Would you rather get your ass kicked in front of a live audience or get constructive feedback from a group of your friendly peers?
Whether it’s stand-up or an audition piece always consider giving it a go in front of your mates. I don’t do it often enough and every time I do I wonder why I don’t do it more.
I go to an artists’ salon that my friend Inge (pictured left) runs out of her house each month – we share our stuff and get feedback. It can be anything – art, a poem, extracts from a novel, a bit of stand-up, an audition piece. And it’s invaluable because others will point out things you would never have even thought of – they’ll laugh at stuff you didn’t know was funny, let you know when you’re doing that weird facial tic thing they told you about in drama school, give you ideas for new material. And the best part is that it gives you a deadline for getting it done – when you know you have to show and tell you’d better have something to show.
Practicing in front of others takes a lot of the fear. And you get to fail. Safely. Which is a less painful way to learn.
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Marilla who?
I am a British-born actress and stand-up comic who does lots of voice work (for commercials, cartoons and corporate clients) and sometimes, when I'm very lucky, tv and film. When I was in England I did mostly theatre. Now I'm in Canada I spend the majority of the time writing and performing stand-up. When I'm not making episodes of Talking Bollocks, that is. And that's me for you.
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