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Stage Fright
简体
Stage Fright
怯场

Learn English with this performance English lesson

Date: Dec 03 2012

Themes: Hobbies

Grammar: Simple Past Tense

Intro

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It seems as if some people are just naturally at home on stage. Whether they’re acting in a play or performing a concert, these people are great at being the center of attention.

Then there are the people who suffer from stage fright. They might enjoy acting or performing, but they’re also terrified about being in front of an audience. Their stage fright might be so bad that they need to take anxiety medications or do yoga before they go on stage. Learn performance English and find out if Sara or Vanessa has stage fright in this English lesson.

有些人在舞台上就如同在家一般,轻松自然。无论是在戏剧中演出还是在音乐会上表演,他们都会成为万众瞩目的焦点。

但是,有些人总会感到怯场。这些人可能非常喜爱演出或表演,但他们也害怕面对观众。他们怯场的情况可能十分严重,以致于在上台前需要服用缓解紧张的药物或做瑜伽运动。学习与表演有关的英语,并在本节英文课中找出是萨拉还是瓦内萨会感到怯场。

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Vanessa

Vanessa

Sara

Sara

Vanessa:  Do you like to be the center of attention?

Sara:  You know, I know it’s sort of…I’m not supposed to admit it, but I kind of do.

Vanessa:  Really? So do you like to perform, do you sing or act or anything like that?

Sara:  Yeah, I like to be the center of attention when I’m performing. I don’t like to be the center of attention in a group, like in a social situation, but give me a stage and I’m fine, I’m great.

Vanessa:  Do you ever get stage fright?

Sara:  I don’t, really. I get way more nervous in, like, an ordinary social situation than I do on a stage.

Vanessa:  I just freeze up when I get on stage now. I don’t know, I think… Something really embarrassing happened to me on stage, and I have to just get myself psyched up before I go out now.

Sara:  What happened to you?

Vanessa:  Well, I was in a play, and I had a wardrobe malfunction. The strap broke on my dress.

Sara:  Yikes.

Vanessa:  It was so embarrassing.

Sara:  Oh no.

Vanessa:  I was humiliated.

Sara:  And did you ever get back up on stage after that?

Vanessa:  I did, but it took a long time to build back up to it.

Sara:  Yeah, I’m lucky. I should knock on wood because nothing like that’s happened to me yet, but we’ll see.

 

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Discussion

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Vanessa asks Sara if she likes to be the center of attention. Sara says that she does like to be the center of attention when she’s performing in some way. In fact, she prefers being on stage to being in a social situation. Sara doesn’t really ever get stage fright.

Vanessa, however, does suffer from stage fright. She gets very nervous when she’s on stage, because of an embarrassing event. She was acting in a play, and the strap broke on her dress. She was so humiliated that it took her a very long time to get back on stage.

Sara hopes that nothing like this ever happens to her!

Do you like performing on stage? Have you ever gotten stage fright? If so, why did you get it, and what did you do to get over it?

 

Comments

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bluesky8

bluesky8

China

I  used to have a stage fright, but now i feel natural when i’m on the stage.

01:29 AM Jul 15 2013 |

La Princesse de la vie

Egypt

I have stage fright already, but not because something bad happened to me on stage or bad experience like Vanessas.. I’m just a very shy person..


I always try to tell myself there’s no need to freeze up, it will be just ok and that my fright is unreasonable, but once I get in front of the audience, it just all happens that my face blushes and my voice shakes… !! 

05:32 PM Dec 16 2012 |

1 person likes this

bluesky8

bluesky8

China

I like performing on stage,though i have gotten stage fright at the beginning,i practise and practise,then several times later ,i get over it.

08:21 AM Dec 07 2012 |

kukuka

kukuka

Ukraine

I like to be a center of attention but sometimes (let’s say when I host a meeting)  I may feel a stage fright (a fear to do something wrong and get embarassed). How do I cope with it? I try to pretend being confident and calm. Fake it till you make it – it does work!

09:55 PM Dec 06 2012 |

1 person likes this

bellaboo2422

Pakistan


thanx moriza for kind reply.

02:50 AM Dec 04 2012 |

1 person likes this

raisacorrea

Brazil

I love perform, I never gotten stage fright, except in the first time that I was on a stage. But I love be in the center stage and be the center of attention.


Once I fell down, but it’s ok..I danced for 12 years and once or twice it happene. I never cared.

