Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Confidence

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chel
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Topic: Confidence
Posted: 7/18/08 at 1:03pm

I know no one can hand it to you, it comes from within. But before I go onstage I instantly have to go to the bathroom and am convinced I will forget my lines. They're suddenly completely out of my head.

I get onstage and it's a self-fulfilling prophecy...I mess up or stammer, though thankfully not completely forget. But honestly, I know them cold offstage. I can run them and run them and run them. I can get up in my living room and do the whole thing, blocking, character, everything.

Do you do anything before the show to help you focus? Do you do anything or tell yourself anything to not freak yourself out? Honestly, my part is not big or difficult...it's just me and my nerves.

chel

www.windhamtheaterguild.org

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jayzehr
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Posted: 7/18/08 at 1:39pm

I've been acting for 32 years and I still have to go to the bathroom before I go onstage and often am afraid I will forget my lines. For me it's not a question of not getting nervous, it's just getting used to being nervous.

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tonyboling
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Posted: 7/18/08 at 1:51pm

same for me, without the bathroom break.

I like to get there early and relax as long as possible before curtain.

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B-M-D
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Posted: 7/18/08 at 4:18pm

Not to be a wet blanket chel but perhaps this acting gig isn't for you. Sure we've all gotten nervous before we go on and dropped lines or an entire half act at some point but it's usually not a chronic thing.

But on positive note I'd have to agree with jayzehr, "...it's not a question of not getting nervous, it's just getting used to being nervous." I guess I'm saying you find a way to channel that energy into something else. Other than that, just remember your lines and don't bump into the furniture.

"Dying is easy, comedy is hard."

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biggertigger
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Posted: 7/18/08 at 10:12pm

Like everyone, as I wait in the wings for my enterance I go through the same nervous, uneasy feeling. I know I am going to forget a line, do something wrong, etc. But I learned that as I take my enterance I take a deep breath, pause at the door, and hit my marks. I get so involved with the scene that when I am off stage I can't believe I made it threw with no problems.

Though I have been known to do a show on "automatic pilot" and I will snap out of it and not know where I am in the middle of a scene. But what can you do when you have performed the show for 3 months straight.

The two greatest days in a theater persons life, the day you start a new show and the day the damn thing closes.

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chel
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Posted: 7/19/08 at 6:52am

This was really helpful. I knew I wasn't alone. I think the extra nerves is that I haven't acted in quite a while. I did it loads, but now that I'm older I don't trust my memory (or my bladder, for that matter...tmi).

While I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that I just shouldn't be acting...I think working through the nerves with breathing or "channeling" that nervous energy is definitely worth a try.

Last night was opening night...and yes, I did it all the way I was supposed to. It's never good enough for me, but that's everything in my life. I see only improvement ahead. I don't think a show ends the same way it began.

One of the other actors was so incredibly relaxed and wonderful I asked how he prepared. He said he focused on his breathing, a bit of zen mediation-like. So, I will give that a go tonight.

On a more humorous note, I was a bit tired and got my adreneline pumping by practicing the stage slap I give another actor. Painful satisfaction?

chel

www.windhamtheaterguild.org

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jayzehr
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Posted: 7/19/08 at 5:37pm

Breathing exercises are very helpful. I just finished playing Father Flynn in Doubt and I started off the play with a page and a half sermon. For some reason with about a minute to go every night I became convinced that I had forgotten the entire thing. Among other strategies, including yogic breathing exercises, I visualized myself back home in my room practicing the sermon over and over. But in the end, I just had to have faith that when the lights came on I would remember the lines after all.

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jaytee060
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Posted: 7/20/08 at 5:49pm

I certainly don't know all your particulars here but I don't think I would suggest that acting isn't for you. Nerves are a funny companion of all actors and there are different reasons why we are afflicted with them. One of the best ways to overcome nerves is to not go on stage until you are TOTALLY CONFIDENT. This confidence is not so much a mental thing as it is a preperation thing. I might suggest that more rehearsal could help you. When you go on stage do you know the dialogue like the back of you hand or are you unsure about certain scenes? Do you spend a lot of time going over and over the lines? When the words and the dilivery become easy for you, then the nerves go away. CONFIDENCE.

The other key to line memory on stage is listening. When I miss a line it is almost always because my attention was not fully with my fellow actors.

You must listen 100% of the time to react correctly.

Oh damn....I sound like I'm lecturing here. Sorry but my intentions are good.

"REMEMBER ME IN LIGHT"

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TonyDi
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Posted: 7/21/08 at 8:06am

EAT A BANANA!!! Yep I said it. Some of music's elite take a quick banana snack. The potassium rush helps calm the nerves - trust me it works. Lots of pro musicial performers do that (instrumentalists and others) and it seems to work for most people. NO magic bullet but a viable way to combat stage fright - at any level. Give that a shot and see if it works for you.

TonyDi

"Almost famous"

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pdavis69
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Posted: 7/21/08 at 8:46am

Prior to sobriety, I found that a couple of quick drinks would calm me down greatly. The lines went right down the tubes, but boy was I calm. Of course that didn't help the bladder situation any but it did lead to our back deck at the playhouse to be known as "bathroom north".

