Confidence on stage
Recently we had performance reviews at Go Comedy! As strange as it may sound, performance reviews in acting are something I look forward to. The one thing that I always felt we needed more of in the Second City Training Center was performance feedback. Sometimes acting circles and improv classes can turn into pat on the back festivals. Everyone gets good shows and good jobs after performing even if the work they did could have been better. That’s not to say that the positivity isn’t great or vital for fostering a creative environment for growth, it is so very important. But occasionally we really need a “you can do better” from someone we trust. NO, wait… “you can do better… and here’s why and how” from someone we trust. I thrive on these moments. So I was happy to get some notes about my work.
The interesting thing about improv is that very often what’s going on in our lives makes its way to the stage and in my case, my own personal struggles follow me there too.
Note received: be more confident. Hmm, really? Interesting.
I tend to think of myself as the little guy that always gets over looked. No pity party, just stating the facts. I have often made the mistake of believing that if I’m good enough, someone will notice, if I deserve a raise, my boss will recognize me, etc. etc. But the fact is, you have to believe you deserve these things to make them happen. Self doubt and deprecation doesn’t help much in life and it really doesn’t help you on stage.
So with that note in mind I began paying attention to the people around me, the performances I’ve been seeing and my own work. Playing with confidence and authority couldn’t be more important. If you watch the best improvisers, you’ll notice that they take the stage with a sense of power, with a belief that they know what they’re doing and they are there to do it. That energy supersedes them into the scene and carries them through it. It’s in that state of mind that they pick a character and use what they know to inform their scene.
When you have a lower sense of self esteem or self worth off the stage, it’s even harder for you to manifest it on the stage. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on therapy (which I have done) I can summarize what I’ve learned in a few words: Believe you deserve the best things, believe in yourself, believe you are important, believe that you contribute greatly to the world around you and the people in your life, and believe you can do this.
It’s easier said than done, but unless you’re already an arrogant bastard… it’s true. And taking that with you to the stage is important. With confidence you can successfully play the loud and vociferous bastard or the mousy and quiet creepy dude. Both of them require a sense of confidence to pull them off.
Confidence will help you on stage. It gives you power in your scenes and will enable you to take your work on stage to places you haven’t been. It also helps your scene partners. Nothing is more difficult to watch than a group of timid and insecure actors and improvisers. They don’t tackle the material with confidence and they don’t make bold choices. If you are intimidated by the stage and what’s happening you are far less able to make a decision that will help your partner… in fact, because I’ve been there, I’d say that if you lack a lot of confidence on stage you are probably not even thinking about or aware of your scene partner because you’re thinking about yourself. It always amazes me how an insecure and unconfident personality can often actually be the most selfish.
Once you are able to believe that you can do this, allow yourself to breath and be confident, you will find your character work improve on the stage… and soon enough in your general life!
