best semantically. I remember words and I develop word based cues for myself to remember lines. That
said, I also employ logical learning as well. I make learning lines into mini-games, setting goals for myself and making
logical connections between thoughts and sentences. I also tend to solidify my memorization once I can physicalize it
and start into blocking rehearsals. In fact, I almost always reserve a little bit of my memorization e orts until after we put
a show on its feet. I trust that I’ve done most of the work before that and my physical/kinesthetic style will kick it into
place. I also tend to learn as a solitary learner and can only adjust myself to work around others once I’ve had time to
solidly work on my own.
Your learning style “blueprint” probably di ers from mine considerably. Take some time to think about how you learn
most e ectively and then see which areas you might need some help with.
In the next chapter we will look at several tricks (called mnemonics) that you can use to memorize in speci c situations.
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Discovering Your Learning Style
TO EXPLORE THIS CHAPTER FURTHER, PLEASE WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/MRGQbfhyVRM
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Mnemonic Tricks for Memorization
CHAPTER 4 - MNEMONIC TRICKS FOR MEMORIZATION
The dictionary de nes "Mnemonic" as
any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval (remembering) in the human memory.
I look at them as little devices or tricks that you can employ to help you work through di cult sections of text. I use
mnemonics whenever I have a list of things to rattle o , or have to pronounce a lot of di cult technological or medical
terms, or just to help with disconnects in my script to trigger a line that seems to come out of nowhere.
I will list several common mnemonics and talk about when you might nd them most e ective to use. You may come up
with your own devices as well.
Acronym
You take the rst letter of each word in a series or sentence and create a word or phrase from those rst letters.
Example:
The 7 colors of the rainbow are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. If you take the first letter of each word you get ROY
G BIV, which is a common name kids use to remember the colors of the rainbow.
Example:
When trying to learn the four things to check for when you think someone is having a stroke, you remember FAST.
Check the Face. Check the Arms. Check the Speech. Time is crucial.
Acronyms will help you best with short lists, possibly remembering the order of a list of words. But, they won’t aid too
much in dialogue or monologue scripts.
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Mnemonic Tricks for Memorization
Acrostic
Similar to an acronym, you would take the rst letter of each word in a list and create a simpler sentence that shares the
same sequence of rst letters.
Example:
If you want to learn the lined notes of the treble clef in music (E, G, B, D, F). You could use those letters to create the phrase Every
Good Boy Does Fine.
Example:
If you want to learn the order of the planets in our solar system (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) you
might make the phrase “My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas”
You would nd Acrostics useful with ordered lists mostly and studying for tests. You may occasionally nd some places
to use it in memorizing scripts.
The Peg System
This system works well for longer lists of 10-50 words and for when you need to learn the sequence of a list and need to
remember the speci c order of the items.
You start by committing to memory a list of keywords that you associate with whole numbers. These words usually
rhyme with the number or somehow relate to the number, so you can memorize them easily.
I provide the following list as an example:
1 - Bun
2 - Shoe
3 - Flea
4 - Door
5 - Hive
6 - Sticks
7 - Heaven
8 - Gate
9 - Pine
10 - Hen
11 - Elf (Elvin)
12 - Hell
13 - Thirsty
14 - Fort
15 - Filth
16 - Sweets (Sweet 16)
17 - Magazine
18 - Vote
19 - Knight
20 - Plenty
You commit this list to memory and then whenever you have to memorize another list, you visualize each item combined
with the word assigned to that particular number.
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Mnemonic Tricks for Memorization
Example:
You might have a grocery list of five items: MILK, EGGS, CUCUMBERS, AVOCADO, HONEY
You associate MILK with the number 1 (BUN). You visualize milk pouring onto a bun or dipping a bun into milk. (I find it
works best if you imagine a few different visual image associations for each number).
Then you associate item 2 (EGGS) with SHOE. Think of stepping into your shoe and crushing an egg or an egg hatching a
shoe.
You continue to associate each item with your list and then when you get to the store you can mentally remember each of
the items. You can recite them forward and backward. If someone asks you to tell them what item #4 is, you will be able to
think “4 DOOR...oh yes, I slammed the door on an AVOCADO or I made avocado toast on a door.”
