How Does an Actor Deal With Stage Fright?
Relaxation Techniques
Seasoned actors know that stage fright isn't something that just goes away. Even if an actor has done a scene several times on stage, there is always the chance that nerves might increase before taking the stage. Actors know that a preemptive strike against stage fright before going on stage is important for ensuring a good performance.
Embracing the Stage Fright
Some actors swear by the concept of embracing stage fright. In other words, they recognize that stage fright is inevitable and therefore they embrace the anxiety and use it within their performances. The nervous energy that comes with stage fright can be harnessed and utilized to enhance the energy within a performance.Some actors make the claim that people who don't get some degree of stage fright before acting aren't vesting themselves into the role deeply enough.Relaxation techniques can help actors to calm their nerves before going on stage. Although a variety of relaxation techniques are taught in acting classes and in books, most actors adopt their own techniques after finding out what works best for them. While some actors might use breathing exercises to calm their nerves before going onstage, others might use visualization to stave off stage fright.
After all, some may argue that the only thing worse than a really nervous actor on stage is an actor who has no energy on stage whatsoever.
Actors learn to utilize the nervousness that accompanies stage fright in a variety of ways. Some may not even realize that this is their method, but it can be a very powerful way to deal with the anxiety that may otherwise ruin an actor's performance on stage.
Delaying the Nerves
Although not all actors have the ability, a method some use to combat stage fright is to simply delay their panic until after the performance is over. Some may jump so deeply and readily into their characters that they don't experience the stage fright at all until they have finished the performance and have left the stage. It's almost as if they dissociate themselves from the experience of performing just long enough to get the acting out of the way, but once they return to their own personality they have the full onslaught of anxiety that accompanies stage fright.
This may not be the most psychologically healthy way to deal with stage fright, but for some actors it is the preferred method.
