stage fright...it can really affect an actor...

i don’t think it matters much how old you are or how many times you’ve been in productions, even the best of them (child actor or not) will get nervous before an audition or performing…that is not stage fright… i’ve seen this first hand and with some very talented, experienced actors…in fact one of them, in one of my productions, literally froze (not onstage thank God) but when she was about to go on…she ended up in a “fight or flight” mode and for her, being the trooper that she is, “fight” was what she did…

stage fright can happen to your child actor or anyone for that matter…it isn’t “age conscious” although i have to say that even though i’ve seen it happen to kids, it does happen to adults more often…

stage fright occurs when, as an actor, you are too overly concerned about your performance…when your thoughts are compulsively drawn to how you appear to others and if you will do badly…if this ever happens, you need to take your focus off yourself and put it on others immediately…and believe me, that is easier said than done…but know, stage fright can really paralyze someone…

what i would normally do is create a situation that would get their minds off of them about to go onstage or be filmed…i.e. someone needs something pinned or someone is sick and they need that person’s help…

this is so real, that there is a group called toastmasters (toastmasters.com)…also, there is a homeopathic remedy that helps for this…you can either go into a health food store that carries these remedies or go online and order it…it’s called gelsemium…

it’s very important that your child actor, if he/she deals with any form of this, face their fears and work through it…with kids, i’ve seen it happen in puberty…especially when they are stage actors and have begun to bloom at a young age…they become very self-conscious…for film/TV actors, this can happen in the audition room…many times the child doesn’t even share it with the parent…it also seems to happen after a long dry spell in the child actor’s career…they begin to question themselves…

being aware of this and hitting it head on and getting back up on that horse again is exactly what’s needed…we probably all, at one time or another has felt this or a bit of this feeling…i’ve never seen anyone not get through it…if they know that, it helps…

have a peaceful weekend…and i’ll catch up with everyone on monday…
hugs and out~