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“The Art Of The Ad Lib” Attention Class. Our term for the day is “ad lib.” From the Latin ad libitum (freely, as desired), it means to do something in an “unrestrained manner; spontaneously.” Usually it refers to something we say in such a manner, and is quite often used to describe things we say on stage that are not in the script. If you have EVER been on stage, even in a 2-minute skit, there is a good chance that somebody ad libbed something during those two minutes. Whether they forgot a line and made up something to say, or you had to make up something to say because they forgot their line, or someone deliberately decided to ad lib, there isn’t a theatre or church drama department anywhere that hasn’t seen their share of ad libs. So, other than a few of those purists out there, we’ve all done it, but is ad libbing on purpose a good idea? And if so, when is it OK to ad lib? Typically, the author has chosen his words carefully and doesn’t want you to rewrite his work. That’s definitely the case with Shakespeare, Ibsen, Williams, or any other master playwright. Their lines simply cannot be improved on so just don’t try it. But when’s the last time you performed Shakespeare in Drama Ministry? Usually the scripts we use are by people like me (not a master playwright) and can stand an ad lib or, more likely, a little customization. Please note that this “tweaking” still should not result in rewriting the script, and, as compared to the ad lib, is typically evolutionary rather than spontaneous. For example, it might be OK to use the actor’s actual names, especially with dramas that use everyday characters in a generic setting. Just be careful that the character names don’t have a significant meaning. For example, don’t change the name of “Mary” if the character turns out to be Jesus’ mother. If your church has a large distinctive ethnic group, or is very rural, or totally urban, you might think about altering some references in the script to better appeal to your congregational culture. What about revising the lines of the character to fit the personality of the actor? Usually that’s NOT a good call. The actor should become the character, not the other way around. How about changing references in the script to fit your locale? If one of the lines refers to the “burger doodle” but everybody in your town goes to the “tasty freeze,” it’s probably fine to change it. If the script mentions the high school football team, why not use the actual name of your local team? Most of those sorts of changes aren’t true ad libs since they are decided during the rehearsal process, and are either instigated, or at least agreed upon, by the director. The real ad lib is conceived on the spot and executed (sometimes literally) by an actor during a performance. Actors who purposefully deliver them must understand what they’re doing and must be ready to deal with any consequences. This is extremely dangerous territory. More often that not, the ad libber will wish he had kept his mouth shut, because he is often left with his own foot in his mouth! Other forms of ad libbing happen when actors try to say their lines without reciting them word for word. As long as the actors can keep up with each other, and the dialog is conversational in nature anyway, this sort of mild ad libbing can be preferable to stale memorization. Sometimes ad libbing results when an actor stumbles over a line. In this instance, perhaps there is a problem with the line. It might be awkwardly written (by one of us non-Shakespearean playwrights). If the line itself is a problem, take a look at revising it slightly without changing the intent. You may have actors who constantly want to ad lib or change lines to suit their “style” or what have you. If you give them some wiggle room, don’t let them wiggle too much. When they start rewriting the script, reinventing their characters, or changing the tone or meaning of a line, it’s time to pull in the reins. The basic rule here should be to work out any deviations from the script during the rehearsal process. |
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