Throwing around advice!

[jumbosizeee]

So for me, i've been looking for a place to ask for help and this happened to be one place that popped up. i hope you take time out of your day to read my story and hopefully give some insight as well as advice to help me with my issue. not only is it causing me stress, it's also let me fall into the hole of losing friends as well.
So, i took my first theatre class last year in eighth grade, and everything went very well for me. The whole year we spent doing different types of monologues, pantomimes and such. It was fun and it got me on the stage. Doing solo work such as monologues was very easy, and i loved it immensely. Doing pantomimes, was different, and it was a bit difficult, but i still did it nonetheless.
This year, i'm a freshman in highschool. I moved into another state, so their curriculum is a bit different than what i'm accustomed to. So when i came here, we got straight into ensemble work. I thought, "I've been on stage in front of hundreds, i can work with people in front of about 20 other people watching."
When it came for some learning exercises, i kinda blanked out. We had an assignment to partner up with someone.
Person A was to find a random phrase and say it to Person B. Person B then had to say that phrase in as many emotions as one could feel.
My partner, (let's name him Alex) he's very good at this, and does his side of the work. Then Person A and B had to switch roles. It was then my turn to say a phrase in all different feelings. However, when he said the phrase, i froze, said "i can't do this" then walked off. i was so embarrassed, i just couldn't. He tried to help me, but my body just wouldn't allow it. At the end of class, i apologized, because even to this day i feel terrible about it. I don't know why i just blanked and walked off. In my personal opinion, i'm very good at monologues, and my classmates think so as well. But working with others seems to trouble me. Is there any way to combat this, and go back to school over my break and be a lot better, show improvement, AND show to Alex that just because i was bad then, doesn't mean you should drop me, because i'm coming back better than ever.

 

[Kim Welch]

What did the teacher say? These are the things that will make you better before you go back from break.

1. First, put things in perspective - this is class in school and you are there to learn so you are doing exactly the right thing by learning you have some stage fright or performance anxiety with this one on one improve thing your instructor is having you do. You are also doing the right thing asking for help. Keep in mind that you are in school to learn. You are not there because you are an experienced highly trained professional actor. No matter how talented or brilliant anyone is they can learn and improve on their talents, even Mozart practiced and learned and improved. Even if you are the best in your class at monologues you can still get better.

2. Try to make the exercise a game like playing dungeon and dragons or other fantasy imagination utilization.

3. You didn't say what the phrase was but whatever it was work with it now in private and do it with family and friend or the family pet. Practice on the phrase now with a good perspective.

4. Try being both actors and playing both roles as the phrase giver and the emoter.

5. Then try it with friends or family with and without an audience.

6. Focus on making improvement. It's not bringing down the house Oscar-winning performance or being as good as you are with a monologue.

7. Superpower - I have read that people with performance and anxiety turn out to be the best. So look at it like a newly discovered superpower and a good thing and your job is to figure out how to use it.

8. Do some meditation. Lookup a guided meditation on youtube by Jon Kabat Zinn. Here is one I just grabbed for you but there are a lot of them.

9. Use box breathing. Here is a link for now. Box Breathing

10. Practice - Practice

11. Give up on trying to be perfect. There is no such thing.

12. FEAR - Forget Everything And Run or Face Everything And Rock! Connect with your audience. Make eye contact.

Let me know if any of these work!

Kim