How to Relieve Opening Night Jitters

Whether you're a seasoned performer or having your first on-stage experience, anyone can get opening night jitters, that intense, nervous excitement felt by people getting ready to perform. Out of control jitters can affect your performance, so relieve your fears beforehand.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Be prepared. The easiest way to relieve minor stage fright is to be prepared. Make sure you know your lines thoroughly and have gone over every piece of blocking before you make your first entrance.
2. Find a hobby. Repetitive handwork like knitting or crocheting can help get your mind off of your upcoming entrance and calm your nerves.
3. Do gentle stretches. Stretching as a great way to reduce stress and lower blood pressure. Stretching without straining a few minutes before going on can help relax your entire body.
4. Try deep breathing exercise. A few minutes of deep breathing can really help calm your nerves before going on stage.
5. Sit calmly while going over your first few lines. After your first few minutes on stage, you should feel your body relax and everything come back to you just like you rehearsed.
6. Prepare as a group by doing a zap. A zap is when all the actors stand in a circle and hold hands. Everyone then bends at the waist and lets their hands and arms hang relaxed while still holding on to each other. The group begins making a low buzzing sound that gets louder and louder. You come up together with your hands raised over your heads and shout "ZAP!"

Tips & Warnings

• Don't disturb others when trying to calm down before going onstage. Some people like to sit quietly and others like to pace around or go over lines. Not everyone relieves their jitters the same way, and you don't want to interfere with what others are doing.

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