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Daniel Santos Special user 562 Posts |
Hey Mr. Harlan. Um, you know how people used to say, "just go out there and get 'em!" or, "Just have fun and try not thinking about it." Well, it's kind of hard not to! I was just wondering what you do to boost your confidence before performances. How do you get calm enough to just let everything flow smoothly...Thanks!
Daniel Santos |
DanHarlan V.I.P. 998 Posts |
The phrases you mentioned never really worked for me either, then I met an old theatre veteran and he told me "It's okay to have butterflies in your stomach, just as long as you get them to fly in formation."
Think about that. It's natural to be excited before a performance, but if you have planned and rehearsed well, you can direct that excitment. Ultimately, you are in control of everything that happens. Oh, and "Never let them see you sweat." --Dan Harlan |
Daniel Santos Special user 562 Posts |
Time for some headband magic! Just kidding. Thanks a lot. I appreciate your time to help.
Daniel Santos |
DanHarlan V.I.P. 998 Posts |
I'm sure Daniel and others recognize that the "sweat" is metaphorical, but perhaps I should explain, just in case. Virtually every saying that comes from the realm of theatre is metaphorical. In this case, the translation of the saying is "Don't ever let the audience know that you have a problem." In other words, just work it out and keep going. In a play for example, if someone forgets a line, another actor will "pick it up." If someone misses and entrance, the people on stage keep going until they can find a way to get back to the scene. Wrong music? Wrong lights? Wrong costume? Keep going. That is the reason that improvisation training is so important in live theatre. Even if you have to acknowledge a problem, do it with style, good-natured humor, or underplay its importance. Just keep going.
--Dan Harlan |
Daniel Santos Special user 562 Posts |
Thanks for the explanation. I knew what it meant very generally, but this description is making me think...It was great talking with you! Thanks again for all of your help!
Daniel Santos |
daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
I experienced that first hand when we performed Neil Simon's "Rumors" a hysterical comedy. Dialog was so intricate in that one, that one blown line could just throw seven or eight people off track.
And it DID happen. Lines wee blown. But these folks were so professional that they picked up on it and pulled each other out of a jam like they were doing it all their lives. It was a thing of beauty to behold. And the KEY was just what we are talking about. CONFIDENCE. That confidence came from tireless rehearsals, to the point where we knew the play inside and out, and if someone blew a line, we were able to think ahead and splice the dialog, or cover someone elses butt. This applies to your magic as well. Like Dan said, you've got to rehearse and know your stuff, and then you will have the confidence as a natural outflow of that. As for butterflies, I'm so pumped before a show, that I never get 'em. (And with that, I am talking about magic shows AND the theatre. It all works the same way.
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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DanHarlan V.I.P. 998 Posts |
I should also mention that a "secret weapon" of live theatre is that the audience generally has no idea what is going to happen. They will accept almost anything as "part of the show." In other words, you are way ahead of them. As long as you don't tip that something is unplanned, you can work it into the show. In fact, many performers get their best bits of business when something goes wrong. Then they find a way to have it happen everytime.
--Dan Harlan |
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