People ask me how I learn a role when I’m living out of a suitcase. Short answer: the same way I learn it at home. Just with less sleep and more airports.
I’ve been performing since 1998, in Spain, in China, in Holland and Portugal, and in the Philippines since 2011. Here is the method that keeps working for me.
1. Build it at home, test it in the room
People think the learning happens in the rehearsal room. A lot of it happens at the kitchen table, alone, with the script in your hand.
The room is where you test it. Home is where you build it. On the road, “home” is a hotel desk or the seat in the van, but the rule is the same. I showed what that looked like before one out-of-town opening in Off the Plane, Into Rehearsal.
2. Small things, every single day
When I worked on my character in Guadalupe the musical, I did not wait for rehearsal. At home, in the car, before sleeping. A look, a pause, the way a line lands.
That is still how I do it. Small things, daily. Talent gets you into the room. Daily work keeps you there. The full story is in The Toughest Director I Ever Had.
3. Do your homework on the character
Before I meet the role in a rehearsal room, I want to know who I’m playing, who is directing and what story we are telling. I wrote the basics in ways to prepare for performing auditions: research the character, know your lines, and record yourself so you can see what the audience will see.
4. Use your own memory
When a director asks for a specific situation, I look for a real moment from my own past that felt similar, and I play from there. That is acting 101, but under pressure people forget it. On the road, with new people and a new stage every week, it keeps me honest.
5. Pack your basics
On tour the stage changes. New wings, new floor, new lights, new acoustics. What travels with you is your basics: your warm-up, your voice, your lines, your marks, your face.
Even your makeup changes with the venue, because coloured lights and the distance to the audience change how it reads. I break that down in my theatrical makeup guide. And I keep practising my singing between cities with a very cheap setup, the one in my home recording studio post.
If the basics live in your body, a new stage is an adventure. If they don’t, it is a panic attack with costumes.
6. Choose your voices
When the director is not around, a lot of people suddenly have opinions about your role. Listen to your director. Respect your fellow actors. But don’t rebuild your character every time someone has a new idea. Commit to a direction and go deep.
7. Expect the plan to change
Airport straight to rehearsal. Rain in the “sunny” place. Rehearsing while having dinner. On the road, the schedule is a suggestion.
Stay flexible, and save your energy for the stage. Calm under pressure is not magic. It is reps.
Language is part of the role
One more. I did zarzuela in Spanish, Peter Pan in English in Spain, and now I work in Taglish every day. Each language opens a different door to a character. If you work on the road, collect them.
More about the suitcase side of the job is in Life on Tour: What 28 Years on the Road Taught Me.
How do you learn your lines? Kitchen table, shower, or the jeepney? Tell me in the comments.
Want more like this? Get my new posts, behind-the-scenes stories and project news by email. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. Join my newsletter.