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How do you feel just before going on?

  • 24-02-2004 9:02pm
    #1
    CHRIS GREER
    Closed Accounts Posts: 37 ✭


    This is for anyone who performs, or ever has, performed on stage, no matter if it was before 5 people, 500, or 5,000, or anywhere in between those numbers. How do you feel in the minutes just before you go on stage? First of all (mainly because it may be the only reply!!!!) I belong to a theatre company here in Belfast called the Monday Players (so called for the rather boring reason-yeah, you guessed it-we meet on Mondays!) We're a group of (mostly) disabled actors, so the type of performances we do are mostly conferences-we're doing one on Saturday week-where we typically arrive 90 minutes before going on, somebody gives us a quick bite to eat, and then with 60 minutes to stagetime, we go to the "dressing room"-usually a conference area or similar- where Angie McManus, our glorious leader, leads us in our vocal and physical warm-ups, including the now legendary Monday Players "um-chuggas" (Please don't ask-trust me, you REALLY don't want to know!!!) Angie then has to leave us at the half-hour call to prepare in our own way. I usually try to stay nice and calm, breathing and just taking my time to look forward to the show,while one of our women actors (I was soundly told off for using the traditional word before Christmas!) mentally "shuts up shop" for half an hour.She has a little pair of eye shades, and she pulls them down over her eyes, and the only sign of bodily activity is some light foot-tapping. How does any one else feel?


Comments

  • #2
    Raphael
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,880 ✭✭✭Raphael


    I pace. Frantically around the backstage area. and crack my knuckles. and generally get hugely worked up

    Then just before my cue line, I'll stand in the wings, take a deep breath, then drop into my character and go. After that, when im on stage, i never worry

    (i even paced when i was a 1-legged man, had my left leg strapped up behind me...bloody hard to pace using a crutch!)


  • #3
    CHRIS GREER
    Closed Accounts Posts: 37 ✭CHRIS GREER


    Well, I'm just back. The performance went very well, but, for some reason, waiting around to start was a bit more nerve-racking than usual today. I think that was because the conference we were performing at was behind schedule-although they all get behind, so I shouldn't be surprised- and once 12.00 passed, and we were no nearer getting on, a few people started getting nervous-they'll be ironing that carpet for days, the amount of pacing went on- and the clock seemed as though it was going backwards!


  • #4
    Laguna
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,639 ✭✭✭Laguna


    I dunno man, i just tend to take it easy, sure i'm stressed before i go out but hell, if you've prepared you'll be fine in my opinion


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