Every year our school has an end of year production by year 5 & 6 and I have a role with more lines than I ever had before. I am really happy with my role but I'm thinking about backing out cause my stage fright is beginning to kick in. We read half the script today and it was alright but I think when it comes to practicing on stage I'll back out. What should I do to convince myself this was a good choice to continue with.
Sam
Hi there,
Being involved in a play or show can bring up many different feelings and emotions. There can be a sense of excitement but there can also be other emotions where you feel worried about how the performance will go, what it will feel like playing the character and what the audience will be like. These are all really natural feelings to have and can actually be a sign of the passion you feel for performing because you want it to go well and give your best.
Starting anything new can be scary but it may help to remind yourself that you deserve the role youre playing. You may like to talk things through with the teacher who gave you the part and they too can give you the encouragement you need to work through any stage fright you feel.
Working towards a performance takes time and patience. Reading through the script can help you feel more at ease and learn more about the performance. To reduce worrying it may help for you to work towards learning your lines so that you feel more comfortable in rehearsals. You may want to ask for help practising from the people you live with or close friends. As the time goes by you may find that your confidence grows and you feel very differently to how you first felt when you were given the part.
Any performance needs good team work and so support amongst all the cast members and teachers can be a real source of help. It may be that others are experiencing stage fright too, or have done in the past. And they can give you some helpful advice.
Its important to remember that all you can do is try your best and that is all anybody can ever expect of you. Everybody feels nervous from time to time, and this can be about anything. Everybody in the audience will have felt nervous at some point in their life. When you are on that stage you can feel really proud of how much you have achieved. And perhaps that can be the goal to focus on that helps you work through these nervous feelings.
Whatever you decide to do, you dont have to feel worried. You can always talk to a counsellor who will listen and support you.
Take care, Sam
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