hApPy1 said:
hI Everyone! (especially past perfrmers of the HSC) I was wondering if people could share their advice on how to handle the actual HSC day in which we perform- ie. what to do hrs b4 it, how to handle stress, what to eat and what not to eat, how to prepare for the lil interview with markers etc etc.........Im a really nervous person when it comes to performance and although i try to convert that adrelaline positively, it alwasy seems to catch me somewhere in the monologue!
It would be greatly appreciated if anyone has any advice they could share or experiences that may benifit our understanding of how to handle the day- im sure everyone here will appreciate it!
Thanx dudes
Hello hApPy1 and anyone else who might read this.
The first thing that you have to remember is not to panic about the day because the more pressure you put on yourself to do well, the more nervous you will be and if you can't deal with nervous energy then...well...you can only imagine.
The day is meant to be your day...when I say 'your' I mean not only yourself but also your classmates! Here is my experience then I'll share some tips:
In my drama class we had 15 kids, about 12 or 13 (can't remember) were doing IP Performance...and that can be pretty unusual to find. We were
one of the best to pass through our drama department some people to say because at least two thirds of us were motivated and loved our subject. So it was a full on day because there was so much to get through. Our day started at 8am, by then the class began to arrive. Our school gave us the whole 3rd floor for our performance day so there wasn't anyone else around us...etc etc. I got there at about 8.10am. I am a performer who gets quite nervous sometimes, however I was unusually calm because I knew I was ready. The markers arrived at 8.30am and we gave them some very enthusiastic hellos. They had a small room to themselves for the day, you have no contact with them throughout the day and if you do see them, do not bring up the exam...talk weather or something.
Performances started at 9am and our 4 groups got ready. I was in the 3rd group. It was a little intimidating the othergroups coming in after their performance because they were buzzing about what had happened and all you want to do is concentrate. But yeah, you have to deal with that. When we were called in we were so nervous we forgot to look around our set...i mean, everything was there...but there was a movement sequence that we had to do between two boxes and they were too close together so when performing we got a bit squashed. The performance rocked, the audience was a year 11 class so it was fine. My IP went on at about 1.30pm...so there was a big break. I took the opportunity to go and hang out with my friends during their frees, I even did some of my major artwork...lol. The IP is a little more nerve racking because you don't have other people around you on stage. I performed it the best I ever did. And the group was really receptive.
My advice:
- Avoid lots of sugar on the day, especially if you feed off adrenalin...you don't want to be too hyper during your performance.
- Avoid foods that make you gassy. Like eggs...and soft drink can make you burp.
- Get there not too early but certainly not late.
- Talk to your classmates, about anything. Remember they are going through the same thing you are. The best you can do is make yourself and your friends less nervous.
- Take a game like UNO if you need to kill time. Walking around and reciting lines for hours during breaks will just make you more nervous...and if you forget a bit when reciting, you will undoubtably panic.
- Warm up around 30mins before your performance, make it a slow and relaxed warm up...stretch your muscles...including your vocal chords!
- If you have a problem with articulation, stuttering or stumbling over speech them practice those hard parts and take them slow. Do tongue twisters and articulation exercises.
- If your waiting room/rec room (where you spend the day when not performing) is cold or has a draft, take some blankets along. Try and keep your body temperature steady because when I did my trial IP perforamnce I went from a freezing cold room to a warm drama room and I sweated like anything. It was really really distracting!
- Ang the best tip? Make sure you are READY.
