STAGE FRIGHT

One of the greatest enemies of the actor is muscular tension or stage fright. If an actor is preoccupied with the need to succeed or be recognized, to be loved and accepted, fear of failure, low self-esteem, or, most commonly, anxiety, he is a prime candidate for stage fright. This can prevent the actor from realizing his goals.

When stage fright sets in, an actor begins to lose his grasp on his own process of thinking. He may suffer palpitations of the heart, shortness of breath, a lump in his throat, butterflies in his stomach, sweaty palms. He may fall into such behaviors as biting the nails, frequent urination, foot-tapping, fist-clenching. He may feel flushed or dizzy and not be able to think clearly and effectively. A helpless feeling comes over him. He may feel depressed, irritable, hostile or aggressive. He does not move in a natural manner. He feels he must please and satisfy the audience only because that is his responsibility. It is plain to see that stage fright has the potential to have a negative impact on one’s performance. How can we learn to manage stage fright?

Classic Story of Stage Fright

The most remarkable incident involving stage fright is depicted in a story that is handed down from actor to actor. It involves a production of Richelieu, starring Franchot Tone in New York City. One role called for a murderer to enter through the French doors, cross the room and identify Richelieu by asking, "Who are you?”  And the star would reply, "I am Richelieu" and proceed to give the most important soliloquy in the play. Once the soliloquy was finished, the intruder would then murder the Cardinal.

Since all the actors who showed up were small in stature, they approached members of the football team at a University and came up with a six foot five lineman. He could say, "Who are you?" with every imaginable inflection you could ask for and make it believable. Richelieu opened to a full house and the first and second acts went extremely well. It was time for the intruder to enter. With the air of a gazelle, he leaped across the stage, grabbed Richelieu, and pulled him up to his face. All of a sudden, the young college football player peered over Tone's head and saw fifteen hundred people staring back at him. Muscular tension immediately filled his body, and he was in the state of stage fright. He blurted out, “Who am I?" Franchot Tone looked at him in wonderment, said, “I don’t know, but I am Richelieu” and proceeded to act out his soliloquy.

The football player lost track of his intention and goal, which was "to identify and make sure the man was indeed the Cardinal, who he was sent to kill.”  He merely concentrated on how to say his line and how well he looked. Conversely, Franchot Tone, a seasoned actor, had strong concentration. He was able to work with the lineman’s mistake, continuing to pursue his intentions, tasks and goals—improvising to smooth out the mistake and move on effortlessly.

What is happening when tension takes over the body?

The endocrine system is overworking because of a stressful situation, such as when we are waiting to make a speech or make an entrance to perform. Our heart begins to beat faster. Our blood stream needs glycogen and adrenaline in order to handle situations of this kind. Muscular contractions or spasms take place, taking away blood supply needed for other organs. Muscles contract as they press against the blood vessels and decrease the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. It can manifest itself as butterflies in the stomach, dizziness, weakness and even fainting. Why does this take place? We are creatures of habit and use behavior patterns of response to situations with which we are familiar. However, new situations can produce fear.

Michael Jordan once said, "If I had stood at the free throw line and thought about ten million people watching me on the other side of the camera lens, I couldn't have made anything. So I mentally tried to put myself in a familiar place. I thought about all those times I shot free throws in practice and went through the same motions, the same technique that I had used thousand of times. You forget about the outcome. You know you are doing the right things. So you relax and perform."

"Fear comes from a lack of focus or concentration.”  There is a Japanese koan about a fellow who is being pursued by a tiger. He comes to the edge of a cliff. A vine grows there. He lowers himself over the edge of a cliff and looks down. There another tiger awaits him. He looks up. A mouse is gnawing the vine. Then he notices a patch of wild strawberries within his reach. Holding the vine with his left hand, he uses his right to select a strawberry. He pops it in his mouth and chews it slowly. "Delicious," he murmurs.

Art Smith, one of the great character actors of The Group Theater, who was working in Henrik Ibsen's Enemy of the People at the Actor's Playhouse, would sit in the wings of the theater for an hour before he would make his entrance, and just as he was ready to go on, he would hang his head, open his jaw and hang his arms to his side with his legs stretched out. He used to say, “A rattlesnake is not coiled and ready to strike at all times. He conserves his energy until he is ready to strike.” Rod Steiger would do fifty pushups to relieve tension and relax the body before making his entrance in the Broadway version of "Roshomon,” based on the Japanese film. Laurence Melchior, the famous opera singer, would simply eat an apple, not only to relax, but to clear his throat. Whatever works for you, use it!

Some of the best work actors do is in rehearsal. In front of a live audience while rehearsing, the actor can become frightened and allow muscular tension to take over his body for various psychological reasons. Actors are human and we all want to be perfect. Until muscular tension is eliminated, an actor cannot properly execute or perform his/her role. In order to enjoy freedom on stage, the actor must learn to relax and concentrate solely on those tasks and goals.