12:23 AM Dec 04 2012 |

alzhbeta

alzhbeta

Belarus

I do really have stage fright.


And I didn’t like to perfome on stage. Because I always feel stupid there. 


 but I work with children and I’m always the center of attention there.  step by step I got used to it. you know it teaches to be confident, cause you are always  looked at. 


And now I want to try to perfom, cause it’s very interesting, it develops your personality. And being on stage you get a lot of crazy emotions.  


   

08:25 PM Dec 03 2012 |

Irene Forever

Ukraine

I’m not so much into being on public with some actions such as making a speech, dancing or singing. Still I had to do everything independently if I wanted it or not. Why was  that? :) Because I have always danced while being on parties, as everybody did  it, and sung songs on Karaoke when my people asked me to do it, as they said I sang prettily. While studying at the University I was a singer of the Uni’s group.  Forgive my immodesty, please. :) My surrounding has always been  in all comfort for me that helped me a lot to become who I am now.


Thus I turned from a shy girl into a social butterfly. And now I’m here with all of you reading your brilliant comments and putting my humble opinion on the paper. I don’t tend to be the life and soul of the party, but I like it when  I have a heart-to-heart talk with you, my dear friends.

konstantin cherta s dva

Russian Federation


I have an experience of several public  appearances/speeches in my university, and each time I felt the same: nervousness before  beginning of the action, and that nervousness as stronger as closer the time to go on “stage”. But after I begin my speech my nervousness fade away (as far as I know it is a widespread  phenomenon when waiting for some exciting event is more scary then event itself), moreover, I felt  some kind of enthusiasm, confidence, I felt the power of my voice haha) In an ordinary situations in society I am not as confident and enthusiastic , it looks like I have something in common with Sara here. When for the some reason I become a center of attention, I feel  quite uncomfortable, very often my face turns red, silly)



About different fears . Mostly when you are afraid of something, you understand that logically there is no reason to worry. But nervous system don’t want to hear brain! Stupid unconscious


nastaran.k

nastaran.k

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

For me,being at the centre of attention is so annoying.I get,somehow,stressed in those cases and that annoys me a lot.So, I prefer to be in a shadow.But if I’m forced to do sth infront of the audience,I spend a lot of time to make myself so ready for that occasion inorder toat least not forget what I’m going to do or say.

04:34 PM Dec 03 2012 |

Moriza

Moriza

Ukraine

Friendlover,you are right,it,s not a real stage,it,s virtual.And we perform here


virtualy.Agree,ones perform better,the others only learn how to do it,but we all like this stage,it helps us to develop our skills in English,but not only.We learn a lot one from another and it spreads our outlook.


Bella, our part is to live our life in a way to not regret in the end.

 julito

julito

Argentina

Bella,   learn, learn ,learn  ........

03:42 PM Dec 03 2012 |

bellaboo2422

Pakistan


i agree all the world is stage but what is our part would you like to explain moriza or julito.???

03:24 PM Dec 03 2012 |

friendlover

Turkey

I have stage fright. Just like Lesya, I prefer being in shadow. 


Moriza, yes all the world is a stage and we are players but in this stage we are not the center of attention. I mean in general. But in a real stage, in front of auidience, while everyone is expecting a magnificent show, everythinh is different.

Moriza

Moriza

Ukraine

Thanks Julito, we all are players here,aren,t we? And you are one of the best!

01:13 PM Dec 03 2012 |

 julito

julito

Argentina

Moriza, ” all the world is a stage”   , couldn´t agree more.    I like .

01:09 PM Dec 03 2012 |

2 people like this

Moriza

Moriza

Ukraine

“All the world,s a stage,and all the men and women merely players.They have


their exists and their entrances…”


Audience in silhouette watching stage with stage spotlights light show Stock Photo - 15262068

bellaboo2422

Pakistan


seiyf intresting story indeed

12:27 PM Dec 03 2012 |

1 person likes this

 julito

julito

Argentina

Seiyf, it is said that it never rains in  Southern   California and it never falls snowflakes  in Buenos Aires  ,   In christmas is so hot  and Santa  wearing  warm clothes , he should be paid double, to say the least.  

12:14 PM Dec 03 2012 |

Eleniya

Eleniya

Russian Federation

Seiyf, what a story! :)


I even can imagine those falling snowflakes… ;))

12:05 PM Dec 03 2012 |

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