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In conjunction with A&C Black, The Stage is please to present a chapter from the publication 'An Actor's Guide to Auditions and Interviews (3rd edition)' by Margo Annett.

Permission to reproduce the material from the following title is kindly granted from A&C Black publishers

The title listed below can be purchased from the A&C Black website.

An Actor's Guide to Auditions and Interviews (3rd edition)

by Margo Annett
© 2004, 2001, 1995 Margo Annett

Chapter Four: Sight-reading

The ability to sight-read well is an essential skill for any actor. It has become a vitally important stage in the casting process for all branches of the media. Once launched into the profession you will seldom be called upon to perform an audition speech as such, whereas sight-reading or 'reading for a part' has become almost mandatory. Even well-established players are prepared to read when meeting a director who is new to them or when seeking a part outside their usual range. Yet this standard requirement is regarded with dread by many experienced as well as aspiring actors. It needn't be. The terror can be overcome and the ordeal made even enjoyable if you approach it with the right attitude and arm yourself with a secure technique.

The attitude

Let's look at this fearful task. Why are you being asked to read anyway? What is required of you?

To display your talents as an actor.
To demonstrate your suitability for the role.
To indicate your understanding and sense of identification with the part.

In short you are expected to perform. Not a polished in-depth performance that only comes after intensive work in rehearsals, but your spontaneous response to the text. You are an actor being given a chance to show what you can do.

What is not wanted is a fluent, precise, speedy and glib enunciation of the words on the page. They know the script, it's your interpretation of it they are interested in.

If you haven't had a chance to see the script beforehand and have been asked to read it 'cold' (a term used to describe reading a script out loud having never seen it before), always ask for a chance to read it through to yourself first. It is unusual for you to be refused. If you are, it will be because the viewers want a completely spontaneous reaction to the text and will make allowances for the inevitable stumbles and misreadings.

Remember, take your time. While you are reading you are in control of the situation, you are giving the performance. They want to enjoy it - after all they do want to find the right person for the role.

The technique

1. Approaching the text

When approaching any text for the first time always obey the golden rule, 'start with yourself'. In the case of sight-reading, it is imperative. There isn't time for probing exploration of the character's personality. It has to be you, you must identify with it completely. If you have been given the script ahead of time, read it slowly, taking it phrase by phrase. Think of feeling your way through it rather than reading. Don't worry about the words, your brain will absorb them automatically as you go, concentrate on the thoughts and emotions. Use your imagination to find out what you would have to feel like in order to say each line and mean it. What changes of thoughts and emotions would you have to undergo to link one phrase with the next? This way, you are playing each moment as it comes without anticipation and as truthfully as possible with the information you have. Even if you have to read cold, you can apply this technique. You may have to take more time finding the thoughts and emotional changes and you may get yourself trapped in some unintentional 'dead ends', but you will be given advice on how you can avoid this in the following paragraphs.

If you are given the script beforehand you will have time to prepare and map out the emotional journey of the scene or speech. This is much easier to remember than trying to learn the words. You set in your mind what the character is feeling moment by moment during the piece, note the changes of emotional gear, notice where the feelings become particularly highly charged, in other words the climatic points in the dialogue. It is a good idea to mark them with a pencil as you go along - this helps to secure them in your mind, and makes the text easier to play when the time comes. You can see where you build emotionally and where you must give yourself time to find the next thought or feeling. It also helps you to cover if you lose your place in the script. If you know what the character is feeling you have something to play while you search for the line. Remember to be greedy, to look for as many changes of thought and emotion as possible. The more you have to play, the less nervous and the more confident you will be.

In addition, as outlined in the chapter on auditions, there are four important questions that have to be answered before you start to read the dialogue aloud, regardless of whether you have had time to prepare it or are reading it cold. For our purposes we have called them the four 'W' questions, and the advice below relates to the sight-reading answers to these questions.

What has happened before the speech begins?

What circumstances have led up to this moment in the character's life? In the case of sight-reading, when time and information is usually limited, the answer has to be simple and straightforward as there isn't time for in-depth analysis when you are sight-reading. It is enough to know your character's state of mind and body, where the scene is set and what has just occurred. This is one advantage you will have if you have to read cold. You will be able to find out these facts from the director or casting director when they hand you the script. If you have been lucky enough to have been given a whole script beforehand, there will of course be no problem as you will have time to read it through and gain all the information you need. If, however, as usually happens, you receive only the 'sides' (pages of script) which contain just your part, you have to base your answer on whatever you can glean from the dialogue you have got and use your imagination to fill in any holes.

