Tirade

Line rehearsal

Learn your lines with scene partners who never get tired.

Tirade is a web app for actors to rehearse alone. You import your play (PDF, text file or pasted text), pick your role, and Tirade reads the other characters' lines aloud, each with its own voice. When your turn comes, it goes quiet and waits as long as you need, then carries on.

Open the app

Romeo and Juliet, act 2, scene 2You play Juliet
  1. RomeoBut, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
  2. JulietO Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name.
  3. RomeoShall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?
  4. JulietWhat's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
  5. RomeoI take thee at thy word: call me but love, and I'll be new baptized.
  6. JulietWhat man art thou that thus bescreen'd in night so stumblest on my counsel?

Tirade at a glance

What it is
A web app for rehearsing and learning lines from a play
Who it is for
Amateur and professional actors, drama students
How it works
A text-to-speech voice reads the other parts, then waits for your line
Accepted formats
PDF (with text), .txt file, pasted text
Devices
Browser on phone, tablet and computer
Interface languages
English and French
Access
app.tiradeapp.com

How it works

  1. Import your play

    A PDF, a text file or pasted text. Tirade spots the characters by itself.

  2. Pick your role

    Tap the character you play. The others are read aloud, each with their own voice.

  3. Rehearse

    The voice gives the cue, then Tirade goes quiet and waits as long as you need. When you are done, it carries on.

Made for rehearsing

It waits for you

The time allowed is calculated from the length of your line and your speaking speed. You can also skip by hand, or let Tirade listen and carry on when you stop talking (compatible browsers).

Fix the text on the spot

Long-press a line to change its text or its character without leaving the rehearsal. Flag a line to review it later.

Learn without a net

Your lines can stay visible, shrink to their first words, or stay hidden until you have said them.

Pick up where you left off

Each play remembers your last line, your role and the voices you chose. Reopen the app and carry on.

Stage directions understood

Passages in parentheses or square brackets are recognised: they show in italics inside the line and are not read aloud.

A voice per character

Each character gets a different voice from those on your device. You can listen to them and change them.

Who is it for?

Actors learning a part

To run cues with a patient partner at any hour, on the commute or at home.

Drama students

To work a scene on your own between classes and arrive knowing your lines.

Anyone preparing an audition

To rehearse an excerpt with the other character's lines, even with nobody around.

Amateur companies

So everyone learns their part at their own pace, from the same text and the same cues.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an account to use Tirade?

You can try the example without an account. To add your own plays on the web, you sign in with your email address: a 6-digit code, no password. Your plays are then saved and follow you from one device to another.

Which text formats does Tirade understand?

A PDF that contains text (not a scanned image), a .txt file, or pasted text. Each line starts with the character's name: "NAME: line", "NAME. line", or the name in capitals alone on its line. Lines in parentheses or square brackets are stage directions.

How does Tirade know I have finished my line?

By default it waits for a time calculated from the length of your line and your speaking speed, then carries on. You can also press "Skip", or turn on microphone listening (in compatible browsers): it carries on when you stop talking.

Are the voices natural?

Tirade uses the text-to-speech voices of your phone, tablet or computer, so quality depends on your device. Each character gets a different voice when several are available, and you can change them.

Are my scripts private?

Your plays are stored on your device and backed up in your account, on servers located in Europe (Ireland). Access is protected: each user can only read their own plays.

Does it work on iPhone and Android?

Yes, in the browser (Safari, Chrome) on phone, tablet and computer. Native iOS and Android apps are being considered.

What if there is a mistake in the imported text?

Long-press the line (or press E on a computer) to fix the text or the character without leaving the rehearsal. A flag also lets you mark a line to review later.

What is an "Italian" rehearsal?

It is running your lines fast and flat, without acting, so the cues link up and the words sink in. Read the guide.

Go further

How to learn your lines: 8 methods that work

Understand, chunk, say it aloud, space your reviews and test yourself without the script.

What is an "Italian" rehearsal? A guide to running lines at speed

What it is, why it works and how to do it alone or with others.

Your cue.

Open Tirade and rehearse your first scene.

Open Tirade