Actors are constantly seraching for the most effective way to learn lines. In this area of the actors preparation there are no quick fixes. No magic bullet solutions as it were. Few would argue that constant repetion is the main ingredient to success. Whether this be achieved by reading, reciting out loud or running the scene with your fellow cast member(s) until the words become embeded in memory. For some, creating an audio recording of the dialogue, and listening to it back is their chosen method of learning. In recent times a number of apps have come in to the smartphone/tablet market to offering a combination of tools to aid this age old dilemma.
One such app, Rehearsal 2, seems to be the most comprehensive app for the purpose of learning lines in this niche market. The app was designed by American actor, David H Lawrence XVII. One of the apps best feature is the highlight function. Once you’ve imported a script you swipe your finger across your lines to highlight them in yellow. Then, when you’re trying to memorise them, one touch of the Blackout button turns the helpful yellow hue to solid black, forcing you to remember. Actors will tell you that one major problem in learning is to read your cues without accidentally seeing your next lines and this is an excellent solution. You can also record scenes, speaking your lines quietly so in playback you can speak over them. Throughout the app there are plenty of help documents and videos, presented by Lawrence to guide you through it's use. There's even a handy little Scribble function to allow you to write notes on your scripts.
Rehearsal 2 is available through the app store and google play