Don't worry too much if this turns out to be the case. The important thing is not to get it 'right' but to make a decision that will provide you with an emotional starting point. In the unlikely event of your getting it horribly wrong, most directors or casting directors would be understanding and spend time discussing the actual circumstances with you, especially if your reading has sincerity and conviction.

The other three questions can be addressed together.

What are you doing?

This can be broken down to a single active verb, i.e. I explain, I apologise, I complain, etc.

Who are you talking to?

This question appears to be easy to answer but involves your deciding on the relationship between yourself and the other character.

What do you need?

Every action we take is motivated by a need. You have to decide what you want or expect back in response to what you are about to say. You won't have time to agonise over finding the 'right' answers. Make a decision based on your immediate response to the text. The purpose of the questions in this instance is to provide you with focus and conviction and prevent your resorting to generalised emotion. Too often actors, in an attempt to feel more secure, try to get an angle on the scene by categorising it under an emotional heading, such as, he or she is angry, or frightened, or bewildered, etc. This can only result in a generalisation of the feelings involved and a tendency to use received ideas and responses rather than trusting to their own creative intuition. Once you have made your decisions you will be armed with an emotional starting point and a purpose. When you start to perform, remember you are the character - don't be inhibited, give yourself over to the speech, let the emotional changes take you with them and play it for all you are worth.

These then are the main guidelines to follow when approaching the text. However, there are some -techniques and hints which can make the task a lot easier. For example, the text itself can disclose a lot more information about the scene and the role beyond just its meaning, if you know how to look for it. The layout, punctuation and choice of words can give you immediate indications of the scene's content and the character's mood, situation, status and even personality traits.

2. The layout

The appearance of the text can give you clues on the playing and the emotional structure of the scene. Even at a glance the shape of the dialogue on the page will tell you something about the character and their situation, if only in broad terms.

For instance, if your lines are a series of short responses, this will denote a degree of uncertainty or an unwillingness to expound freely. If this is then followed by a longish speech you would be safe in assuming this is likely to be an explanation or outburst of pent-up emotion. If, on the other hand, your dialogue is limited to brief utterances this will indicate that your character's situation or their personality makes them disinclined to express their feelings easily through speech. By the same token if the part is mainly made up of fairly long speeches this demonstrates that they are comfortable with language and have a need to verbalise thoughts and feelings. A long speech often takes the form of a narrative or story. If so, be careful not to build too quickly. If you had a chance to read through the script beforehand remember where the climatic points are. If you are reading cold try to look ahead and check how long the speech lasts so you can pace yourself accordingly.

With any long speech there are some points to be aware of, as mentioned earlier in the chapter on auditions. Nobody plans to make a long speech in normal conversation, they just happen to you. We go on speaking because either nobody interrupts us or because we keep thinking of more things we want to say. It's important to play this, really find those changes of thought.

Dialogue sometimes contains broken sentences, and they can be quite difficult to deal with. If your line is written as a broken sentence always complete it. Don't wait hoping the other person will come in; if they don't you're going to be the one who looks foolish. If you are the one who interrupts it is an indication of your character's state of mind - they are excited for some reason. In order to portray this you must break in even if you've lost your place in the script. Ad lib, improvise, but keep up the emotional impetus.

Indicated pauses also need careful treatment. They obviously signify a moment of deep thought or extreme tension but in the context of sight-reading you have to be sure they will hold. Unless you have really built up to them they can become awkward and unreal. If you are in any doubt cut them short.

3. Words

Apart from the obvious indications words give of the character's environment, status and personality, as with an indigenous accent, a stylised form of speech or particular choice of words (a character whose every second utterance is an expletive is clearly not an aesthete), there are more subtle points to be noted and effectively used.

Adjectives are worth attention. Remember they are there because we want to show what we feel about the noun in question. So really use them in the sense of injecting them with that feeling. They also need to be 'found'. Don't let them fall too trippingly off the tongue. Not only is it more realistic - in life we search for the right word to express exactly what we mean - but also it gives you time as a sight-reader to look ahead a bit and catch your breath. Words that are unusual or hard to pronounce also need to be pointed. Don't pass over them quickly as if they were unexceptional. Unless your character is singularly well educated and eloquent they will be special to them. Take time to find the word and pronounce it carefully or consciously as you would in life.

