Here’s your quick, skimmable checklist for lessons you’ve already studied—great for marking a score, planning a scene, or pre-performance prep. If you’re new, start with the full lessons first so the choices make sense.
How to use this document
- Work in order. Each day builds on the last.
- Write in the score. Pencil beats memory. Mark clearly; amend freely.
- Bias to trying over talking. Test the choice, then discuss.
Core Toolkit (Day 1)
Goal: Make the music readable to your acting brain.
Marked Score 2.0
- Boxes → Where the drama changes. (Harmony, texture, register, tempo, or text shift.)
- Lines → Accents & most important words/syllables to land.
- Arrows → Ends of phrases. Mark on the last note/syllable of each phrase (prep point for what comes next).
- Circles → Action music moments (no text): pre‑choose possible actions.
Mental Movie Reel
- Play the track while visualizing a continuous film of the scene. Note any natural actions the music seems to demand.
Learning sequence
- Understand context → 2) Map Boxes/Lines/Arrows/Circles → 3) Decide likely actions → 4) Then learn pitches/rhythms.
Build the World & Make Choices (Day 2)
WWWWW (Who/What/Where/When/Why)
- Make it specific and emotionally charged (not generic labels like “guy in love”).
WOTE per Box
- Want • Obstacle • Tactic • Expectation.
- Usually Tactic/Expectation shift most box‑to‑box. Don’t change all four every time.
Subtext & Inner‑Monologue
- One simple, hot thought per phrase (and rests), written under the line. Speak as the character, not about them.
Action & Emotion Triggers: See → Feel → Do
- At each arrow, begin what you will see/feel/do in the next phrase. Slow down enough to complete each arc.
Action! (Circles)
- Fill circles with one‑word actions that match your world/WOTE. If timing won’t fit, revisit your earlier choices.
- Who’s music is it? If it’s not your character’s music, react to the person (or cue) whose music it is.
Monologuing (Day 3)
Why: Fastest way to make a song playable.
Steps
- Nail context & Day‑2 work. 2) Write what you’re really saying (near your subtext). 3) Keep a logical thought flow. 4) Memorize and perform it until body+voice agree. 5) Match to the music phrase by phrase. 6) Then learn/sing.
Pitfalls: Over‑generalizing, narrating about the character, chasing complexity, or avoiding emotion.
Drills
- Dramatize “Twinkle, Twinkle.”
- Morning pages (2–10 min stream‑of‑consciousness).
- Take the filter off (talk aloud for 10 min, no stopping).
- Dub the world (improvise voices for people you observe).
Audience Physics: The Big 3 + 1 (Day 4)
1) Believability (Credibility) — follows natural patterns of behavior.
2) Clarity — audience can see/hear/understand the message.
3) Variety — new information each moment; no copy‑paste behavior.
+1) Repeatability — you can deliver it night after night.
MMC — Make the Music a Consequence (theory + practice)
- Principle: The audience tends to see before they hear; give a visible cause for every important sound.
- In practice (performer): Identify whose music it is, let body lead what voice will sing, and tie actions to phrases.
- In practice (director/design): One focal change per phrase beats visual clutter. If a cue has no visible trigger, re‑think.
Phrase Craft & Timing (Day 5)
One eye‑dea per phrase.
LNOS Formula — Last Note Or Syllable
- Shift the eyes at the start of the last note/syllable of the current phrase to prepare the next thought.
- Too late or exactly on downbeat reads like bad dubbing/choreography.
- Practice: Partner calls “shift” at each arrow until it becomes automatic. Scale shift size to phrase length & musical change.
Don’t Act — Be (Day 6)
Mindset: Let truthful impulses through; stop micromanaging the body. “Being” a person in this world > “acting like” one.
Vulnerability: Drop self‑judgment to stay 100% in‑moment.
Magic If: “If I truly were this person in these circumstances… what would I think/feel/do?”
Limbic Response: Micro‑gestures betray truth faster than words; align body, text, and music.
Exercises
- Stop & be (3x/day body scan + sensory check).
