The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-04
Stage Fright
By Fl. ADDINGroN BRUCE

Stage fright, as everybody knows, is a malady afflicting large numbers of people who, for one reason or another, have to make public appearances. <. ge :. ..@. .
 It besets public speakers most commonly of all. But any one who as. actor singer, pianist, violinist or in any other capacity has to face an audience, may experience it's torments.
 There are some seemingly incapable of ever shaking it off completely. Veteran perform l CTS have been heard to declare that, despite their, long experience, every time they take the stage or platform they are tortured by a fear that they will forget what they have to say or sing or play. ,.s *.--2...s. ,..
 Mostly, however, stage fright disappears as experience grows. Without effort further than the effort necessary to compel repeated appearances in public, many men and women who at first stood before others with knees manifestly shaking have, in the course of 1 time, acquired. regulations for exceptional stage or platform control
 Many others, alas who might similarly have won renown, have failed to do 50 sim ply because, following one or two failures, | they have lacked the courage to experiment | further.
 With the fatal .self-suggestion, There is no use in trying, you are certain to break down. ,'' they have appeared in public no more. And, indeed, had they essayed additional appear ances, they doubtless would have come to grief, for self-suggestions of this sort have q tendency to justify themselves. On the other hand, to attempt to conquer stage fright by a mere reiteration of the suggestion, 'I know I shall do well" ;" is not the best way to proceed. If there have been previous failures such a suggestion, may help to keep them in mind, 50 that when the crit ical moment comes they vividly present them selves to recollection, and another breakdown is the consequence.
 The essential thing is to subordinate all thought of '1'' as much as possible Helpful to this end is concentration of the attention on the subject-matter of ones speech or per formance, and on the interest of ones au- ditors in that subject-matter rather than in ones personality.
 T cured myself of stage fright" one we'll known speaker has recorded, "the moment began to picture my audience as a group of friendly, uncritical children craving informa- tion." '-~'.
 Unless one is prodigy of self-conscious- ness, a picturing like this automatically re- places egotistic mental images by sincere desire to satisfy the information craving. Then one forgets oneself in ones subject mat ter. and stage fright<is no more.
 Thege are, to be sure, some persons in whom stage fright is not simply an expres- sion of exaggerated self-consciousness, but is a symptom of morbid state known to pres ent-day medical psychologists as an anxiety neurosis. r.' .-'
 Such persons may usually be recognized | by their inclination to fear and worry in pri- yate as well as in public. In their case noth- ing short of thoroughgoing psychological analysis may suffice to bring relief But. for tunately, as, compared with stage fright vic tins in general there are not many of them. So that for the great majority the advice holds good: Try to forget yourself in what you are going to say or do in public; and place reliance in the corrective aid of habit through repetition of public appearances.