Getting over a bad performance

You’re standing there, minding your own business, when you realize the people around you are all looking at you with a strange mix of pleading and anticipation in their eyes. No one is saying anything – Oh no! It’s my line. A simple movement of a chair, which you’ve practiced moving a dozen times before (not to mention the years of life experience you’ve earned), becomes an unintentional slapstick affair, as the King of England has been toppled by the furniture you just dropped on his foot instead of by the French, who are stifiling their laughter. Nothing seems to be going quite right – the audience is laughing when you’re trying to be serious, and you can hear a pin drop after the punchlines. You’re saying the right things and doing all the blocking you’ve rehearsed, yet somehow the show is going in slow motion half the time and other scenes seem to slip by you before you’ve even blinked. You’ve just had yourself a bad performance. The good news is that you’re not alone. All those clichés about performing can be comforting. Knowing that there will be another performance (or the next play, or the next season, or the next company) helps. Having a bad performance is part of becoming a better actor – being aware of what works and what doesn’t can only help you develop better working habits. Here are a few things to consider when you’re staring one of these performances in the face. Whether you are the lead actor or the third spear carrier to the left, the other actors on stage (for the most part) will have your back. Even the most selfish actor will at the very least want you to look good so they look good too. While the show is happening, they will be hard at work to make the performance as good as possible – and give you a hand if they can. Afterwards, if they want to cheer you up, let them. Understand that they’ve had bad performances too – and may very well need you to have their back for another performance in the production’s run. No actor is too big to miss a line or make a mistake – just take these examples of prominent actors’ horror stories from the stage. Your relationship with the audience will probably never be more awkward than after a rough performance. If you’re in a smaller theatre, you probably won’t be able to sneak by without being seen. Something to keep in mind is that many audiences (especially locally) are very forgiving – they also may not realize that you had a bad show. They won’t be able to know what your expectations for performance were. Understand that you will undoubtedly be a harsher critic of your own performance than many of the people that saw your show. It’s important to remind yourself before you go out through the lobby that they may have liked the show, even loved it - if you show them in word or action how badly you thought it went, you are inflicting damage on their experience. Don’t let your own critic deliver a bad review on your behalf. Don’t assume that you know how the audience felt about your performance or about the show as a whole. Thank the audience members for coming, be gracious, and save the bad feelings for later. Now that you’ve made it out the door, you can start to file away some of the things that happened. Were you prepared to do the show that night? Did you get enough sleep? Did you eat something? Did you eat too much? Did you get to the theatre on time, or were you in a rush? When was the last show? Was there a break of a few days, or is this your sixth show in four days? There are things that you can point to that will help illuminate what was different about that night. A bad show is a chance for you to learn what you need as an actor to be prepared and in the correct mindset for a good performance. Knowing what you need to be ready will help you the next time. It’s never easy to have a bad show – and it doesn’t feel any better the more experienced you get on stage. Take a moment after a bad show and assure yourself that you’re part of a larger show, a larger community, and that your mistakes tonight will make your next performance better. If you can do this, you will get over it quickly and be prepared for the next challenge.