Dealing with Panic Attacks (On Stage and Off)

First of all I would just like to say I am sorry for not blogging in so long I have been insanely busy but I am going to be more active on this blog now I've got a friend to make sure of that. 

But I wanted to talk- well write- about something that I know affects a lot of people and from personal experience I know that I didn't really know where to go for help and even though I had no need to at all I felt like I would be judged for it. There is no need to feel like that at all and I really don't want to sound like I'm preaching or telling you what to do because that is really not what I want  to do but if this helps just one person or makes someone feel better or more understood or more confident then that's awesome.

So "Panic Attacks". A lot of you guys may have heard about them or anxiety which can cause panic attacks, especially if you've heard of Zoella which you probably have, let's face it - she's everywhere. But I'm not going to write about anxiety or the science of what goes on during a panic attack or the chemical reactions and whatnot because I don't know that stuff and I'm not going to pretend to. I am just and ordinary teenage girl and I get panic attacks. I don't have diagnosed or medicated anxiety but let's face it we all feel anxiety at times and especially if you're dealing with the stress of school, or shows, or family problems or friend problems or anything but it's normal to feel this way. It's okay to get stressed to the point of crying. Sometimes you just have to let go of all your bottled up emotions in a way that doesn't hurt anyone, including yourself. It's okay to have days when you just want to put your headphones in and ignore the world. It's okay. And you won't feel like this for the rest of your life.

That being said, panic attacks can affect your life and to say the least, can be pretty inconvenient. I have never been unlucky enough to get one during a performance however I have had them or started to have them just before going on stage. The main trick is to learn not to be scared of them, just learn how to deal with them so that you are prepared for them when the time comes that you need to deal with a panic attack.

I've just listed a few things that I have learnt to do when i feel a panic attack coming on or am trying to recover from one in a short amount of time.

1) Don't Panic

That probably sounds really stupid but if you feel a panic attack coming on and then start to panic about the fact that you are having a panic attack it's not going to make it any better! The best thing is to just tell yourself to breath. If you can only remember one thing just remember to breath deeply and slowly and focus on one thing.

2)Focus

Like I just said, if you can't go outside for fresh air or away from people just pick one fixed point and focus all your attention on that and breathing, tune out everything else until you have calmed down.

3) Water

I will probably mention this in pretty much every 'tips' blog post that I do but whether you are in rehearsals, dance studio, audition, filming set, recording studio or just in school - bring WATER. Water is literally a lifesaver. As soon as you have calmed down enough to think clearly, sip some water and keep breathing (obviously) and keep focus until you have completely calmed down and the attack has gone.

When I am having a panic attack the best thing for me to do is go for a slow slow walk outside in the fresh air but sometimes that's not possible and a lot of the times, if you run out a rehearsal there is a high possibility that the director will send someone out after you and you probably don't want to cause a fuss and I know that I hate having to explain. *DISCLAIMER* These are just the things that work for me and I'm not saying that they will defiantly work for you but I do recommended trying them if you do suffer from panic attacks. Please don't feel like you're alone in this if you need someone to talk to I am here for you 100% and you can find me on twitter @AbbiDabs13 and yeah sorry this was kinda heavy but I just wanted to let you guys know that you are not alone and if you suffer from stage fright then these tips help with that to. 

Hopefully I will be back to weekly or at least bi-weekly posts so I'll talk to you guys soon! As always any comments, questions or requests just leave them in the comments and I'll be sure to get back to you!

Break a leg

Abbi x

SINGING LIFESAVER

This is my personal lifesaver when it comes to performing, **DISCLAIMER** I'm not saying that this will work for everyone I just know it works amazingly for me and I wanted to share it with you guys to help you out. If you are allergic to any of the ingredients in this or any of the ingredients in the ingredient then please don't make this drink.

This is a recipe I make before auditions or before a show or performance or when my voice is bad and I have a sore throat and it really helps my voice and my throat a lot so I thought I'd share it with you guys and hopefully it'll help you. :)

You Will Need:

• Lemon Squash (the kind you dilute with water before drinking, you can get this is pretty much any supermarket)
• Water
• Clear Honey 
• Your mug
• A teaspoon
• A Kettle

All you have to do is:

1) Boil the kettle

2) Pour some undiluted lemon squash into your mug. I normally fill about 1/8 of the mug but it depends on the strength you want it, if you want it weaker use less if you want it stronger us more (not too much more this stuff is pretty strong)

3) When the kettle has boiled, fill the mug with the boiling water (get an adult to help you if you are under 13) 

4) Measure out and stir in a teaspoon of honey. Stir it around until it has completely dissolved into the lemon/water

5) Wait until it's cooled down enough so that you don't burn your tongue and ENJOY

This helps me so so much you guys and I hope it helps you too. This was only a short post because I did write one earlier so go check that out. Any comments, questions or requests leave them in the comments below and I'll be sure to get back to you!