Once you learn this technique you will nd yourself using it quite often to remember lists. It comes in handy when you
forget to bring your phone with you to the store. However, again it doesn’t work so great with memorizing text in a
script, (although I know people who break up sections of a script and assign one word representations of each moment
and then memorize that so that they always know the sequence of a piece of text). I nd that when trying to recall
information later, you can’t do it in a natural manner, without having to think about your peg system rhymes and
associations. So, I don't use this mnemonic much for acting, when you need to "be in the moment".
Location System (Loci)
In this method, you associate the items you want to memorize with a mental map of a familiar location. You choose a
familiar walk that you take or perhaps the layout of your house and you mentally place the information you need to
remember in di erent areas of the location.
Example:
Take the grocery list from above. Milk, Eggs, Cucumber, Avocado, Honey
You imaging the MILK sitting at your doorway.
When you walk into your foyer you notice EGGS lining the hall.
Then you move to the living room where you see a giant CUCUMBER where your couch normally lives.
Then you step on an AVOCADO while heading to the bathroom.
Finally, you become stuck to the toilet seat which someone has covered with HONEY.
As with the previous mnemonics, this one works well for lists, but you can also imagine di erent bits of text if you can
visualize the words along your path. Onstage you’ll nd the mental work it takes to recall the location may not lend itself
to quickly remembering things. And sometimes you have to run through the whole visualization to reach a missing
piece.
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Mnemonic Tricks for Memorization
Keyword Method
This system works well for memorizing foregin words, technical jargon, medical terms and any other type of language
that seems unfamiliar to you at rst.
You take the words you need to remember and associate them with words and phrases that sound much simpler.
Example:
If you want to learn the meaning of the word “Lociento” (the Spanish word for "I’m sorry"). You might remember, “I’m so low I can
see into my toe.” The phrase uses similar syllables to the word and it means the same thing. You’re sorry.
You would use this to learn the meanings of words more than just memorizing how to say them. But, if you have a
medical phrase you need to remember, you can associate it with a similar sounding sentence.
Example:
Phlebotomist can become “Flea Bottom Mist”, if that makes it easier for you to remember and pronounce.
Image Association
This one works well for learning the names of characters or other actors. You associate something about the person’s face
or mannerisms with their name.
Example:
You meet someone named Shirley and she has curly hair, so you remember “Curly Shirley”. When people first meet me and ask my
name I say “Doug. Like a hole, like a dug-out, like Dig-Dug.” That gives them three different visuals. Using this system you might
associate something about my face that remind you of a baseball player so you will remember Dug-Out.
This works for names and faces. You can also associate images with certain words. If you continually stumble over a
word, visualize an image of it and associate that image with something in the previous sentence in a script.
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Mnemonic Tricks for Memorization
Example:
To memorize Hamlet’s famous soliloquy: “To be or not to be, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to suffer the slings and
arrows of outrageous fortune…”
You might imagine two bees buzzing around (to be)
Then you swat the bees. (or not to be)
Then a question mark. (That is the question)
Then a lightning bolt. (Whether)
Then two rich noblemen. (tis nobler)
Then a poor person. (to suffer)
A sling and arrows in their chest. (the slings and arrows)
And a bunch of money falling from the sky. (of outrageous fortune)
In many ways, we already mentally utilize imagery whenever we learn text. We associate words with images and meanings
from our lives. This technique just makes the process more intentional.
Chaining
You use this device by chaining bits of information together into a story. Then you recall the information by telling the
story back to yourself.
Example:
Let’s tell a story about our grocery list. I was out of milk, so I went to milk the cow. Along the way I stepped on some eggs and
had to run to clean my feet. I grabbed a huge sponge shaped like a cucumberand started scrubbing my feet. Then I felt something
hit the back of my head. I turned and saw my child throwing avocado pits at me. I said “Honey, stop throwing things at me.”
You might use this method to learn the sequence of a show by telling a story of all the scenes your character has to
perform. Then backstage each night you just retell the story to remember which path to take. You can chain all sorts of
information together. Again, this works best with lists.
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Mnemonic Tricks for Memorization
Music Mnemonics
Setting anything you need to memorize to music will help you remember it faster. Most of us learned the English
Alphabet by singing the melody of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" while reciting the letters. People have written songs to
learn the fty US States, the Greek Alphabet, and many other items.
Most popular children’s television shows like Sesame Street, Mister Rogers Neighborhood, School House Rock and
the Electric Company all employ songs and music to help kids learn everything from prime numbers, arithmetic, and
even social etiquette.
Turn tricky passages of text into songs or listen to recordings of the text to retain the information quicker. This
mnemonic works best with Aural Learners.
