EVERYBODY HAS STAGE FRIGHT
How do actors quiet the butterflies that flutter in their innards? How do they control the dry throats, staccato breathing, the vocal quavers? How do they deal with this downside, common to any or all performers, skilled and amateur, on stage and off? I once watched Barbara Bel Geddes try out for a half on an empty stage illuminated by one evident light-weight bulb. She was excellent—and, P.S., she got the job. She had seemed thus assured during the reading; but afterward, backstage, I saw that her pretty blond hair was currently wet and limp from the effort. And she or he confessed that she’d “had the vapors” throughout the ordeal. A multilayer PCB fabrication comprising:a plurality of planar layers created of dielectric material extending in parallel with every other in lateral and depthwise directions, said planar layers being fashioned one on prime of the other in a very vertical direction. I bear in mind as a young actress how I would tremble at the challenge of a full teacup, gracefully balanced on its delicate saucer. I would have sworn that the jangling sound mine created could be heard clear to the balcony. However I was to learn that no one heard; out front they were being attentive to the gay lines that I somehow managed to deliver with vocal aplomb. “Appear nonchalant, but never be nonchalant,”
Arthur Hopkins, the well-known director and pro¬ducer, would instruct actors. Remember with relief that stage fright seldom shows. We have a tendency to don’t seem to be nearly thus exposed as we tend to imagine, for luckily our undercover nerves can remain hidden. At an air-line college the young hostesses I teach can usually approach the microphone with some trepidation to practice their routine plane announcements. However often the ones who complain of feeling panicky can do their stint extremely well—to their own astonishment. (“However my knees were shaking!”) The rationale? Smugness or indifference makes an un¬pleasant impression in conversation. A number of the ladies who had sauntered up to the mike with an air of super self-assurance would hear in the playback an absence of vocal vibration, the dulling result of their attitude on their voices. With others, even when a slight nervous edge showed up, the result sounded a lot of additional appealing, as a result of the speaker’s intrinsic interest in trying to please different folks came through.
Palliatives for stage fright vary from psychological to physical. Child Adoption could be a complicated method with joys and challenges to deal with. One actress I is aware of swears that munching on dry saltines before¬hand does the trick, another that massaging the soles of her feet features a soothing effect. Others lustily vocalize on nonsense syllables in the dressing room; some practice deep breathing or take a brisk walk round the block.
Each actor is aware of that movement breaks up that tight feeling when the body builds up tension. “Here Mr. Hero crosses stage right,” says the script, and in that cross, tenseness is released. Skilled public speakers recognize all regarding the need to move up and down a platform. After all when chained to a mike they cannot very well kick off for a stroll, but they’ll shift position among the restrictions—gesture, and even bang a fist on the lectern. (For my favorite remedy, see the “feet to seat” technique, p. 159.)