Script Analysis for Actors – Five Steps to Building Your Foundation

Do your students know how to annotate a script for analysis? Script analysis gives every actor a foundation to build on for character development. Teach these steps to your students and they’ll begin rehearsals with confidence.

Where do we start?
Give students a sample text to work with. We’re going to go through five steps any student can use to analyze a text. This activity uses monologues, but you can do the exact same work with dialogue.

Then make sure students make any annotations in pencil. Why pencil? Because nothing we do with script analysis should be set in stone. We change our minds, we rethink things over and over as we familiarize ourselves with the material. And once you get into rehearsal you never know how the director’s vision will change your approach to the text once again. Think of this type of script analysis as your starting point.

Click below for a lesson plan version of this activity along with annotated examples of two monologues.

Step One: Cross out stage directions.

Stage directions in a script can come from a variety of places. Sometimes they’re added by the playwright to give you a sense of their intentions, sometimes they’re based on the blocking of the original production, other times they’re added by the publisher/editor to help clarify something for the reader. Don’t ignore them completely, especially if they are connected to a line of dialogue (if a character says “sit down” and the stage direction says “BRENDA sits” then that’s something you probably shouldn’t ignore), but for the purposes of script analysis, tell students to cross them out. They can always restore them later because they’re using pencils, right?

Task: Read through your monologue/scene and cross out any stage directions.

Step Two: Mark any significant shifts in tone or character development.

Tell students that they are going to identify moments where a character changes, either internally or strategically, and use these changes to create a dynamic performance.

Use a symbol or mark to identify this change, like a slash (/) or even a double slash for emphasis (//).

DARCY: Maybe I’m special, ever think of that? Huh? Maybe he likes me. // Me.

These marks go any place in the text where there is a change. For example:

• A change in mood or emotion
• A change in language
• A change in tactic
• A change in status
• An entrance or exit

Look at the following line. Ask students: Where is the change in tone or character development?

FRANK: I can’t believe you keyed my car. Why would you do something like that?

Frank goes from reflecting on the damage to the car to demanding information. First he’s in disbelief. Now he wants answers. So we identify the change between the two thoughts.

FRANK: I can’t believe you keyed my car. // Why would you do something like that?

The reason for the change would be explored in rehearsal, but during the analysis stage, have students make choices based on what they read. You may find that students struggle to find the changes or shifts in their dialogue. Have students practice with two random sentences in their text and put the change marks between the two sentences.

DARCY: Moving too fast? // You bet I am.

Have students ask themselves: What shift does the character make between these two sentences? If they can come up with a clear answer, then the marks stay, if not they go. With the above example, it doesn’t seem like there’s a change. The two sentences reference the same thing (moving too fast) so the marks do not belong. Take them out!

Emphasize to students that there is no one right or wrong way to do this kind of work. This isn’t science, it’s art. Two actors preparing for the same role may mark their scripts up completely differently. And they’re both right! They’re both bringing their own interpretation to the role.

Task: Read your monologue (or scene) and identify the shifts in mood, emotions, language, tactics, status, and entrances/exits with a specific mark.

When your students eventually stage the text, these markings will serve as guideposts. They will help make their character dynamic. They’ll help with line interpretations and blocking choices. They’ll lead students toward an interesting well-rounded performance.

Step Three: Mark significant words.

Ask students: What are the most important words in a text? What would be the purpose of identifying important words? Highlight that we want to identify the most important words that carry meaning, intention, and energy.

Use a symbol to identify significant words in the text, for example a “>” on top of the word.

Think of these words as the power words of the text; they’re the framework everything else is built on. These are the words you want to make sure are heard.

Task: Identify the most important words in the monologue/scene with a specific mark. In your opinion, what are the power words?

When students have completed this step, ask them to read aloud the marked words in order. They should give a rough idea of what the piece is about.

Step Four: Understand the language.

If you’re tackling Shakespeare, this will be a very long step! But it’s an important one. Explain that actors cannot play what they do not understand. It’s important to understand the words, word choice, and language used in a text. Have students go through their monologue/scene and make sure they understand every word. Have them look up unfamiliar words, or words they don’t use in their personal life. Tell them to write definitions on the side of the page.

If students are confident they understand all the words, tell them to look up five of their marked power words. What do they mean? Even simple words can have many meanings, and many words can be used to say the same thing. Emphasize to students that they should try to understand why the playwright chose the specific words they did.

Task: Look up unfamiliar words or five of your power words. What do they mean? Ask yourself: Why did the playwright choose these specific words?

Step Five: Ask questions.

The purpose of this step is to spark curiosity and prepare actors for rehearsal exploration.

Have students read through their monologue/scene and ask questions about their character. Keep the questions simple: “How?” or “Why?” or “Is this true?” For example, in the sample monologue the character says, “Maybe age has nothing to do with it.” The question written beside this sentence is, “Does she believe this?

Students may come up with an answer during rehearsals, or they may not. That’s the beauty of theatre—there’s always more to explore.

Task: Read through your monologue and ask five questions of your character.

Click below for a lesson plan version of these steps along with two blank and annotated monologues to show one way to tackle a script.

Remember, acting is about interpretation. It’s never about a “correct version” of how a monologue should be analyzed. Have your students do the steps with the provided monologues and ask themselves: How would I mark the script?