Cold Reading Technique. Daily Practice

I find cold reading machanically difficult, i.e., holding the book, getting/staying connected with the the text, with my partner, not losing my place . . . but I've seen people who are seemless, and I'm determine to be that good, or at least asymptotically approach that level with daily practice . . . so what do I daily practice?

1st) When I first get the script/sides, do a "literal-objective" read-through to catch any words I might stumble over. Catch any sentences, any phases, any "points" (that the character makes) that I do not understand. I need to literally understand what the hell the character is taking about.

2nd) When the other person is speaking -- DON'T look down at the text (use/trust my thumb or index finger to be a marker), i.e., look at the person, at the sky, anything but the text. The idea here is to stay in contact with my partner or the environment.

3rd) When the other person is finished, then look down and do a very fast "taking-it-off-the-page," i.e.,

- "pick-up" (scan/take in) whatever I can, without thinking or talking. I might not be able to "pick-up" an entire sentence. Usually it'll be just groups of words, phases (maybe even only 3-4 words) . . . let this be automatic, i.e., don't try to pick-up any particular group, just let the 'group' form natually.

- once (or as) the 'group' forms natually, let it imprint on me emotionally. I'll need to be 'soft', in a way, relaxed, for this to happen. The 'picking-up' and 'imprinting' steps together will probably take a second or less. DON'T THINK!!!!! Don't try to do anything. Don't try to have an experience or a moment. If nothing hits me/imprints on me -- so be it. That's perfectly fine -- don't wait for it. Just move on.

- Look up, and say the line w/out waiting or thinking.

(Review Harold Guskin's How To Stop Acting, p. 27-30, if I need to).

- When I'm finished, do not look ahead at my next line. Put full attention on my partner (note: I don't have to be looking at them, but I need to be listening).

Below, I'll be adding to/modifying this technique as I go along.

08.06.2004 Note: see more advice for cold reading a monologue (which will apply to long sections in dialogue-based pieces).

9.29.04 Entry

Worked on Lanford Wilson's A Betrothal tonight.

Cold reading modification: breathe in as I silently read a line/phase. Take the line/phase in, letting it hit me (or not), and then on the exhale, w/out thinking or censoring let the words out.

This is pure risk -- it puts me right on the edge, but I find I'm completely surprising myself almost every other line; I'm often intuitively finding a wonderful and surprising structure in the scene, in the character.

While it's not a strict technique, Guskin's How To Stop Acting (p. 27-30) suggests breathing all the way out before speaking, but that can't really be right, i.e., the pauses between speaking are too long, and I really don't have the breath support at that point. Tonight, the above modification to his technique seem to be one key to real inventiveness.

Note of interest: I didn't strictly do this with every line/phase. Rather it just happened, more or less, on it's own, about 50-60% of the time, and it seemed to happen most when the beat changed: I didn't consciously do this when I notice the beat changing -- I notice a beat change after I did it.

10.03.04 Entry New monologue routine: Last night I saw an audition for Kushner's Angels in America, but I'm not quite ready with my one new monologue. Qu'une honte ! OK -- here's my new monologue routine:

Phase 1: get the monologue(s) "working," i.e., memorized and 'set.'
Phase 2: each week, 2-3/4 times, just work the beats.

** now I'm ready to go when an opportunity presents itself **

Phase 3: Get lead time for each audition, e.g., BackStage's audition calendar is updated each Thursday -- if there's an audition requiring a monologue, this should give me 2-3 days to run the monologue, i.e., really work the beats and mentally rehearse them before bed. If I do that, I'll be as prepared as I can be.

The key will be phase 1 and 2 (and phase 3, i.e., remembering to look at the calendar so that I'm not trying to prepare at the last minute, like today).