Stage Fright
Miguel Barvosa-Martinez ENGL 1301-192 Mooney Essay # 2 Final 2/22/13 Stage Fright I know, first hand, that being onstage about to perform in front of a big audience is not as many expect. I started doing stand-up comedy over two years ago. The first time ever being on stage, I felt nervous. I felt jittery my fingers were shaking, but it wasn’t as bad as having my body paralyzed from nervosity. Fear can bring your body some unexpected responses. I had those butterflies in my stomach, like I was weightless, as if I were floating.
After my first show I discovered stage fright wasn’t a problem. I learned that stage fright will come with unpreparedness, and the lack of repetition. The longer I prepared and the more I practiced my material the better I was off with a successful show. For me to know and be comfortable with my material, I would go over it repeatedly, as if I were at the gym doing sets on the bench press. The more prepared I got myself, the more confident I felt. Performing my skit with my friends sitting in front of me as if they are the real audience helped my preparedness.
Others listening to my material gave me a better feel for my jokes. I would have a list, the bad jokes I would cross out the good ones I would circle. I would ask my friends for feedback, I used it as a way to prepare for the real audiences reaction. My ways of preparing for the event were time consuming. The fact that my performance brought a lot of laughs to the audience, I felt like i was immune to nervosity. Additionally, experience tells me that I need to give myself time to gain confidence. I worked on my material, preparing for a long time, for a show that was months away.
Its a long and frustrating process, but in the end I felt proud of myself. The confidence I felt when I first went up on stage was impressive. I felt powerful, like a star, making the audience laugh with well-revised and practiced material. Conclusively, preparation is key, as is practice. The more prepared I was, the more confident , and the more guided I was through the show. Stage fright is something that can happen to just about anyone, but from my experience it can be dodged. Just prepare, and practice.
