How do you get rid of stage fright?
Sunday, September 2nd, 2012 at
12:48 am
I’m trying out for our school production of "The Wizard Of Oz" and my voice cracks when I’m on stage and I get terrible stage fright. What should I do?
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Tagged with: Stage Fright • voice cracks • wizard
Filed under: Stage Fright
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picture everyone in the audience in their undies. You may not be
able to keep a straight face
Ohh tryouts are the hardest.Just tell yourself you can do it. Walk onto that stage all confident like. If you act confident you will become confident. proven fact. Even if it’s in front of a bunch of your peers, which is the hardest. just take a big breath, have your parts down and everything will run smoothly. don’t stress. good luck
I try to think of the lights at the edge of the stage as a wall. I don’t look past it. Its my 4th wall. That helped when I used to have stage nervousness.
just get up there and do what you need to do. just remember the only way you are going to hurt yourself is falling off the stage. so stay in the middle. take a shot of lemon or lime juice before your audition too. it helps sooth your throat so it doesn’t tighten up
Since it’s a little late now to take a speech class before you try out I’d suggest you practice in front of family and friends. It also helps you to practice in front of a mirror. I’ve heard some people who speak in public suggest they imagine the audience naked, but I’ve never tried that. Just remember everyone, even professional actors, have stage fright. You can do anything you put your mind to. It also, depending on the part you’re trying for, help your performance(like if it were the Cowardly Lion, or the Scarecrow.). Just take a deep breath and forget everyone, but yourself and the other actors. Think of yourself as the person you’re playing.
I used to have to give lectures for work, and I never enjoyed it because I always got too nervous.
I made myself tired by going for a run about two hours before my lecture. If you’re not a runner, do something as strenuous to get out all the nervous energy, such as using an eliptical machine or swim.
You also need to just find someone or a small group of people to focus on in the audience. And just focus just on their attention to you and not the whole audience.
Best of luck in your tryouts!
As an actor who gets nervous all the time I have to say this, let it come, let it pass. Be in the moment, meaning you are there in the scene, being that character and you need to make your fellow actors look good. Trust in them that they will do the same for you.
It sounds like you are just affraid of looking silly, well that’s really why you ARE there. You need to have fun with it, oh, and breathe. A lot of people start taking quick shallow breaths and it makes them even more nervous. Deep normal paced breaths are best. Break a leg.
take a deep breath and take your time….and make sure you know your lines…confidence comes in knowing what you are doing…don’t worry you’ll get it.
you can read over your lines or practice the characters you like’s emotions. say if you like Dorothy, practice singing, if you like the tinman, practice acting like a robot, if you like the magical fairy, practice her things she ussually does , etc. just do anything to help
I’m sorry to tell you, but stage fright never completely goes away. It is just a small discomfort everyone gets. But i would have to agree, tryouts are the most difficult. What i would do is practice, practice practice. It may not make perfect, but after plenty of great practices you will feel more comfortable speaking the part.
Also the adrenaline is there to help you and not harm you. When you get that butterfly feeling in your stomach try to use it. Use is to project your voice and give more energy to your lines. Control your voice and don’t let it crack.
Don’t sweat it! If your voice does crack just pretend like it never happened and recite your lines strongly and proudly.
you should relax, do some warn-ups then sing a song in your head to your most favoite song
Breathe, sweetie.
Deeply and tell yourself that you’ll be fine.
When you’re on stage you really don’t see the people in the audience. . .focus on the lights. . .spots. It helps.
hi my name is Tyler(Tye) AKA-the next big actor-
I have auditioned for many plays or theatre performences. I have also been on the dance teem.Every time i got the lead. First you want to drink lots of water for 1 day pior to auditions.2) If you audition in front of peers then you should control the stage during your audion. if your afraid then just look at your teacher. It will always get you a spot if you work with the croud and it’ll be fine! good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you should start out by practicing by yourself. then try it in front of stuffed animals or close family members. then move onto a small group of your friends. just let the groups you practice in front of get bigger and bigger. you should end up being able to perform in front of a large crowd.
practice infront of family and friends. you tend to be less nervous
The most effective thing you can do is to focus on what it is your character wants to accomplish. Who is you character? What does he or she want? Pursue that, and you’ll be in much better shape
ignore the audience as much as possible. i got stage fright before, but ignoring the audience works for me!
