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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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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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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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 julito

julito

Argentina

Dear Lesya, I am supposed  to be ready and go out to attend my business,  and I am here reading  posts  from so many members, you can imagine, I am losing money ,and I don´t care , whenever I log out  i am richer  and thinking how nice  you are all.  


do I have to say more ???  big chuckle !!!! 

11:45 AM Dec 03 2012 |

bellaboo2422

Pakistan


i had performed alot on stage since my childhood and i have’t gotten stage fright ever in my life. but the demon exists in many people’s life. its actuly somewhere inside our phsyche if we have been experienced some bleak and chagrgin, any situtaion of being bathed in sweat any mishap from past we keep the things in our consious and then latter it tranfared to sub consious we forget the things temporarily but whenever we face the thing on a par with, a tantrum arise. that’s why we look quizzical. to overcome this trouble we have to start the venture with full determination of mind and soul with great emphasis on task and unduly efforts. if we are on stage then forget that there is world around you just get lost in your performance just try to sprout pitheness and fothrightness and people ll love you. there ll be an outre’ kind of thingy happen.

kotlesya

kotlesya

Belarus

Julito, rely on my help in any time. 


How do you feel yourself here on the public wall of eBaby? Are we people you can relate to or not? ;)

11:18 AM Dec 03 2012 |

 julito

julito

Argentina

LESYA,  Now my stage fright is only when I am with people  I can not relate to , as you say, I feel like a fish  without water , please heeelp me !!!!

11:03 AM Dec 03 2012 |

kotlesya

kotlesya

Belarus

Thank you, my dear Julito for such kind words and compliments. 


I always chose the places I’m comfotable in. If I enjoy to be in a shadow and to sit on the back seats why should I put myself to the place where I feel as if I’m  a fish without water? What for? For whom? 


Julito, I see you have changed your profile picture. You look great and calm on this photo. There is no hint of the stage fright on your face ( joking). 


If you could know how I miss greenery. At least 5 months for the fresh foliage to wait.

10:36 AM Dec 03 2012 |

 julito

julito

Argentina

Dear Lesya, you are an intelligent and vivacious woman, stop being the  ”black sheep of the family” , put yourself in the line of fire, the shadows and the back seats are not  for you.  C´mon, you can do it!!! 

10:21 AM Dec 03 2012 |

 julito

julito

Argentina

englishty,  i think so,  the stage fright  in most cases is a creation of our imagination. 

09:47 AM Dec 03 2012 |

Englishty

Englishty

Egypt

I think people who suffer from stage fright don’t necessarily have it because of just bad experience in the past but also because of bad expectations to yourself, i mean you make a prediction that you won’t be able to do something without even trying it and then the fears surround you that it makes you fully incapable of doing it and to get over it in my opinion is to give everything a try and then judge and i’m sure you would impress yourself.

kotlesya

kotlesya

Belarus

I’m a black sheep in my family. :(


My parents and brother never had any problems to be the center of attention. My mother is a sportswoman and performer in her youth and a brilliant lecturer nowadays. She is a public person. She has no discomfort being under the fire of hundreds pairs of eyes.


My father and brother are professional musicians. Stage is their work and pleasure. So, all members of my family are far away from the expression “stage fright”.


As for me, I never enjoyed any performances I once forced to make on public. It is always a hell to me. Any suggestions to play piano, sing, deliver a lecture, to say a solemn speech or something like that meet firm: “No!” without hesitation.


If there is no way left to escape the stage I don’t  freez up being on stage. With all my might I  try to overcome myself to act  in front of people as freely as  I can struggling with tremendous anxiety that is visible only for me.  ;)


I detest to be a center of attention wherever it is:  at work, in friendly company, on the street – anywhere.


I like to be in a shadow. 

Eleniya

Eleniya

Russian Federation

I never get stage fright.


Since my childhood I often took part in some perfomances (at kindergarten, at school, at Uni). Also I had an experience of public speaking making reports on Educational and linguistic subjects in Uni and at my work.

Skywalker84

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I suffered from stage fright the first time I had to  give a short presentation of my paperwork at the university. I froze up from excitement and anxiety. But like other experiences it just happened the first time and I got used to it and felt at home afterwards.  

E.D.Zhu

E.D.Zhu

China

I like performing on stage . I got stage fright when I on stage for the first time .

06:34 AM Dec 03 2012 |

mojtaba

mojtaba

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

no.at all so I know I freeze up when i get on stage and 

06:33 AM Dec 03 2012 |

ola33

ola33

Japan

I’m terrified of being the centre of attention. It never worked with me. No matter how I   know the material whether it’s English or a piece of music or just a speech or a chat, I’m totally lost up to the memory loss. I cannot produce the melody on public having a perfect ear for music, cannot remember ordinary things that just spring to my memory as soon I’m off ”stage”; i do silly things. I’ve always hated playing music on stage, was terrified of it, was always a flop, unless I was blended with other people, in a company :) Alone, oh no, it’s horrible for me.


I like the curtains though. They’re just like in my living room. Oh, my, I’m the centre of attention in my own room :))

 julito

julito

Argentina

I had never liked to be the center of attention ,but this trait of my character was about to change in 2008. I was in India with some dear friends, at that time there were religious festivals all over Calcutta , thousand of people were attending , we came across one  of them and from the distance the Master of Ceremony invited us to step onto the stage where musicians and dancers were performing, the beat of the drums and other Indian instruments were exhilarating , so   totally psyched up I  akwardly  joined the dancers in their movements.   I don´t regret my audacity, I had a thrill at the time. :)))

 julito

julito

Argentina

First of all , my sympathy to Vanessa, those mishaps are likely to happen sometimes, laught it off.  We should look at the bright side, surely the play was a hit and Vanessa unanimously was declared the most popular girl in town, in the years to come, she will also  have a story to amuse her childrens.  :))))))

john

johnSuper Member!

United States

I get stage fright when I speak English!

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