Patrick L. Davis
Fort Findlay Playhouse

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Acting
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Acting

Author	Message
chel Celebrity Joined: 6/20/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 106	Topic: Confidence Posted: 7/18/08 at 1:03pm
	I know no one can hand it to you, it comes from within. But before I go onstage I instantly have to go to the bathroom and am convinced I will forget my lines. They're suddenly completely out of my head. I get onstage and it's a self-fulfilling prophecy...I mess up or stammer, though thankfully not completely forget. But honestly, I know them cold offstage. I can run them and run them and run them. I can get up in my living room and do the whole thing, blocking, character, everything. Do you do anything before the show to help you focus? Do you do anything or tell yourself anything to not freak yourself out? Honestly, my part is not big or difficult...it's just me and my nerves.
	chel www.windhamtheaterguild.org

	IP Logged

jayzehr Celebrity Joined: 8/11/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 537	Posted: 7/18/08 at 1:39pm
	I've been acting for 32 years and I still have to go to the bathroom before I go onstage and often am afraid I will forget my lines. For me it's not a question of not getting nervous, it's just getting used to being nervous.
	IP Logged

tonyboling Star Joined: 3/15/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 55	Posted: 7/18/08 at 1:51pm
	same for me, without the bathroom break. I like to get there early and relax as long as possible before curtain.
	IP Logged

B-M-D Celebrity Joined: 11/03/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 346	Posted: 7/18/08 at 4:18pm
	Not to be a wet blanket chel but perhaps this acting gig isn't for you. Sure we've all gotten nervous before we go on and dropped lines or an entire half act at some point but it's usually not a chronic thing. But on positive note I'd have to agree with jayzehr, "...it's not a question of not getting nervous, it's just getting used to being nervous." I guess I'm saying you find a way to channel that energy into something else. Other than that, just remember your lines and don't bump into the furniture.
	BD "Dying is easy, comedy is hard."
	IP Logged

biggertigger Celebrity Joined: 4/16/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 188	Posted: 7/18/08 at 10:12pm
	Like everyone, as I wait in the wings for my enterance I go through the same nervous, uneasy feeling. I know I am going to forget a line, do something wrong, etc. But I learned that as I take my enterance I take a deep breath, pause at the door, and hit my marks. I get so involved with the scene that when I am off stage I can't believe I made it threw with no problems. Though I have been known to do a show on "automatic pilot" and I will snap out of it and not know where I am in the middle of a scene. But what can you do when you have performed the show for 3 months straight.
	The two greatest days in a theater persons life, the day you start a new show and the day the damn thing closes.
	IP Logged

chel Celebrity Joined: 6/20/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 106	Posted: 7/19/08 at 6:52am
	This was really helpful. I knew I wasn't alone. I think the extra nerves is that I haven't acted in quite a while. I did it loads, but now that I'm older I don't trust my memory (or my bladder, for that matter...tmi). While I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that I just shouldn't be acting...I think working through the nerves with breathing or "channeling" that nervous energy is definitely worth a try. Last night was opening night...and yes, I did it all the way I was supposed to. It's never good enough for me, but that's everything in my life. I see only improvement ahead. I don't think a show ends the same way it began. One of the other actors was so incredibly relaxed and wonderful I asked how he prepared. He said he focused on his breathing, a bit of zen mediation-like. So, I will give that a go tonight. On a more humorous note, I was a bit tired and got my adreneline pumping by practicing the stage slap I give another actor. Painful satisfaction?
	chel www.windhamtheaterguild.org
	IP Logged

jayzehr Celebrity Joined: 8/11/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 537	Posted: 7/19/08 at 5:37pm
	Breathing exercises are very helpful. I just finished playing Father Flynn in Doubt and I started off the play with a page and a half sermon. For some reason with about a minute to go every night I became convinced that I had forgotten the entire thing. Among other strategies, including yogic breathing exercises, I visualized myself back home in my room practicing the sermon over and over. But in the end, I just had to have faith that when the lights came on I would remember the lines after all.
	IP Logged

jaytee060 Star Joined: 1/18/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 63	Posted: 7/20/08 at 5:49pm
	I certainly don't know all your particulars here but I don't think I would suggest that acting isn't for you. Nerves are a funny companion of all actors and there are different reasons why we are afflicted with them. One of the best ways to overcome nerves is to not go on stage until you are TOTALLY CONFIDENT. This confidence is not so much a mental thing as it is a preperation thing. I might suggest that more rehearsal could help you. When you go on stage do you know the dialogue like the back of you hand or are you unsure about certain scenes? Do you spend a lot of time going over and over the lines? When the words and the dilivery become easy for you, then the nerves go away. CONFIDENCE. The other key to line memory on stage is listening. When I miss a line it is almost always because my attention was not fully with my fellow actors. You must listen 100% of the time to react correctly. Oh damn....I sound like I'm lecturing here. Sorry but my intentions are good.
	"REMEMBER ME IN LIGHT"
	IP Logged

TonyDi Celebrity Joined: 9/13/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325	Posted: 7/21/08 at 8:06am
	EAT A BANANA!!! Yep I said it. Some of music's elite take a quick banana snack. The potassium rush helps calm the nerves - trust me it works. Lots of pro musicial performers do that (instrumentalists and others) and it seems to work for most people. NO magic bullet but a viable way to combat stage fright - at any level. Give that a shot and see if it works for you. TonyDi
	"Almost famous"
	IP Logged

pdavis69 Celebrity Joined: 3/26/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 437	Posted: 7/21/08 at 8:46am
	Prior to sobriety, I found that a couple of quick drinks would calm me down greatly. The lines went right down the tubes, but boy was I calm. Of course that didn't help the bladder situation any but it did lead to our back deck at the playhouse to be known as "bathroom north".
	Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse
	IP Logged

Topic: Confidence( Topic Closed)
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