Poetry Mnemonics
Similar to Music Mnemonics, if you create a poem from information you will learn it faster. Turning information into a
Rhyming poem helps you recall it better and know when you haven’t quite got the right word.
Example:
“I before E except after C.” This poem helps you determine the correct spelling of certain words.
Example:
“30 days hath September, April, June and November”. This poem helps you learn which months have more than 30 days.
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Mnemonic Tricks for Memorization
Model Mnemonics
This one works well for processing information through visual means and helps visual learners remember things more
easily. You turn the information into a visual representation like a graph or a chart.
Example:
The food group pyramid helps you memorize the four food groups, as well as the quantities you should eat from each group.
You would mostly use this to process data or information and put it into an understandable visual. So it may not work
best for scripts. Visual Learners adopt this mnemonic.
Physical Mnemonics
Using physical objects or parts of your body to memorize things.
Example:
Counting on your fingers is a perfect example. You can also recite the months of the year touching each knuckle on your fist as
well as the space between each knuckle in order to remember which months have 30 days and which have 31.
Actors can also visualize certain lines of dialogue based on where they physically stand on stage. (When I cross to the
table, I talk about the divorce) or (When I pick up the knife, my next line is “Die, Susan, Die!”). This mnemonic works
well for Physical/Kinesthetic Learners
Flashcards
When learning dates, studying for tests or memorizing facts, using ash cards and cheat sheets work great.
Example:
I once learned all the science category questions from a box of Trivial Pursuit cards by going through them one at a time. If I knew
the answer I discarded the card, if I didn’t I put it back in the box for the next round. Once I got through the entire box, I knew all
the answers.
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Mnemonic Tricks for Memorization
You usually use this for learning facts and information, but you can also write your cue lines on the front of a card and
your response on the back and then build a scene from the cards. Also, creating little cheat sheets for yourself to have in a
pocket during a show helps you when you just need a quick refresher of what comes next or when you have to change a
costume, etc.
Number System
Take the whole digits from 0 to 9 and assign consonants to each of them and memorize those associations. Then when
trying to memorize strings of numbers you can chunk them into smaller bits and form words from the letters to better
recall the numbers later.
The following list can get you started, but you can make up your own. I nd it helpful to associate letters that look
similar to the numbers. (Ie: S for 5)
0-R
1-T
2-V
3-W
4-H
5-S
6-G
7-L
8-B
9-P
Example:
Let’s say we have a string of digits: 519048452
First break them down into chunks of three or four digits: 519 048 452
Then change the numbers to letter from the key: STP RHB HSV
Then create words from each section by filling in vowels or allowing the letters to stand for something: STP (oil brand), RHB
(Rhubarb), HSV (High School Varsity)
Finally, use one of the other mnemonic techniques to put all those together, such as the loci system.
(Think of STP oil in your doorway, then a rhubarb in your living room, then a High School Varsity jacket in the kitchen).
When you tell the story back to yourself you will remember the words and then you can break the words down into
three letter chunks and then back into numbers.
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Mnemonic Tricks for Memorization
People who memorize long strings of numbers (such as the rst 100 digits of PI) use this system to accomplish the
seemingly impossible task. It takes a lot of initial prep work and concentration to learn the system, but it can allow you
to really pack in those number sequences. You may nd it more useful to incorporate vowels into the system since
numbers like 0 look like ‘O’ and a 3 looks like backwards ‘E’. I nd that using vowels as the ller between the
consonants leaves less room for mistakes. Whichever letters you use, they only need to work for you.
This doesn’t have many applications in learning scripts unless you have to recite a string of numbers within a script.
Trigger Words
This technique will help you with script learning more than some of the other mnemonics. You basically set triggers for
yourself within the text to remind you of what words come next. You can set a trigger anytime you have an area of the
script that you continue to stumble over or forget. You can set a trigger in a previous line of yours, in a physical action
that you do or in another actor’s line (although if they say their line incorrectly, you won’t get the proper trigger for your
line).
Triggers consist of any word that makes you think of the tricky piece of dialogue coming up.
Example:
Let's look at the following section of dialogue:
Philip: I think we both agreed it wasn’t a good idea.
Oliver: I know.
Philip: You’re drenched
Oliver: I was absent-minded.
If you kept forgetting the last sentence “I was absent-minded.” you might set a mental trigger on Philip’s line “I think…” and your
line “I know”. Both of those indicate the use of the mind (Think and Know). So when you hear Philip say “I think” you immediately
think “mind” and then you can remember “Absent-Minded”.