Repetition of words can be important. If your character repeats a word, especially one used shortly before, it means that there must be some reason for it, if only unconsciously, so you must slightly stress it. Similarly, if a word is repeated from another character's lines this must be subtly demonstrated.

The use of names can be significant. We rarely address anyone by name unless for a specific reason: to draw their attention, to denote respect, disapproval or superiority, etc. Decide which it is in the given context and play it.

4. The kind of words your character uses

This can give you clues to their personality. Do they like using long words, showing them off whenever possible? Are their sentences concise and to the point, even within long speeches, or do they meander and waffle? Start to look for these details and you will be surprised how soon you begin to pick up and notice verbal idiosyncrasy. Words can also act as a helpful guide to finding your place again after having raised your head to deliver a line or engage with the person who is reading with you. If you pinpoint the word ahead and its place on the page before you lift your eyes, you will then return easily to exactly the right place when you want to continue reading. This sounds more complicated than it is, it becomes quite simple with a little practice.

5. Punctuation

Punctuation is the sight-reader's guide and friend but you have to know how to interpret it and use it to your advantage. The accepted rule of pausing for the relevant amount of time at every full stop, colon and comma for example, can be misleading. It is more useful to think of them as changes of gear in a train of thought. A full stop can indicate not only the completion of a thought or a signal that a response is expected, but also a stage in the development of a continued thought. Commas are often misused and overplayed as pauses, it is wiser and more effective when sight-reading to use them as a guide to slight shifts in the flow of thought.

Exclamation marks and question marks are self-explanatory but colons and semicolons require a more subtle approach, standing as they do between the full stop and the comma and, as such, can be very useful. They obviously denote a greater change in the pattern of thought than does the comma and thus provide you with a convenient resting place - a moment to recharge emotionally, find the impetus to carry on the thought and, of course, take a sneaky look at the lines head. In fact they can be a more valuable pausing point than a full stop. They are less obvious and if you end with an upward inflection before you take the pause, you can afford to take a longer rest by using it as search for thought or a moment of emotional recovery. Pauses at full stops need care. Unless you are absolutely sure it is the end of a thought, it's best not to pause too long: it can sound unreal and too conciously 'read'. This is not to suggest that you ignore full stops - they need their due recognition - but don't play them as endings or the completion of an idea without making sure that is what they really signify.

Another trick, which must be used only in emergencies, when you have hopelessly lost your cool and need to take a deep breath to collect yourself, is to start a sentence swiftly on the back of the last, ignoring the full stop but pausing after the first word in the new sentence. This must be used with great discretion and only in dire necessity because it can sound false and tricksy if over-used.

6. Coping with fluffs

Remember, it's the flow of thought that is important not the flow of words. Once you launch into the dialogue, you are that person. When the inevitable fluffs and misreadings occur, don't panic, stutter and re-read the phrase again or, worse still, look up and apologise. Stay in character and play one of the following, whichever seems appropriate.

Re-think the phrase or word before reiterating it.
Pause while you search for the right word.
Pretend the stumble was due to agitation or an over eagerness to get the words out.

Similarly if you lose your place. Remain calm while you find it again, then take a beat before starting. When you do, play it as though you have lost your train of thought and that you are thinking what to say next.

Begin to notice how often in life people stammer over words, forget what they're saying in mid-sentence or use odd or inappropriate inflections. You will see that it happens all the time and you will become less inhibited about any stumbles you might make, and at the same time build up a useful repertoire of realistic recoveries.

7. Stage directions

As a general rule these are to be ignored when you are sight-reading unless they refer to your character's reaction to a situation. Even then use them as a guide and with discretion. If they say 'she bursts into tears', or 'he laughs hysterically', obviously you can use them but something as ambiguous as 'he stiffens' or 'her look darkens' are best avoided.

