Stage Fright!

Soldato
Joined
7 Mar 2005
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4,789
Location
Arkham
:p

I'm performing stand-up at work on Friday afternoon as part of our local team away-day. Not sure how I got talked in to it but I'm really very nervous about standing up in front of everyone :D Happy with material (reasonably) but finally performing after months (or years) of wanting to do it is a bit bloody scary!

Strange really because I do group works with young people and the occasional presentation and I'm fine.

Does anyone have any hints for dealing with stage fright?
 
It doesn't translate very well to the forum I'm afraid, plus this particular material is a lot of jokes about the place of work so won't make a lot of sense to you folks anyway :)
 
I recently made my acting debut in the Cambridge Drama Festival. Now granted I've been singing for a while, and as a child I performed regularly for years, but I'd never actually acted before.

Leading up to opening night I wasn't nervous, but I was a bit hesitant, especially as I had the lead role (quite by accident), and opened/closed the play. Turns out it was the best thing I've done in years. I just walked onto the stage to a sold out-500 strong audience, and owned that stage. The lights were on me, the audience had paid to come and see me act, and it felt ******* brilliant. On the back of that, I got asked to audition for a major part in Shakespeare's Othello by a major drama group in Cambridge.

The adrenaline flows and you will just live your part. Thats all there is to it really. If you know your lines, you will live it.
 
I recently made my acting debut in the Cambridge Drama Festival. Now granted I've been singing for a while, and as a child I performed regularly for years, but I'd never actually acted before.

Leading up to opening night I wasn't nervous, but I was a bit hesitant, especially as I had the lead role (quite by accident), and opened/closed the play. Turns out it was the best thing I've done in years. I just walked onto the stage to a sold out-500 strong audience, and owned that stage. The lights were on me, the audience had paid to come and see me act, and it felt ******* brilliant. On the back of that, I got asked to audition for a major part in Shakespeare's Othello by a major drama group in Cambridge.

The adrenaline flows and you will just live your part. Thats all there is to it really. If you know your lines, you will live it.

Congratulations!

I'm not acting though - so i'm still scared :p
 
Whenever I have to talk in front of people I get myself pumped up before hand. Get yourself angry inside and get your ego pumped up, think "Right you bunch of ******* this is going to be ruddy amazing". Jump up and down do a bit of shadow boxing!....anything really to bring out the fight rather than the flight mentality and shake off the nervous tention. Going all intraverted just before speaking is the worst thing you can do.

Your going to rock....believe it.
 
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