“I hate monologues!”
“I’m bad at auditioning.”
“I can’t do dialects!”
These sentences sound familiar? These are the sort of things we silently tell ourselves. We talk to ourselves all the time, and what we tell ourselves matters. These sentences amount to a sort of negative reinforcement that can lead to all sorts of counterproductive behavior. Let’s examine each of these sentences and see if we can find alternatives.
“I hate monologues!”
Telling yourself that you hate monologues can cause you to lose the joy of performing them. I believe acting is best when the actor is having a blast, thoroughly enjoying the act of playing. Performance joy is both compelling and inviting to an audience. We are attracted to ecstasy. In my experience, anything that compromises that enjoyment is likely to show up when you perform, making your performance less compelling. If you change the sentence in your head to a positive cue, you may find that your attitude towards your work is better. Tell yourself, “Deep down, I actually love doing monologues.” And tell yourself that frequently. You may be surprised at the result. Your work will improve, and you’re likely to feel better.
“I’m bad at auditioning.”
We’ve all had auditions that felt terrible. On the other hand, it’s pretty likely that somewhere, at sometime, you had an audition that was actually fun. We can look at auditions as judgmental hazing rituals that we have to endure, or as an opportunity to share our passions with fellow artists who also love the craft. Next time you go in for something, tell yourself, “I’m so glad to get the chance to do what I do, even for a few minutes.” This prompt will alter your experience and will give you a shot of confidence. Genuine confidence leads to relaxation and sets people at ease.
“I can’t do dialects!”
Really? While it’s possible that your ear is not attuned to foreign sounds, it is most likely that you’re quite capable of learning dialects. You developed the regionalisms that you have by listening to others speak and imitating them. This process does not just stop when you grow up. Perhaps you can change the sentence to, “Today, I’m going to listen to some other ways of speaking and imitate them.” This positive reinforcement might just lead you to spending a few minutes each day listening to sound sources and repeating back what you hear. If you need to find sound sources of people speaking differently than you do, talk radio podcasts are an excellent source and are easily found on the Internet).
Experiment with changing the sentences in your head and… “Things will go well!”
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The views expressed in this article are solely that of the individual(s) providing them,
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Backstage or its staff.