8. Voice

The vocal demands will vary depending on the emotional content of the scene and the background and environment of the character; however, there are some fundamental points that are helpful to keep in mind.

a. Don't 'put on' a voice. This doesn't refer to an accent but to any distortion of your natural voice that limits its range or constitutes a vocal mannerism in order to convey character. This can only be used when you are completely conversant with the role and the text and when you are absolutely sure that it is an essential ingredient of the character's personality. In the context of sight-reading it will only succeed in spoiling the reality and sincerity that comes when you approach a new text with an open mind and a free voice. Even when the part requires the use of an accent you need to be careful that in your eagerness to get it accurate the accent doesn't becomes the sum total of the characterisation.

b. Keep your sentences vocally open-ended - this is perhaps the most useful tip of all when it comes to sight-reading. As noted above, don't make final statements unless you are quite sure the train of thought is completely finished, keep the thought going on. This may entail using an upward inflection, but as a too conscious use of them can lead to an affected delivery it is safer to think of strongly playing the thought that carries you from one line to another and/or its subtext. This way you are less likely to get trapped into a wrong inflection or having to make an awkward and unreal mental leap into the next sentence.

c. Let the voice move. Either through nerves or mistaken notion of realism actors supress their voice's natural response to changes of thought and emotional intensity. Dare to let the voice reach the extreme notes at either end of your range especially in moments of intense emotion. Remember that each change of thought and emotion has its own vocal energy and pitch. Make sure you are freeing the voice sufficiently for it to communicate this.

Controlling and harnessing those nerves

How many times have actors complained, 'It would have gone so much better if I hadn't been so nervous,' on their return from an audition or interview. In fact, they are wrong. It wasn't the nerves that were at fault but their handling of them. In reality, nerves can be an asset. It is your attitude towards them that determines whether they work for you or against you. You want to learn how to master them rather than drive them away completely. The flow of adrenalin that they cause can invest your performance with sparkle and edge if used well instead of reducing it to quavering uncertainty. In fact the minute you acknowledge the possibility that they could be of value and that you might even welcome their presence, you immediately begin to empower yourself. You have taken the first step in bringing them under your control.

Another way of dealing with nerves is purely practical: some simple physical exercises to relax the parts of the body that are most vulnerable to nervous tension. Unfortunately, they are the very ones you need under control in order to be able to sight-read or even speak efficiently.

1. The respiratory system (which is just a grand way of saying the breath)

This is the most crucial area of all. If the breath is restricted it immediately affects the whole body, and if you can't breathe freely and deeply you haven't a hope of relaxing the rest of the body. When you are nervous, the body responds at once by shortening and reducing your intake of breath. You will notice if you are very frightened, you virtually hold your breath and breathe in little gasps. You must counteract this as soon as possible by breathing out heavily. If the tension is extreme you may have to do this forcibly a couple of times - not too often or you will become giddy. Once you have emptied the lungs the body is compelled to inhale deeply. Ignore the inward breath - it will take care of itself. Just concentrate on letting the breath go. You will notice that the rate of breathing will automatically begin to slow down. Continue consciously to release the outward breath but making the exhalations increasingly gentle until the breath is flowing freely and rhythmically. You will find that as the breath calms, the body becomes more relaxed and the brain clears. You've given it something to occupy it other than tormenting you with reminders of how nervous you are.

When you know you are going to enter a situation which will make you nervous, be vigilant, monitor the body, and as soon as you feel it begin to tense up, release the breath by sighing out. This way you can prevent the breath becoming severely restricted. Keep it under control by continuing to sigh out gently but firmly at regular intervals. You can even do this while you are waiting to go into an audition or interview.

2. The jaw

This is important because a tense jaw can affect the tongue, mouth, cheeks and the larynx, in fact all your speech organs.

Start by unclenching your teeth. If you are relaxed they should be slightly apart behind a barely closed mouth. Now let go the tongue, think of relaxing it right back to the root which is way back at the top of the throat on a line with the bottom of the chin. You should feel the mouth and lower cheeks soften. A trick which enables you to release the jaw and mouth quickly and surreptitously is to roll your tongue back to the soft palate. The teeth will automatically part and the jaw and mouth relax. Return the tongue to its resting place behind the lower teeth leaving everything else in its new free position. Like the breath the jaw needs constant watching as it is one of the first places to tighten up when you are tense. Luckily it is an easy and quick way to relax if you use this method.

