There’s something intriguing yet frightening about standing in front of an audience and talking directly to them, do you plan exactly what to say? Do you improvise around a subject or characters? Do you always know what you want out of the performance or does it depend on the audience?
I almost find myself wondering whether I can actually perform in front of my fellow class mates without a script or true idea of what I would like to achieve from my performance. Yet sometimes by being chucked out there you create some of the best work you have done or you find yourself performing in a way you never thought you were able to do. I pick my 3 hats and the only idea left in my head is to take everyone back home with me, to show them the different characters you walk past when walking down a street in Newcastle. I found this task extremely difficult, whether because I was afraid of what I may produce or the reaction from my audience I can not put my finger on what the problem was, yet when I began I just went with it. I didn’t think about what I was doing or what I was saying I simply thought about that person and what they would say, how they would speak, what would they do with their body and their physicality? I believe by doing this, by allowing myself to get lost with the character I created something so much better than if I had completely planned what I was going to say for each of the 3 characters. However what is to think about is how you automatically perform. Why do a lot of performers feel the need to go to humour? Does this build our confidence as performers as we are able to hear if they are enjoying it or not? Maybe the next time I perform in front of the class I should attempt something serious? Push myself to see whether I am afraid to perform serious situations or whether I just automatically go to humour for security.