Picture this and try to not get too anxious, will you? Say you are a performing artist, whether it is theatre, music, or dance, it does not matter, what matters is that you have to face your destiny, stand up, and look proud on the stage. This is the moment that all your efforts amount to. The people are out there in the crowd and the spotlight is on you. Have fun and break a leg!
Now, I believe there is not a single person that has not felt fear creeping up the back of their head when they first performed on stage. I, of course, cannot blame them for not being used to the feeling.
Fortunately for me, I have been doing theater for over 15 years, which is plenty of time to get used to bringing a text to life and incarnating a character to deliver a convincing performance. Still, I remember peeking from the stage wings while eagerly waiting for my turn to come so I could play my part, seeing my many friends and family immersed in the dark, the flash of a camera going off and reminding me that any mistake I made would be immortalized on camera. But no pressure, right?
To me, that aspect of performing arts definitely makes them more difficult than most expect. While theater is more about interpreting rather than simply “speaking”, playing music and dancing require a more developed set of motor skills to be able to deliver a decent performance.
Having done all three in the past really showed me how much effort an artist must put into their craft and how with nearly every exquisite performance comes the unseen barrage of nerves. Whenever we make art, we relate to it in a way that the crowd cannot, we dissect our pieces and come to understand every nook and cranny that makes the work as beautiful as it is, a growing familiarity that makes us forget that most people do not know the material as well as we do. We nitpick the smallest mistakes and assume they will cause our artistic downfall when, in reality, the entire crowd is just happy to be there. Unfortunately, more often than not nervousness and anxiety are what end up ruining performances that had the ability to be perfect.
Make no mistake, performing is an acquired talent, something that takes time and patience to nurture. No matter how many books you read or classes you take, you will only – truly – get experience from getting out there and doing it. Eventually, the worries will lessen, and your true self will show on stage. And then, you will probably get tired of hearing so many people wishing you’d break a leg.
Jay Mazega
Multimedia Specialist/Distribution/Podcast Host