It's going to happen. It's just inevitable. Somebody is going to forget their lines. Somebody is going to misplace a prop. Somebody is going to enter from the wrong side of the stage. You just have to accept that it's going to happen. But when it does, you'll have to remember to improvise. As they say, the show must go on. If it's the night of the performance, we can't just scream "Cut!! Okay, let's try it again!!" And even more than that, we can't freak out for freeze up. You have to work around it. The show must go on, and you're going to make it go!!
If you're talking with somebody, and they forget their line, you'll quickly notice the awkward pause that rises. If you remember their lines, you may be able to prompt them subtly. Try to remind them of their next line. If their line is "Hey, would you like to drop by a restaurant for lunch?" You could quickly improvise with "Oh, I sure am hungry!!" This will hopefully jog their memory to their next line. If it doesn't you can always try to whisper their line to them quickly and quietly, without attracting too much attention to yourself is possible. If neither of you can remember the line, you can always try to skip ahead to the next line, as long as it fits within the conversation.
Similarly if somebody skips a line or cuts you off, just try to ignore it and move on. If that's not possible, and it's absolutely crucial to the performance, you could always try to add it in somewhere later. Be sure to judge the relevance of the line and whether it really needs to be added in again, especially if mentioning it again disrupts the flow of the play or lapses the entire scene backwards as it repeats and restarts from that line..!!
In contrast, if you ever find yourself unable to remember the next line, you can always shout out "Forsooth!! I know not what to say!!" While improvising, be sure to keep everything as shakespearean as possible. Replacing S with TH is always a good start, and mixing up your verbs with your noun also helps. Nobody will be able to tell but the english professors, and surely they'll be considerate enough to understand the situation.
If you ever find yourself without your props on stage, try to work around it. More often than not, the props merely add to a scene, so removing doesn't entirely destroy the action. At the same time, however, the play calls upon or for a certain prop, see if you have anything you can use as a substitute. We've had characters in previous years who are supposed to exchange rings, but because they accidentally forgot to bring them on stage with them, they gave them their belts instead...!! If no substitute can be found, you can always mime the prop. If it's smallish, you can probably cup it in your hand or hold it in a fist without the audience knowing. And at the same time, if it's larger, you can always just act as if you're holding an invisible object. You'll be surprised how far it will work. If the script clearly calls upon the prop, it's not hard to suggest to the audience what is being held..!!
By practicing our scenes throughout the week of Shakespeare Camp, we become much more prepared to improvise through the scenes in case something comes up. And we assure you, something will come up. It always does. And when it does, you'll need to be ready. Forsooth!!
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