Break a leg

Abbi xx

How to survive an audition

Before this I should mention that this is mainly based on auditions for theatre such as shows or musicals or plays. I have also attended many TV auditions and castings so I'll do another post about that in the near future.

If you are an actor or like to act then at some point in your acting life it is more than likely that you will do an audition. Whether you get asked to do it, are put forward by someone or put yourself up for an audition, this is an opportunity and you need to grab it with both hands. The acting industry is a difficult one and everyone knows how hard it is to make a name for yourself which is why, if you Are serious about acting, you have to grab every single opportunity that you get presented with. Don't let someone else have a part because they're your friend and they really want it - you have to show people what you can do So that you can go far and get noticed. What if you didn't audition so your friend could get the part and then In the night of the performance they get spotted by a casting director or talent scout - how would you feel knowing that could have been you? Don't get me wrong I am NOT saying that you can't have friends or you always have to put yourself first I'm just saying that you have to take every opportunity you can to get noticed.
Okay So once you have that audition, that opportunity to show people what you can do, what then?

1)Be prepared

You should be prepared before you even know that there are going to be auditions. By this I don't mean that you should know a bunch of monologues from loads of different shows I am simply going to pass onto you one of the best tips that my agent and Stage School director/manager told me. If you are a singer, or sing in shows, then you should have a list of at least three songs prepared at any one time so that if someone wants to hear you sing you don't have to panic you are always ready. The three songs shouldn't just be any three songs. You should have one ballet, one more upbeat and one song that you can sing really really well. If you do musical theatre and it's musicals that you are going to be auditioning for then these should all be songs from musicals. Closer to the date of your audition if you know what show you are auditioning for then it would be a good idea to learn a song from that musical and ideally one from that character that you are auditioning for, just in case they ask for it but they may not.

2)Know the character

Let's say you have an audition for Sandy in Grease. It's all well and good knowing your lines but so that you can give a convincing performance you need to really know that character. If the show you're doing has a film adaptation then get your hands on that and watch your character carefully. Notice how they react to things, what they do when they're not talking, how they sit, how they hold themselves. Take note of their accent as well, if it's high or low and where about in the world they're from, but do bare in mind that this is just one actors impersonation of the role however it is a very good starting point for you and the chances are that if there is a film adaptaion then it is going to be very well known and a lot of people will compare the shows and the actors in the show to the actors in the film.

3)You can never know your lines too well

I know I just said that knowing your lines won't get you a role but it defiantly does help! The director needs to see that you are able to learn and deliver lines as that character otherwise there is no point in casting you. You need to know your lines like the back of your hand so that you are completely comfortable with them and can completely immerse yourself in the character. (I'm also going to be writing a blog post about how to memorize lines so look out for that)

4)Don't over think it

If you over think it then you end up freaking out about it and that leads to panacking and that is NOT good for an audition. You just have to remeber that this probably isn't make or break for you, there will be other auditions and you will have other oppertunities you've just got to try to make the best of this as you can and if it doesn't work out then that's okay and it's not the end of your acting dreams. Think of it this way, if the audition goes well then great! That's amazing! But if it doesn't then you'll have more experiance for next time and you'll know what went wrong and what went right. It's a win win.

5)Warm up

If you only take away one thing from this blog post, it should be to ALWAYS warm up before an audition especially if you are going to be singing. I can also do a blog post full of all the best warm ups to use before auditions and shows if you would like just tell me in the comments below but here are some of my personal favourites.

• Scales and arpeggios (an old classic XD)
• 'S' this is basically a breathing exercise to make sure that you are breathing correctly and are relaxed- if you are tense when singing it can mess up your vocals and that would not be good. 

Also do some facial exercises to loosen your jaw, this helps your singing a lot trust me.

These are my top 5 tips for now, I am going to expand on this list though so keep watching this space! If you have any questions, comments or requests please put them in the comments below and I will reply to all comments :)
Break a leg
Abbi xx

"Sorry I've got rehearsal" The best tips to surving show rehearsals

When I'm doing a show, this is pretty much all my friends hear when they ask me if I want to go out or do something. I think pretty much all Thespians can relate to this. As much as we love doing shows sometimes it gets a little tiresome that we have to be in a gruelling rehearsal for 7 hours on a Saturday while our friends are off seeing the latest blockbuster or raving it up at a party that you can't go to because by the time you get home, you don't have any time to get ready and get there without being an hour late.

But we do it anyway. We might complain about rehearsals now and again, but there is no way in hell that we would ever EVER quit a show let alone performing all together. So here are the best tips available on how to get through those agonisingly long rehearsals.

1)Get to know your cast members

Whatever happens before the show, the rehearsals or even the casting of the show, if you've been cast in a show and another person that you dislike gets cast, then you have to pretty much get over it because for the next few months until the show, this cast is going to be like your family. You are going to spend hours upon hours with these people so whatever may have happened before, or maybe you just don't like them, get over it and on with it or this is going to be a miserable few months. This cast can become the best friends you'll ever have, a show can bond people like nothing else, take advantage of that.

2)Food!

Always ALWAYS take food with you to rehearsal. I cannot count the amount of times that I've been at a rehearsal and been starving hungry but had nothing to eat (and that's because it's been a lot of times and not because I can't count very high) Even if you have eaten before it is always a good idea to take something, if your rehearsal isn't very long (1-2 hours) I recommend you take a small snack such as a cereal bar or a piece of fruit and a bottle of water. However if the rehearsals are very long (5-7 hours) take small packed lunch that is easy to eat and not very heavy, so that you still have energy, can eat it quickly (I get a 10 minute break at most) and are still able to move about and do things after eating. I recommend something like, a sandwich or roll, a cereal bar, a piece of fruit and maybe a packet of crisps. If you do have a long rehearsal I recommend that as well as taking food you have a filling breakfast before (pancakes, bacon sandwich, toast, cereal it's your choice) and then have a nice cooked meal afterwards.

3)Water

I mentioned this in my last tip but always bring a bottle of water with you as well, especially if you're going to be singing. I would die without taking water to rehearsals, a refillable water bottle is defiantly a must have on my theatre survival list. Even if it's a plastic bottle from a previous drink (I broke my water bottle and ended up washing out and using an Arizona green tea bottle that I had as a water bottle for about a month before I found another one)

4)Learn your lines

This one seems pretty obvious but if you have blocked a scene in a rehearsal, please learn your lines and don't be that annoying cast member who is always asking for cues or has to use their script so can't do the direction properly. If you have a spare five minutes when you are not blocking or it's not your scene then go over your lines or find someone else who isn't busy and ask them to run lines with you. Knowing your lines early on makes things so much easier for you, the director and even other cast members because lets face it, we all hate when we get told off for not knowing out lines when only two of us are still on script. And don't put it off, as soon as you have blocked a scene, learn the lines for that scene by the next rehearsal. It saves so much time and it saves you the panic of having to learn all of your line three weeks before the show (we've all been there)

5)Write on your script

Once you have a script, that script it yours and you can do whatever you want with that script (apart from lose it- once it's gone, it's gone) Highlight all your lines when you get and take a pencil to rehearsals and when you're done blocking, write down the main actions that you do around the lines when you do them so that you can remember and don't have to keep asking people what you do and where you go. If you have to twirl your hair when you say hi to Mike the your script should look a little like this:

                                                        Sally: Hi Mike!  Twirl hair

Trust me it just makes things a lot easier when you are learning your blocking and directors always like to see that you are making notes and it shows that you are really listening and taking on board what they are saying.

6)Wear clothes you can move in

Nobody wants to be uncomfortable for a rehearsal so wear clothes that you are comfortable in and can move in but make sure that they are appropriate for what you are going to be doing. For example, if you know that you are going to be dancing, don't turn up wearing skinny jeans. You may look good but they are not the most practical idea to dance in. Make sure that you are happy with what you are wearing but don't be overly concerned- you're going to be spending a lot of time with your cast members, they're not going to care about what you look like.

So there we go guys! Those are my top tips for surviving rehearsals!
Break a leg
Abbi x