How Child Actors Master Cold Reads

As my mentor, Charles Nelson Reilly, often said, “Acting is hard.” Of course it’s hard, especially when you are asked to do a cold read. Cold readings—when an actor has little or no advance time to review a script before performing a scene—are challenging but an unavoidable reality. This can be especially difficult for young performers who are still mastering basic reading skills, but here are some tips to help child actors master cold readings!
PRACTICE Encourage your child to read aloud every day. When building any skill, a person needs to train regularly. Buy scene books to use as practice. Have your child read the parts out loud with you as his reading partner in the scene. Consider it a daily regimen in order to build and maintain his skills.
READING SKILLS Help your young actor learn to read in general. The sooner he masters reading as a skill, the sooner he will be able to master reading and acting at the same time.
MEMORIZE FIRST AND LAST LINES New readers are usually advised to memorize their parts if time allows, but in a cold reading this habit can backfire. Children often attempt to memorize their lines even when they don’t have enough time, and that prevents them from

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