3. The throat muscles

These are not so easy to control. If you have been taught the 'yawn' or 'smile' exercises they can be helpful; if not try the following routine. As you breathe out think of breathing out through the muscles round the larynx. On the next outward breath imagine that the back of the mouth opens up into a huge cavern, then with the mouth a little apart, articulate a few voiceless 'Ka' sounds. Pay particular attention to the downward movement of the back of the tongue. Try to keep the space between the tongue and the soft palate as large and free as possible. Visualise the breath flowing freely through the space at the back of the mouth as you breathe out. This exercise, although it needs concentration, can help to combat the tendency for the throat to close when you are nervous.

4. The face

Unless you are extremely self-confident you have to be alone for this exercise. Simply massage your face with the tips of your fingers. Pay particular attention to the centre of the forehead, the eyebrows, the cheeks and around the mouth, making little circular movements, moving the skin over the surface of the facial bones. It will feel wonderful.

5. The body

Well, you can hardly prostrate yourself on the floor of the reception area and practice a full body relaxation, but there is a trick that will help release tension. Think of your feet and hands being heavy. When you walk really feel your weight on the floor, think down into it. When we are nervous we tense our legs and feet to such an extent we almost walk an inch above the ground. Similarly with the arms and hands, the shoulders rise up in tension and the poor hands just dangle there rather clammily. While you are sitting waiting to be called into the interview or whatever, imagine that the hands and arms are becoming heavier and heavier and that the palms are growing warm, then release the wrists and slowly circle them. Finally take your arms up and gently massage the back of your neck - be careful, usually a lot of tension builds up here. It can feel quite tender. Then think of breathing out through those tense muscles. It really helps to let them go.

6. The mind

No miracles here I'm afraid. Yet there are a few tips which can persuade the brain to stop torturing you for a while. Apart from anything else it will be so busy taking you through the previous exercises it won't have much time left to dwell on all the dreadful possibilities. Simple visualisation can be useful. Imagine yourself entering the interview room calmly yet with interested anticipation. Take yourself in your -imagination, through the entire interview with as successful a result as you could possibly wish for. This really can help to put you in the right frame of mind. Alternatively, remind yourself of how talented you are; how right for the part and that you are the actor that they have been waiting to meet. Think of all the reasons why you would be ideal for the role.

You know yourself that even when you are very upset you will forget the problem for a while in spite of yourself if something really interesting or intriguing happens. It is a good principle to bear in mind.

Lastly, getting those nerves to work with you. Just think how good you feel when you are excited: you know you look your best, your mind is alert, there is a spring in your step and all seems right with your world. Now think about those symptoms. Believe it or not, they are the same as the nervous apprehension you feel before an important interview or audition: the same adrenalin flow, the same butterflies in the stomach, the same anticipation of the unknown. Only your conviction that things are going to be dreadful rather than pleasurable is at variance. All you have to do is dare to think that the unknown experience ahead might turn out to be enjoyable, to convert those feelings from fear to excitement. It's easier than you think, especially armed with your repertoire of relaxation exercises (see page 120). And it is certainly worth a try.

Confidence

Confidence comes with knowledge and practice. Now you know about the techniques of sight-reading so it's time for the practice. Sight-reading is a skill and, as with any skill, once you have learned the basic techniques it is only by continual practice that it becomes easy, and ultimately, almost second nature to you. This is particularly true of sight-reading because when you use it professionally, it will nearly always be in situations that are stressful and demanding.

Make a habit of reading aloud to yourself, daily if possible to begin with. Start with material you know and relate to easily, using the advice and techniques in this chapter. Once you are familiar with them and begin to feel a little more secure, start to have fun, play around with the material. Really use the words, dare to overplay them, experiment vocally, discover the different effects you can achieve with your voice, the infinite variety and subtle possibilities that are available to you through changes of pitch, pace and volume. Then begin to stretch yourself further. Choose plays and roles that you think you will never have a chance of playing. Set up play-reading sessions with fellow actors, hear each other and exchange friendly and helpful criticism. You will be surprised how soon you become an accomplished sight-reader and how much you enjoy yourself.

After all, sight-reading is just another chance to do what you like best - acting.

Finally, perhaps the most valuable words of advice. When you are at the casting and about to start reading, cut off from your surroundings, forget everything and everybody except the person you are reading with, really engage with the character and just go for it.

'AN ACTOR'S GUIDE TO AUDITIONS AND INTERVIEWS' is available to purchase now from the A&C Black website.

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