The show must go on!
Making mistakes is an important part of practising and performing dramas. No show is perfect and even professionals will make mistakes. What mistakes can happen? How can you fix them? This chapter will help you with that!
Problem: you forget your dialogue!
Forgetting a line sometimes happens. That’s why it is important to rehearse as much as possible. If you do forget your line, what you make up is called ‘ad lib’.
But what do you make up?
You know what happens in your drama. You know your character and what is happening in the scene. So, simply say something similar to what your character is supposed to say.
For example:
Treasure Hunter: I need the map, it is important for finding the biggest gold stash in the world!
However, you forgot this line. But, cleverly, you remember what is happening and you ad lib this:
Treasure Hunter: We must find the map. It is very important!
But what if you completely forget?
This is where teamwork comes in. Everybody should be focused when performing. If there is a mistake, then everybody in the group should be ready to help. Here we see another student, who plays Explorer 2 ‘improvising’ and helping the student performing Treasure Hunter to remember.
For example:
Treasure Hunter: ….. (the performer has forgotten!)
Explorer 2: I think you believe this map to be very important, right?
Treasure Hunter: Ah yes! The map is so very important for finding the gold!
The most important part of this is that you stay in character.
Problem: Not staying in character
Staying in character simply means that you are always performing your role and using your character’s voice. Look at the following example of a student ‘coming out of character’.
Treasure Hunter: I need the map, it is important for for… oh no I can’t remember what I say… let me check the script. Ah yes, finding the biggest gold stash in the world! Sorry team!
Here we see the student has ‘come out of character’ and now the audience will be confused and the atmosphere of the drama will be lost. It is very important that you do not come out of character.
Things you should not say when performing a Radio Drama:
“let me just find my page”
“oh sorry, I mean…”
“erm erm… oh sorry”
“is it my turn? Oh ok!”
Performance Skills
This next section will show some techniques to make your drama more professional and believable.
Dead Air
If you need to pause, then pause in the middle of your dialogue to show your character is thinking. If you pause before speaking, then the audience (and your group mates) might think you have forgotten your dialogue. For example
Treasure Hunter: Let’s go to get the gold right now.
Explorer 1: (pause) Yes, good idea.
This pause is what is known as ‘dead air’. It sounds as if the performer has forgotten what to say. Some listeners might think that their radio (or WiFi) is broken! A better way to pause is like this:
Treasure Hunter: Let’s go to get the gold right now.
Explorer 1: Yes, hmmm, good idea!
By saying ‘hmmm’ we know that the character is thinking and we that is believable. No dead air!
Smooth dialogue
Have you ever listened closely to when people talk to each other? Take a moment and listen to your friends talking. What do you notice?
One thing that is very clear is that, generally speaking, we do not wait for people to finish speaking before the next person speaks. If there is some silence it is very short and it is for a strong reason. Speaking is messy and if you want to make it real then make sure you start saying your dialogue as soon as the other person has finished. You can interrupt them a little bit too. It takes practice and you need to know the script well, but it is very important. You can use a hyphen to show where dialogue ‘overlaps’.
Treasure Hunter: Let’s go to get the gold right now –
Explorer 1: – Yes, good idea –
Treasure Hunter: – have you packed your bag? –
Explorer 1: – of course.
__________________________
Remember: this is not about speaking your dialogue quickly but starting to speak just as the other character has finished. It sounds very real. Try it!
Use your body
Have you ever seen voice actors recording their dialogue for films? This is just like a Radio Drama. Voice actors don’t just sit still in a chair and read – they use facial expressions, and gestures to help make their performance better.
- Consider how you set-up your computer – can you stand up when performing?
- Do you have space to move your arms to make gestures?
- Are you in a place where you are allowed to use a loud voice.
Look at this video of actors recording their voices for animations. They are using facial expressions, gestures and actions. You can do this too!
Use props and costume
Although the audience will not see you, props may help you in producing a believable performance. If your character is old, try using a walking stick to help you imagine how they move. If your character is a teacher, perhaps hold a pen and pretend to write on or point at the whiteboard. Even wearing a hat can help you feel like a different person. Give this a try!
Distance from the microphone
Being close to the microphone when you speak can make the listener feel as if you are talking directly to them. Try whispering dialogue into the microphone and it can sound like you are sharing a secret. Stand far away from the microphone and shout and you could sound as if you are on top of a mountain in the distance. When practising and performing you should consider how far away you are from the microphone and what effect that will have on how your voice sounds to the audience.
Distractions
Performing a radio drama requires focus. You need to follow the script carefully to make sure you follow your cues. A cue is your ‘moment’ to speak or do a sound effect. Make sure you are in an environment where you will not be distracted.
Performance location checklist:
- A quiet place
- No other apps or internet sites open
- No other people around who might disturb you – if you do share a space with someone let them know what you are doing and ask that they respect your need for quiet.
- Mute your mic when it is not your turn to speak.