The Importance of Memorization

Whenever I'm in some sort of performance, somebody always congratulates me at the end. This somebody could be one of my parents, just trying to be supportive (never very encouraging). Or it could be some random audience member, coming up to me and giving me a blow-by-blow of why they enjoyed my performance. To which I always reply, "Thanks!" even when what I'm thinking is, "I have no idea who you are! This is kind of creepy!" I suppose I'm not totally comfortable with any sort of fame, even the highly limited kind that dissolves within twenty minutes after the end of the last show. This never fails to surprise me, the reason being that, when you get down to basics, I'm not really an exceptionally talented actor. I'm good, I hope, if not above-average, but I've never really seen myself as something really special. However, I do believe that I understand the basics of what gives my performances strength.
Those of you who have been in a theatrical program with me know that I have a bit of a gift for memorization. More often than not, I have my lines memorized within a week of the announcing of the parts. As some of you no doubt know, I'll have most of the show memorized by opening night. I can't tell you why, but I can tell you that this has always been the case with me, since an early age, and quite a few of my fellow STACies would be willing to back this up. I promise I'm getting to my point.
The thing about having one's lines memorized is that it liberates you from the limiting shackle that is the script. Once an actor ditches the script, they're free to interact with others on the stage, add the emotion that is stolen by looking down half the time, and giving their character life. Once you don't have to occupy your mind with the progression of lines on the page, you can go above and beyond what becomes your norm. Given enough time, and how much is enough varies by what you have to memorize, you can imbue an unprecedented amount of life and emotion into your character, no matter how big or small. This goes beyond theater; any individual in a profession which requires public speaking, in any form, be it in law or politics or teaching in a university or, of course, acting, should consider memorizing their material as far in advance as possible or to the greatest extent in what time they have, which, to be fair, is likely inadequate for a two-hour lecture or a forty-minute speech. But to be frank, when I watched Secretary of State Kerry's recent speech on the necessity of action in Syria, I'd have found it much more compelling if he'd looked out at the audience more and down at his papers less.  
Now, I know that not everybody has an unnatural skill to memorize things like lines, sayings, and the most trivial bits of information imaginable from times gone by (I'm not making that up; I can quote my preschool teacher, and yet I have trouble remembering such inconsequential details such as the difference between left and right and my age). But everyone who's considering trying out for a play, or auditioning for a role, should try to memorize what they need to ahead of time. It may seem like a pain, but it'll improve the final product. Trust me on this.