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Mnemonic Tricks for Memorization
Example:
Frost: And with the eyes of the world focused on the White House, here in Australia, burglars have broken into a meat factory in
Brisbane and stolen a tone of pork sausages.
You might struggle to memorize the section about the burglars. You might notice that there are three ‘B’ words in the sentence.
You set a trigger on Australia (an 'A' word), then you just remember that the next section has 3 ''B" words. You might even note that
they have a reverse alphabetical order. (Burglars, Broken and Brisbane). So if you trigger the word Australia, you'll remember that 3
"B" Words come next.
Even if you later stumble over the line, you will know that it includes 3 ‘B’ words, which may provide you with enough of a memory
jog that you won’t need to consult your script.
I often use various triggers to remember certain words a character chooses to use until they become familiar to me after
repeated pass-throughs.
This technique helps you a lot when you have a general idea of the dialogue down, but need help with speci c words.
You can also utilize this tactic when your character suddenly has a change of subject.
Again, you don’t have to just use word-based triggers. If you hold a certain prop or stand in a certain place on the set you
can nd visual and physical cues to use as triggers to help you get your next line. Use any resources you have available to
you.
When using triggers, you brain responds to the fact that you planted a trigger even if you don’t remember what the
trigger should do. You might experience the same type of memory recall by tying a piece of string around your nger
(“When I see this string I will remember to buy bread at the store”) or telling a friend to remind you of something. Just
the act of setting a trigger will help you remember what you need to commit to memory.
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Mnemonic Tricks for Memorization
First Letter Technique
The nal technique can really help you with script learning, so I saved the best for last. It works particularly well for
monologues but you can apply it to any spoken text. It incorporates several previously mentioned mnemonics into one
simple, yet e ective task. First read the text out loud and make sure you understand the intent of the piece.
Then take a piece of paper and write down the rst letter of each word of the text. Make sure to include capital letters
when used in the script such as names and the beginnings of sentences. Also include any punctuation marks in the
sentence structure. As you write the letters down, recite the words of the text out loud.
Then try to recite the text back from memory using only the letters you’ve written down as a guide. You will probably
nd that recall comes very easily. You may have to refer back to the script a few times to get a few words right and you
can circle those letters to remind you of the stumbling blocks. With just a few passes through the letters, you should
have the text learned well. Then you can attempt reciting the text without the help of the letters.
For Example:
Try it with the following monologue:
BARBARA: The day of the prom, his father got drunk and stole his car. Stole his own son’s car and went somewhere. Mexico. Deon showed up at the door,
wearing this awful tuxedo. He’d been crying, I could tell. And he confessed he didn’t have a way to take me to the prom.
You would write this down like so:
T d o t p, h f g d a s h c. S h o s c a w s. M. D s u a t d, w t a t. H b c, I c t. A h c h d h a w t t m t t p.
You might circle the Capital D since it’s a proper name.
This method works amazingly well because it incorporates a few mnemonics tricks and facilitates several di erent
learning styles into one technique. It uses the ACRONYM mnemonic which uses rst letters of words. It activates your
KINESTHETIC learning style when you physically write down the letters. You activate your AUDITORY learning
style by speaking the words aloud as you write them. You activate your SEMANTIC learning style by including the
punctuation marks on the page and you incorporate a VISUAL learning style by seeing the symbols on the page.
All that juice just naturally makes it easier for you to soak up the material like a sponge. Even after you have learned your
lines you can use your letters as a cheat sheet for when you don’t want to carry your script around.
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Mnemonic Tricks for Memorization
TO EXPLORE THIS CHAPTER FURTHER, PLEASE WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/Y2M_ymenims
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Other Memorization Tips
CHAPTER 5: OTHER TIPS FOR MEMORIZATION
Audio Apps
Use an audio recording app to record the other character’s lines, leaving a space for your lines. Then listen to the audio
on your commute or while walking. Or download the Line Learner App on your smartphone. This app really helps take
all the guesswork out of this process by leaving appropriately spaced gaps in between lines and allowing you to get
prompts for your lines when needed.
Get Friends Involved
Run lines with a friend. Having another human being read lines with you really helps you process your cue lines and
timing and they can help prompt you when you get stuck. Ideally, run your lines with your scene partner(s) because they
will give you the proper stimuli. If you don’t have anyone to run lines with, I recommend another app called Actor Trade
. You can coordinate reading times with other actors from around the world to read with you. You can also use this app
to record self-tape auditions when you don’t have a reader. I highly recommend their Facebook group
Rehearsal and Self Tape Partners for Actors.
