Knowledge Is Power - Know Your Space
This month, my friend and fellow performer, Melanie Bresnan, is sharing her experience with the pre-show practice of getting to know a performance space. When I told her it was going to be the topic for our monthly video, she lit up; she had some stories to tell. Melanie has been performing locally in Nashville and across the eastern U.S. for over a decade, from choirs to acoustic jazz to full band rock shows and has tripped over cables on plenty of stages in that time. Below, she shares her experience with getting lost at venues and some advice on familiarizing yourself with the stage. - Zelda
Sometimes, before a show or tour I have this recurring dream.
I’m trying to get on stage for my performance, but I keep getting lost. I wander up and down stairs that only seem to lead me farther away from where I need to be. Hallways go in circles and none of the doors open onto the stage. Before I know it, hours have passed and I’ve missed my show or the chance to perform in front of my favorite artist or get a record deal or some other ridiculous, high-pressure dream scenario.
Luckily, this has only kind of happened once in real life. I was performing with a choir but was unable to attend the dress rehearsal at the venue the day before. The evening of the performance, I got off work late and arrived at the venue about 15 minutes after I was supposed to. The choir had already entered without me. Luckily, there was still an hour before the show started so I had time to try to interpret the vague, emailed instructions for how to enter the backstage area. It took me 20 minutes of wandering and asking directions of the security guard (who somehow hadn’t noticed a 40-person choir walk by a few minutes prior) before I finally stumbled through the correct door to the sarcastic cheers of the rest of the choir.
Part of that on-site dress rehearsal I missed was practicing entering the building and walking onto the stage. In addition to making sure we didn’t get lost in the crazy warren of backstage hallways at a venue with multiple performance halls, it was meant to remove one more piece of uncertainty and anxiety from the night of the show.
Most human fears and anxieties boil down to a fear of the unknown. Afraid of the dark? You might really just be afraid of the things you can’t see hiding in it. Even stagefright is often really just a series of “what if’s” and worst case scenarios playing out in your head, because you don’t trust that you’ll perform at your best or how the audience will react.
The key to overcoming these fears is knowledge. Just like your parents might have shown you that the scary monster in the dark corner was just a jacket slung over the back of a chair when you were little, familiarizing yourself with the stage you’re performing on and the music you’re singing can help remove the stressful, unknown elements from your show.
It’s best to explore the stage before the audience arrives (another good reason to always get to the venue well before your performance time unless otherwise instructed). Give yourself the time and space to unhurriedly walk the stage. You want to feel at home in your performance space; nothing helps you exude stage presence and confidence like owning the stage. The audience should feel like they’re being welcomed into your domain.
Most human fears and anxieties boil down to a fear of the unknown. Even stagefright is often really just a series of “what if’s” and worst case scenarios playing out in your head, because you don’t trust that you’ll perform at your best or how the audience will react.
While familiarizing yourself with the stage there are a few things in particular you’ll want to look out for. The first is entrances. How do you get on the stage? Are there steps you’ll have to navigate? Especially if you’re playing a showcase where you’ll be quickly mounting the stage as someone else leaves it, you’ll want to be confident in your entrance so that you’re not rushing to figure out where you’re going in the heat of the moment.
Entrances are particularly important to practice as they can set the tone for the rest of your performance. You don’t want to start your set trying to calm yourself down after tripping up a set of steps you didn’t know about. Being confident in how you get on stage means that you can stay focused on your musical performance rather than your feet.
The next important item to pay attention to is the stage itself. Not only should you know how much space you have to move around in, you’ll want to be aware of any potential hazards to avoid. For example, one of the stages I frequent has a perfectly stiletto-sized gap right behind the vocalist’s microphone. I only had to fall into it once to know to never blindly step backwards on that stage again. Watch out for cords, cables, gaps, and uneven surfaces. Even in choral singing, you should be conscious of the depth of any risers you might be standing on and any gaps they may have between levels. I once watched a tenor disappear into the space between the wall and the riser because he backed his chair up without paying attention to how much space he actually had behind him.
Awareness of these obstacles helps you move with poise and grace; moving gracefully lets you physically project confidence to your audience - and yourself! Zelda’s spoken in past articles about how confidence is really trust in your own abilities. By the time you’re walking the stage, you should trust your ability to sing. Exploring the stage and knowing your entrance will let you trust your feet as well.
The final part of “walking the stage” goes back to my recurring dream that we opened with. Make sure you leave time to get to the venue early - especially if you’ve never been there before - and take time to familiarize yourself with the building. Learn where the bathroom is, how to get to backstage areas, and where any instrument storage or green rooms are located. That anxiety dream is just that - a dream. If you take the time to learn the layout of the venue you’re playing in, there’s no reason to wander around lost.
Knowledge is power. It gives you the confidence to perform at your best, to move with grace, and set aside any fears or anxiety you might have. Adding the practice of walking the stage and exploring the venue to your pre-show routine is a great way to up your game as a performer and make sure you’re focused and confident from the first note. Stop worrying about your feet and start loving your voice!
Schedule a Lesson and Add To Your Musical Knowledge
Working with a voice teacher is one of the best ways to build your confidence. A great coach can teach you skills and techniques like practicing your entrances - both musically and physically.
Get in touch with Zelda to schedule a lesson and start building your performance skills today!
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