As an actor one of things that can hold you back the most is a fear of performing. When you are in an audition room and find yourself being nervous there is pretty much not a worse feeling. If you are auditioning and have a lot of stage freight then live performance is what you need. When you perform live, it gives you an experience that will last a lifetime. You gain the experience that is so critical to being an actor, which is feeling comfortable in your own skin. Here are some of the best ways to gain experience with live performance, a skill that is so important to actors of all kind:

          -Open Mic: There are a ton of open mic nights all over Los Angeles. They are one of the best ways to feel comfortable performing in front of an audience because you will be able to get a feel for crowds and audiences. They will let you know how they feel about your performance in a heartbeat and you are will be able to change it accordingly.

          -Improvisation Classes: When you take an improv class, it is typically a fixed amount of time and by the end of the class you have a performance. This performance is great because you don’t have a set script or anything and you really have to feel out how the audience feels. When you are tasked with this, it can be really eye opening because you learn how to read an audience. It’s a beautiful thing.

          -Friends: If you have a severe case of stage freight then you can gather friends and family who you trust and love. They will give you advice that you can handle and reactions that you are comfortable with because you’ll be used to them. Performing in front of family and friends is a great first step to overcoming your stage freight.

     As an actor it is so extremely important to be able to perform in front of people and feel comfortable and happy with yourself while you are doing it. Live performance is one of the most difficult parts of acting to master and if you are able to do it, you will feel far more comfortable with your auditions.