Thank you for all the advice guys!
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
I enjoy talking about stage fright since it's a universal fear and everyone has their own way of dealing with it. Yesterday we finally ran the show on stage with a completed set. I suppose it wasn't too bad for a first run through. Some lines were lost here and there, but at least we got through it!
Sonic# wrote:I always view it like that step before plunging into a pool of cold water. It's easy to brace, to hesitate, to be afraid, but once I go under, I quickly acclimate. I even get a lot of power from the thrill and the adrenaline involved.
The beginning of the show was really shaky for everyone. It's silly how nervous we were, considering that the tech crew was our audience. The president of our theatre guild was present though, and since this is my first production with them, I felt pressured to make a good impression! I hope I did okay! lol But it was just as you said, Sonic. After the first few scenes, I managed to settle into character, forget who was in the audience and calm down.
Nobiyuki77 wrote:Best advise I can give is just ignore the audience and pretend you're just doing another rehearsal. ^^
I really tried to visualize that invisible 4th wall last night. I imagined everything beyond the edge of the stage didn't exist and we were in our own little bubble. Pretty soon I was really able to focus on the other actors and just react to what they were doing. Lines and body language started coming very naturally.
Werefrog wrote:I don't know if I ever completely got over my stage fright.
I suppose it's better if one doesn't
completely overcome their feelings of stage fright, but learn how to control it instead. Being a little nervous helps keep me on my toes. After calming down a little last night, I found it actually added to my performance, as Sonic mentioned.
Werefrog wrote:My best piece of advice is to take a few deep briefs before going up on stage if at all possible. Remember that breath and heart rates are tied together and for me a pounding heart also makes me that much more nervous.
Thanks! A pounding chest is one of my main problems. I will try to breathe a little more when we go again this evening. I hope I can learn some breathing techniques to help calm myself down a little. I don't want my heart threatening to burst out of my ribcage every night!
Kizyr wrote:Anyway, good luck! What are you doing, anyway? KF
Thanks, Kiz! We're doing Brighton Beach Memoirs. It's a dramatic comedy about a family living in Brooklyn during the 1930s.
I'm playing Kate, the mother of the household. She's a very strict and nagging kind of mother lol. Seeing as I'm actually 20 years younger than the character I'm playing, it's been a challenge bringing her to life, but it's been a blast so far. I'm learning a lot from this whole experience!
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)