How do I get rid of my stage fright?

Question

Im really scared of speaking in front of people, and now I have this "Enlish Enrichment" class, and were have to do things on stage in front of people, and soon do a play. I sound EXTREAMLY nervous when I am speaking. And my heart is beats really hard. How do I get rid of my stage fright?

Answer 1

you must take that high anxiety and incorporate it into your performance. As a classical musician, when performing in front of thousands, I get really nervous...so what I do, is block out the crowd, and only stare at the back of the stage (or classroom wall). I look at the audience, but not directly at them. After doing this, I'm in my own little world, I take a deep breath, and then take that negative energy and work to eliminate it. those are usually my best performances. Also, it has a lot to do with diet. So do not drink or eat anything that has sugar or caffiene. Take a few deep breaths and meditate to yourself. If you don't know your lines or whatever, that could also be the cause to your anxiety. The more you know, the more comfortable you will be.

Answer 2

When I was in high school I used to become nervous be for I performed. I did musicals and I was not much of an actor, but everyone told me I had a great voice. So I would go up and do my lines and then go into my songs and let my nervous energy feed my performance. I found that I became more comfortable the more times I was on stage, and the thrill is like nothing else in the world. Trust me I have done skydiving, rock climbing, white water rafting, repelling, and none of these can compare to the thrill of going on stage and performing. Whether I though I did good or bad I would always receive complements from members of the audience. One thing that I did discover is that I could never get rid of the feeling of stage fright, but I could control it. As long as you do not let the feeling overtake you and control you then everything will be fine. Know that at some point and time that you are going to mess up and the nice thing is that the audience will never know if you cover it and keep going. It sounds like you need to lighten up on yourself (easier said than done) and just make sure that you practice. There will be times that you will not like how you performed, but you need to ask yourself who are you performing for? The audience, or yourself. If you are doing it for yourself then why bother performing on stage.

Answer 3

First, you want to be prepared. This includes knowing your lines but also knowing your character. You need to understand who your character is and why they feel and react the way that they do. If you learn the character, the lines will come naturally and you will have so much on the stage to concentrate on, you won't have time to worry about the audience. A bit of nerves is a good thing and all performers have them.

Also, if you are in a theater with the house lights down and the stage lights up, you cannot see a thing off of the stage. Other than the audience reaction, you will not see anyone. It feels like a dress rehearsal performed with a laugh track.

Answer 4

I dropped a Psychology class years back because I had to give a speech. The semester was half over and I was making an "A" in the class. I know exactly how you feel! They say some people have a bigger fear of public speaking than of death. Good Luck!

Answer 5

One thing you can do is try to channel the energy into something positive. Channel into your performance. It is completely normal to have stagefright.
When I took an acting course in college, the instructor told us if you were nervous then your mind wasn't where it should be. It needs to be focused on your lines and your performance.
It may help to know the audience wants you to do well. They will support you but you got to bring it. I hope this helps. Practice and prepare. That will go a long way in helping you. It really well. It works for me.

Answer 6

most actors do not get drunk, he is an idiot. everyone who cares gets nervous. being so well prepared you know you can do it is a big help. acting is fun, look forward to it as an opportunity to play rather than having to work, concentrate on what your character is doing and enjoy it

Answer 7

Allot of people I know of have taken the Dale Carnegy (sp?) course. It is like a boot camp for the shy.

Answer 8

Being a stage frightened person you must kind of care what people think of you.

Be sure to look in the mirror for awhile and feel confident and make sure you know that you look good.

Do it more often and feel confident.

Answer 9

Try to turn your nervousness into energy.Breath lots!And just think,you shouldn't be scared to speak.I'm sure you talk to your friends all the time.The biggest thing ever: BE CONFIDENT! TAKE PRIDE IN YOURSELF! I hope that helped! Good luck!

Answer 10

I'm still trying to figure that out .let me know that when you find out.