by Jitendra Bharati
(Pune ,Maharashtra,India)
QUESTION:
I am taking some acting lessons, but lose my confidence when acting in front of others, although when am alone I can act very well. Please help.
ANSWER:
It’s hard for anyone to perform in front of others at first. The good news is it gets easier the more you do it. In the meantime, here are some things to try when you need to stay focused on your acting and not get distracted by your nerves:
– Breathe. Just breathing deeply before you start helps. If you have time, you can do relaxation exercises too.
– Focus on your character. If you feel nervous, channel that energy into your character, asking yourself as the character, “why do I feel this way”. You can also try doing things that keep you focus on the character before you perform, like writing down your lines or the character’s thoughts.
– Private moment. If you are familiar with Method Acting, work on the private moment exercise. It will help keep the fourth wall up and not be distracted in your acting as soon as you perform in front of others.
What works the best, though, like for most things, is just doing it. The more you audition, the more you will be comfortable auditioning. Same for performing. You’ll get used to it, and one day you’ll wonder how you could get so nervous about it.