Just tell yourself that you don’t care what they think and convince yourself of it. You might want to establish a few good friends who are also trying out so that you know you have some support.
just think that you are practicing infront of a wall. if i get nervous i do that, cause my school is triyng out for a drama production as well about "Oliver Twist" and i have to be the cruel one. i got nervous during the audition cause i have to act and sing infront of people, i took a very deep breath and i do not think what people think about you. once you get to the stage people will see what’re your skills and in the end they will give you an applause, just think that you are the main character for the play. that is how i take it. just give it a try, when it fails, let me know. hehehe
Wizard of Oz? Great show. I am currently the Tin Man in my school performance. Here is my advice:
Drink plenty of water.
Pay no attention to anyone there except the director.
Also, I found that it helps to lift your head a little higher than usual, not only because it helps you to lift your voice, but also because everyone would probably be below your eyeline.
And one more thing. Make sure you pronunciate. If the director doesnt understand you, it is likely they will be hesitant to cast you. Anyways, hope you do well, and break a leg.
keep trying. the more you do it, the easier it gets. it’s important to make the experience of being on stage scared as heck part of the natural muscle memory, so the feeling is familiar, but you choose how it affects you.
my advice is to keep it up.
belive in your self
Take a big breath before going on stage and don’t think that you won’t do it right just think that every thing’s going to be fine.If you say to yourself every time that something will be wrong then something will go wrong.Don’t be stressed out.The fright is something even the celebrities have.It’s not only you!When you are on stage try to be cool.Nervous you are at the beginning but when you start your lines you chill out.It happens to me all the time.Trust me.Just go up there and try to be cool.I hope i helped you!!!Good luck!!!
I am a trial attorney (criminal) I have often been told & I do firmly believe that a trial attorney is about as close as you can get to being a actor on stage. When we get up to voire dire the jury, give opening remarks, have heated debates with oppsoing counsel, , question a witness & most arguably duing closing we are "on stage & may the best most dramatic, emotional, persuasive actor, i mean attorney win" I have actually had defense counsel comment on my outstanding performance when they had nothihng else to hang their hat on, but to attack me and claim I am only performing and that I have "not proven anything"
I have been doing this for 17 years & I can tell you that as I sit there waiting for the judge to order me to stand and give my closing argument to the jsury, I am ALWAYS nervous, ALWAYS have stage fright, it does not go away, you just learn how to handle it, and how to use it to your advantage..
Years ago when I was in Law School I thought that I would make the worst attorney in the world. I had never been a shy person, but the semester floated by and it looked like I may get through all my classes without being called on to stand and "argue " with the professor in what is know as the socratic method of teaching. Stand in a large classroom with elevated seats, recite the facts of a case, issue holding etc, you never get very far before the prof stops you and ask you a question that you are not prepared to answer. It is a method to really to think quick on your feet, not reALLY DESIGNED TO SEE IF YOU KNOW THE CORRECT ANSWER, BUT how well you can "ACT" persuade, argue you point of view, your side of the law. Having said that, I began to dread each day. The longer class went on the bigger the odds my day would be soon. I was already wishing that I had been one of the poor unfortuate people who were called upon the first or second day and made complete fools of thenselves. Why? well that eaerly on how were we expected to know anything, but this late in theyear, the students were becoming very quick, snappy and it was obvious that their skills had improved. I am sure mine had to, but the day I was finally called on I froze. I stood and I waited so long to before speaking that the professor must have said my name 6 times, I literally could not speak, my vocal cords were paralyzed by fear. I nearly ran from the room. Finally able to muester up a one or two word answers to a few questions I began to speek , and when I did I did get my voice back (but that was not my voice i can assure you) the proff let me off easy he must have felt the same emberrasment fo rme that the class of 200 felt that day. I was hoping that it was my imagination, SURELY MY VOICE WAS NOT QUIVERING AS BADLY AS i THOUGHT. After class a very nice young man, a sort fo friend walked up (he was the only person to ever say anything to me) he asked me if I was OK? He said "Man, I don’t know what you were hiding or why you were not prepared today (oh i was prepared ) he went on :but you were so nervous you voice sounded exectly like Audry Hepburn, he actually thought my friends and I had been drinking and i was afraid of gettign caught. NOPE! audry hepburn shakky voice & i thought i was going to be a hot shot trial attorney. the next two years i got better, but never good. i watched 1000′s of trials i knew how the best attorneys did it with such ease AND FINESSE, EFFORTLESSLY, NEVER NERVOUS.
