At Zebra Psychology we wanted to write about the challenges of performance anxiety, audition anxiety and how to navigate self-tapes. During COVID, performances in person were limited and auditions other than self-tapes were very rare and so now, as performances and some auditions have resumed in person many actors are reporting increased anxiety and worry about erosion in their performance ability.
Let’s discuss how to approach these challenges without escalating anxiety.
Self-tapes
Self-tapes have become the standard yet, many actors approach these with some trepidation. When you are in an audition you only get one or two chances to present and workshop your material … yet with self-tapes, it poses the questions … what is good enough? When is it good enough?
- If another person is involved on screen or off - choose your self-tape partner wisely. An anxious partner can increase your anxiety.
- Set yourself a time frame to complete rather than hunting for the next best take.
- Prepare your mind prior to the tape. This is where your imagination can help you to prepare emotionally for the tape by visualising yourself doing an amazing take. Work to prevent the catastrophising that can be so damaging … i.e. “If I stuff this up I’ll never be considered again”, “If it’s not perfect I have no chance of getting the role”
- If you feel the anxiety and lack of self-confidence rising in your body… leave the self-tape and come back to it with a fresh perspective and a calm body.
Auditions
- Have a pre and post audition ritual to help you centre yourself prior to the audition.
- Use the space to centre yourself before you begin.
- Try some slow breathing in the waiting space (in for 4, hold for 4, out for 6)
- Prepare well then trust it.
- Remember that comparisons don’t help. Just take your own little bit of magic in with you.
Performance anxiety as an actor
In our experience at Zebra, the majority of actors, bring a lens/schema/belief that schema therapy calls “Unrelenting Standards” or an unrealistic internal measurement system in which the actor judges themselves … they are never good enough for this internal judge, let alone the external ones. Alongside the internal measurement is this harsh, bullying voice that keeps demanding more and more perfection. An audience member or friend will complement them on a performance and the bullying voice will say “but I missed my cue”, “switched my lines around”, “was a bit disconnected in some scenes”, ‘took 5 takes to get it”… aka “I will never be good enough”. It is these unrealistic and unrelenting standards, along with the harsh internal judgement that drives performance anxiety.
The challenge for actors with performance anxiety is that coaches, teachers, audiences, agents, critics also demand this type of perfectionism or you think they do and without this perfectionism and the harsh critic .. you believe you won’t be successful. At some level this is true. A performer needs high standards to succeed. But … not perfection standards. Setting the bar too high and vastly beyond reach creates tension and worry and only interferes with your capacity to perform organically.
At Zebra we teach you to maintain the high standards without the bullying, harsh voice that drives performance anxiety. We have developed a programme for students, actors, and professionals to manage their performance anxiety while maintaining their standards.
See you at Zebra
Julie Crabtree and Shannon Gostelow