Practice makes perfect. It’s a well known proverb, but it just isn’t accurate. To be truthful it needs to be perfect practice makes perfect, for if you practice haphazardly your final performance is certainly not going to be perfect. The thing is though, no one really expects perfection. We are a society that is quick to condemn, but also quite willing to make allowances for live performances.
We, in the performing arts need to be mindful of this and take some of the heat off ourselves. Really. The self criticism is the most damning and is usually the harshest and generally not deserved. (Of course there is always the opposite syndrome of people who see themselves through the rosiest of rose colored glasses – we see them on the American Idol audition shows, don’t we?)
When I get done with any improv show, I am extremely harsh on myself and do judge the people I work with. (Honesty here) I think, Oh, why did I do that and not think of this instead, and why in the world didn’t they pick up on that hint, or this prompt? And in truth, the performance is what it is and the audience either liked it or not and that’s the end of it.
And in scripted work, the cast may know when a line is paraphrased or flubbed, but the audience rarely does. And true, the director or the writer may be unhappy as the words are not totally true to form, but also in truth, does the ‘dance’ of the juxtaposition make a difference in the big picture? Yes, equally true if they hear, “To be or not to be, I can’t decide really which is better” they will notice and it does change the impact, but generally speaking no. (And at least William Shakespeare isn’t going to jump up to strangle you; the critics (grr) can take care of that for him.)
Take heed of my words and mind them. : )
It is better to have performed and impacted audiences than to have never performed at all. Because when it gets down to it, when the curtain has closed and the milling about begins, it’s about the audience. It’s not about ticket sales on a given night or missing your mark or tripping over your tongue, it’s about their enjoyment. Did they get their money’s worth and did you leave everything out there on the stage?