- Affirmations in the mirror (3 things you love/are grateful for → “I am enough”).
- Musical impulses A/B: (A) listen & allow; (B) sing and later expand the half‑gestures your body wanted to complete.
Stagecraft & Professionalism (Day 7)
Safety & Attire
- Walk the space, know hazards. Closed‑toed shoes. Rehearse in performance‑like clothes. Never eat/drink in costume unless told.
Culture & Logistics
- “Thank you, 10.” Respond to calls. Sign‑in, show up early, be memorized, and be a team player (ask before “helping”).
Stage directions & angles
- Stage right/left = performer’s POV; house right/left = audience. Downstage = toward audience.
- Play diagonals (triangles > straight lines). Avoid flat horizontals/verticals. Sing to 10 & 2 (opera esp.) to keep face & conductor in view.
Touch Things
- Restore natural human behavior: touch furniture, self, and people (appropriately). If stuck, play the Touch Game: no more than one phrase without contacting something/someone.
Soloist Bubble
- Maintain a visible, safe radius around the current primary communicator. It expands/contracts with status and energy. Ensemble frames the focal point.
Taking Correction Like a Pro
- Two valid replies: “Yes.” or “I don’t understand—could you clarify?”
- Protocol: Repeat note back → two passes (literal, then integrated) → log Note → Change → Result in the margin. One variable per test.
Stay in Character
- Golden Rule: From 10 steps before entrance to 10 steps after exit, stay in‑world (as the role or your confident performer persona between numbers).
- Run‑through discipline: No mid‑run commentary. Button holds: after cadences, hold character 2 beats. Mock mishaps to train recovery.
Exercise — Lost Lyrics: “The New, Better Version”
- Purpose: Bulletproof character; reduce anxiety; strengthen subtext fluency.
- Rules: No original text; keep character/objective/stakes/eye focus/blocking/timing; honor musical phrasing; sell it as if it’s always been that way.
- Run (5–7 min): (1) Choose 30–60s excerpt. (2) Name objective in one sentence. (3) Take 1: free improv words. (4) Take 2: constrained (keep vowels/rhyme feel). (5) Video; watch once muted (does story read?) and once audio‑only (does musical intent land?). (6) Mark breakpoints & fixes (eye focus, breath cue, clearer verb).
- Debrief checklist: Did the objective land? Stakes stay hot? Phrasing intact? Partner have something to play against? Where did I almost break, and what cue prevents it next time?
- Variations: Nonsense syllables; subtext monologue; partner echo.
Quick Checklists
Score Mark‑Up (first pass)
- Context & WWWWW (specific, emotional)
- Boxes (drama shifts)
- Lines (accents/keywords)
- Arrows (phrase ends)
- Circles (action music)
- WOTE per box (update where needed)
- Subtext/Inner‑monologue per phrase
- See → Feel → Do at arrows
Rehearsal Discipline
- Try first, talk second
- Two‑pass corrections; log Note → Change → Result
- Zero‑break runs; hold buttons
Performance Safeties
- MMC visible causes; one focal idea per phrase
- LNOS eye shifts feel automatic
- Diagonals & 10/2 maintained; soloist bubble honored
Troubleshooter
- Audience not engaged? Check Believability → Clarity → Variety.
- Music feels glued on? Rebuild MMC; re‑time with LNOS.
- Acting looks robotic? Stop downbeat eye‑shifts; complete See→Feel→Do.
- Anxious about blanking? Run Lost Lyrics; pre‑plan eye foci & breath cues.
- Notes not sticking? Use the correction protocol; change one variable at a time.
Templates (copy into your score)
WOTE per Box
- Box #: __ Want: __ Obstacle: __ Tactic: __ Expectation: __
See → Feel → Do at Arrows
- Arrow #: __ Next phrase I see __ ; I feel __ ; I do __
Subtext/Inner‑Monologue
- Phrase #: __ “_________________________” (as the character)
Note → Change → Result
- Note: __ → Change: __ → Result: __ ✓/retry