There is something I hadn’t known the value of until just recently, but discovered through a suggestion from my manager; seeing live performances. A live performance can be one of the most valuable things to experience as an actor and being an audience member is the best way to start on the road to full comfort while performing in front of people. Some actors may get stage freight, some may have a weird speech pattern that only occurs when they perform live, and others may be completely wonderful no matter what. The only way a person could possibly know this or get used to these things is by performing live, and watching live performances.
To watch live performances is to learn while having fun, and being entertained. I love seeing people perform improve especially because it is so unpredictable and there is no knowing how good or bad the scene will be, but you are there with the actors, along for the ride just as they are. It is a learning experience for you as an actor to be sitting in an audience watching and examining what the actors on stage are doing. Watching and listening are very important tools in your craft so it is always a good idea to be working on them!
It isn’t always something you think you should be doing if you are a film and TV actor. Why would it be important for you to watch people performing live if you aren’t ever going to be going into that field, or have no plans for it in the near future? Well, you have to take into account every time you are going into the audition room. When you walk into an audition you are automatically “live” in front of the casting director. You need to walk into the room as confident and sure of yourself as any on-stage actor!
You can always be working on your craft and winning by making small goals for yourself such as seeing one live performance a month. I personally always try to find at least one thing I learned from watching the show regardless of if I liked it or not. If I wasn’t a fan of the performance, I’d find out why such as, “the actors weren’t listening to each other.” Then I would take that into consideration and see how I could apply it to my own acting. Seeing live performances is an extremely useful tool for actors and it is something that you should try out!