I started my job A Few months later in Floridal far far away from anyone I knew in lAW SCHOOL. i decided the day I WALKED INTO THE STATE ATTORNEY’S OFFICE TO REINVENT MYSELF, I EXHUDED SO MUCH CONFIDENCE I NUST HAVE APPEARED A SNOB. IN MY JOB INTERVIEW QUESTION I WAS ASKED IF I LIKED TRIAL WORK (REMEMEBR MY ONLY EXPEREINCE THAT REMOTELY RESEMBLED addressiing JURY , i replied "I love it, it gives me a rush, like a natrual high, my adrenalin starts pumping and i get so excited, its like i live for it. i am a natural." with that I got the job and when i had my first trIAL I SAID NONE OF THESE PEOPLE KNOW ME and i pretended to be the most confident person in the world, who had no problen whatso ever speaking to a crowd. i moved the podium away a sign tht i did not like crutches, i moved around the room with ease. after, all my new co-workers came up to me and said thigs like "oh you obviosly have done this before" or " were did you get so much experience?"
To make a very long story short, yes you can recretate yourself. you can become someone who exhudes confidence and whose voice does not shake. just keep telling yourself it is so & it will be so
2 more ponts to make
1. always know your lines inside/out back/forth, be able to jump in as on que even if your prompt does not say waht they should have said to alert you to speak. Preparation , preparation & more b/c if you know your stuff you can do it. if you half ass know your lines then anyone can babble, shake etc, but you can’t shake someone who knows their stuff
2Practice as much and as often as you can. Each time you get up to audition or perform it will be easier and come more natrual than the time before. practice first with a few close friends, hVE THEM VIDEO-TAPE YOU. WATCH IT, LET PROFESSIONALS CRITIQUE YOU AND MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES. DO IT OVER & OVER.
Next have a group of family and friends gather, put on your performance for them, then take it on the road, try it out at a hospital or nursing home or any place were people are confined or just need entertainment. practice anywhere and everywhere, use your imagination and find audiences of people you do not know, go to a local school and volunteer to perform. the ideas are endless
3.offer to stand in and read for actors every chance you get.
4. i have never understood the tip of imaginaing your audience in their underware. i can’t do it, i tried, all it did was make me lose my train of thought. just get up learn to make good eye contact when necesary & fake it, pretend you are the best and you are a natural , you just don’t get nervous, it will become you.
one last thing, just as i am sure all seasoned actors stilll get a little nervous, i do in trial\\ just for the first minute. my voice may sound a little shaky for 3 seconds then i hit my beat & i’m on stage. we all get nervous. we need that adrenalin, it works for us if you let it, let your nervous adrenalin pump you up to give the performance of a lifetime
good luck, or break a leg (never understood that)
think of your happy place.
Accept the fear as part of your process. Isn’t it amazing that there is something in life that can get you this excited and motivated. So many people never even try to get up on stage or do what they want to do. NExt, be so prepared, that although you might be a little nervous, you are ready and know what you are doing.
Choose another profession.