Sleep Helps
Work on your memorization right before bed, so your brain helps incorporate what you’ve memorized while you sleep.
Then run your pieces rst thing in the morning before you get distracted by the day’s events.
Exercise Helps
Memorize while you exercise or while you do your daily chores. Getting oxygen to your brain helps with memory
retention and running your lines while you run, helps break you out of patterns and get you out of your head.
Utilize Your Commute
We need time to memorize properly, so using available amounts of time gives us more opportunity to work. Use your
audio apps while driving, or study your script while sitting on the bus. Every little bit of time helps.
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New project
Stay Healthy
Your brain will work better for you when you have plenty of rest, you have properly hydrated and you have had healthy
meals. So keep yourself healthy. Hang-overs don’t help much with retention.
Give Yourself A Break
Many times when we work long and hard on memorizing a piece, it’s di cult to shut our brain o from working. You
absolutely need to take breaks and do something else between memorizing sessions. Otherwise you risk introducing
errors into the process. Sometimes our brains start to shut down with too much repetition. We need rest periods to fully
process the material. In fact, you will nd that when returning to your lines after a break, you will often remember them
much better than before the break.
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Conclusion
CONCLUSION
You might wonder how to go about memorizing outside of a script or speech. For instance, how does one go about
memorizing a new language; signi cant dates in a history class; people’s names and faces; steps in a dance combination or
musical notes or harmonies in a song?
You can apply many of the techniques I’ve laid out in this booklet to those situations as well. And many of them require a
certain level of study and practice. You need to physically learn how to do dance steps and get the movements into your
muscle memory. By working on that rst, you will eventually learn how to memorize routines. You would take the same
approach to learn music or a new language as well.
You won't nd one golden nugget approach that will work for you in all circumstances. You will, however, nd the
approaches that work best for you most of the time. Your methods will di er from other people's. Memorization works
di erently for each of us. Finding your best practices will help.
Remember This!
Treat memorization as a process of ease and not as a process of hardship. Give yourself as much time as you can to
prepare. Use tricks when you have little time. And, practice the art of e ortless memorization.
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More Information
MORE INFORMATION
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW THE BRAIN WORKS AND HOW IT PROCESSES MEMORY, PLEASE WATCH
THIS VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/VlcfU27IDgY
PLEASE VISIT AND SUBSCRIBE TO THE AUGMENTED ACTOR YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
https://www.youtube.com/AugmentedActor
IF YOU ARE AN ACTOR OR IN THE PERFORMING ARTS, PLEASE JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AugmentedActor
PLEASE VISIT THE AUGMENTED ACTOR WEBSITE FOR MERCHANDISE, VIDEOS AND MORE:
https://www.augmentedactor.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON DOUG FAHL, PLEASE VISIT:
https://www.dougfahl.com/actor
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Page 39
About
Doug Fahl
A veteran of the stage, Doug has performed as an actor, singer, and dancer in over 75
theatrical productions. A graduate of University of Utah Theater and Music Department,
Doug has acted professionally in Seattle and Salt Lake City for over 30 years, with such
theaters as Seattle Repertory Theater; Village Theater; Seattle Musical Theater; Second
Story Rep; Theatre 22; ArtsWest; Annex; StageRight; Harlequin Productions; Pioneer
Theater Company; Sundance Theater; Salt Lake Acting Company and more.
In 2007, Doug made his feature film debut by landing his first leading role in ZMD:
Zombies of Mass Destruction , directed by Kevin Hamedani. ZMD was acquired by
Lionsgate/After Dark Distributing and was part of the 2010 Horror Fest (8 Films to Die
For). Additionally, Doug has featured roles in PUNCH; Speak Not; A Measure of Comfort;
The Dead Men; and JUNK.
He made his network television debut with a role in Syfy's Z-Nation. In 2017, Doug
received nominations for “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play” with both the 2017
Gypsy Rose Lee Awards and the 2017 Gregory Awards for his character work in "The
Pride" at Theatre 22.
Additionally, Doug creates VR experiences. He's co-created many VR titles. He also
produces and edits various video projects including weekly videos for his YouTube
Channel Augmented Actor. He also manages a Facebook group of the same name.