7 Tips to shine on stage
Nashville Dio Tribute
Whether you’re going on tour right now or gearing up for a show, school talent show or play, I’ve compiled some tips to help bring out your best performances. The following tips will help you to feel confident, prepared and ready to connect with your audience:
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1. Know Your Material Cold
Confidence begins with preparation. Rehearse your song, monologue, or scene until it’s second nature. Memorization is important—but so is emotional connection. Dig into the meaning behind the words so your performance feels authentic, not robotic. Particularly with plays, if you’re running over the words at home you may forget to voice them. I do recommend writing down your lyrics or lines as a part of the memorization process but don’t forget to voice them repeatedly too.
2. Practice Performing, Not Just Rehearsing
Don’t just go through the motions, get into character! But also, a part of this is forcing yourself to run the entire song or scene, mistakes and all. I tell people all the time that mistakes are going to happen nad you need to learn to roll with the punches. Strings break, voices crack, lines or lyrics are forgotten. Make sure as you get close to performing you spend some time ironing out mistakes but also running the entire performance allowing for those possibilities and still seeing it through. Practice going all the way through with distractions going on around you (distraction technique). And record your practice performances and watch them. Give yourself feedback.
3. Warm Up More Than Just Your Voice
Your body and mind are part of your instrument. Stretch, breathe deeply, and do gentle vocal warmups. Shake out any tension and get grounded in your breath. Everything flows better when we focus on relaxing the breath.
4. Create a Pre-Performance Ritual
My students that have been performing for a longer period of time all typically have a pre-performance ritual and attribute this to their consistency on stage. Have a routine to get in the zone. This could be a favorite tea, a short meditation, vocal warm ups or listening to a playlist. A consistent ritual signals to your brain: It’s go time.
5. Make Eye Contact (or Stage Contact)
Connect with your audience by looking up and out. If you’re acting or singing solo, choose focal points just above the heads of the audience, or connect directly when appropriate. For cast and ensemble work, be present with your scene partners. Connection is key.
6. Breathe Through the Nerves
Stage fright is natural! Instead of fighting it, use it. Channel that adrenaline into your performance. Take low, slow breaths before stepping onstage to keep your energy grounded and focused.
7. Reflect, Don’t Criticize
After the show, take time to reflect on what went well and what you’d like to improve. Be kind to yourself—every performance is a chance to grow. Progress is like the stock market, nothing goes up in a straight line but we learn from each experience.
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Final Thoughts:
The best performances are about communication and preparation, not perfection. The more prepared and present you are, the more powerful your performance will be. Trust your work, stay in the moment and put yourself out there.
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Do you feel pretty good about your preparation but still need someone to give you feedback to make sure you’re ready? Sign up for a lesson today and let me help guide you to your performance goals: