| Have you ever had that feeling of fear in the pit of your stomach as you're about to step onto the stage—what if you forget your lines, what if you can't remember you're blocking, what if you MESS UP! No matter how well you've rehearsed, sometimes the stage fright comes just the same. Well here's some (sort of) good news. It's not your fault; it's just biochemistry.
I was reading in Bob Harris' book Prisoner of Trebekistan (yes I'm a hugh Jeopardy! fan) that what you might call stage fright is a natural biochemical reaction to stress. When our body detects a threat (i.e. comes under stress) it pumps us full of Adrenaline and all sorts of other chemicals that make us ready to fight, or scream, or run. At the same time, it shuts down parts of the brain not needed for these reactions—like our memory. That's why we can forget lines if we're having stage fright.
What to do? Well, the first thing is rehearse yourself well enough that you eliminate as much of the stress as possible. Harris talks about rearranging his living room to look just like the Jeopardy! set and wearing his game day clothes for practice. We do the same thing in the theatre—it's called a dress rehearsal. If we can convince our brains that a particular situation (in the case putting on a play) is NOT stressful, then our brains will not react with all that nasty chemistry that shuts down our memories. So rehearse a lot, and do your best to stay relaxed while you are rehearsing.
Still, once you know there is an audience out there, sometimes the nerves return. What can you do? Harris has a great idea about how to fool your brain. It turns out we can train our brains to associate certain stimuli to trigger certain emotions or feelings. The idea of a theatre full of people might stimulate the "nervous" feeling; but we can counteract that with another stimulus. First, you have to train your brain.
During the course of your rehearsal period, do the following several times. Sit alone in a dark room and relax. Think of a peaceful, serene time in your life, a time completely free of stress. When you feel completely relaxed, it's time to start training the brain. Pick a physical stimulus (it might be snapping your fingers, or tapping your palm with a finger—anything you don't do on a regular basis) and repeat that stimulus over and over as you remain in your relaxed state. Eventually your brain will learn to associate that stimulus with a state of relaxation. Then, when you feel yourself getting nervous backstage, close your eyes and repeat the stimulus. If you've fully trained your brain, you will start to feel the stress disappear, and your memory will stay clear and sharp.
Bob Harris says this technique helped him win on Jeopardy! Here's hoping it will help you put on a great show without an ounce of stage fright. |
