Early on in my acting days, I had the good fortune of studying in London. I was completely amazed at the sheer amount of good theater and opportunities for actors. One day, during one of my scene classes, I found myself completely overwhelmed. No matter how much theater I “took in” as an audience member, actually acting in front of a class was terrifying. My legs shook, my palms sweat, my stomach felt like it would do a back flip.
Even though I had quite a bit of experience performing, somehow this was different. My teacher, James Roose-Evans, taking my gyrations into account, actually made me stand in front of the class until I was able to calm down and breath normally. You can imagine how much time this took. After several moments, he finally said, “Being nervous is a good thing. It means that the work you are about to do is important to you. It means that there is a visceral flight or fight response to what you are about to do. It means that you are a teachable actor. This is good. It means that with time, you will be able to embrace your nerves as a real manifestation of performance joy!” I never felt the same after that.
Each and every moment becomes an opportunity to remain teachable.
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Acting class, London theatre, Acting Training
Nice post!
Makes me feel better, at times I feel the same way.
thanks to share your experience.