Ramble #9... 'I want to be alone': The Bad Peformance

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Yep, we have all had one or will have one eventually. You will beat yourself up about it. Decide it’s time to quit the business and go sell insurance or even worse become an accountant.  Anything, as far, and remote as possible from that nightmare.

I recently had a disastrous performance on stage, so I thought. Came off stage at interval and did a Marlene… “I want to be alone!”  The Character wasn’t there. I had words were coming out of my mouth that had never been written. I was full of self-doubt if I was in the right section of the play.  “I’ll never step foot on stage again!” I whispered in the dressing room as I prepared for act two.

I took my curtain call to applause and not one piece of rotten fruit was hurled. I was told “That’s the best performance yet”, which then made me paranoid, what then were the others really like… fickle lot aren’t we!

You have to remember the majority of the audience have never seen the play before. So what would they know if you have missed lines, or transposed or exited the wrong door? … That’s right, nothing. Provided you have not shown it in your face or mannerisms.

O f course to avoid, ‘The bad performance’. Do your preparation. Get sleep, truly get into the character at the half hour call, if not before and simply put up that fourth wall and be there, be in that place at that time and ‘own the stage!’