Shows
House Lights Up6. The Performer's JobFrom the audience, to fellow performers, backstage colleagues, creators and the work itself, the performer's duty extends across and beyond the stage. In this episode we explore the purpose of the performer's role, including some of the key relationships that feed into their work. Our performing arts professionals share their insight and experiences. Musical theatre actor Matt Heyward and cellist Zoe Knighton consider the responsibility and support they feel when it comes to their peers, and operatic soprano and registered psychologist Greta Bradman explains the importance of being open to making genuine connections with fellow pe...2019-10-1531 minHouse Lights Up5. CompromiseHow many times have you heard someone say, “I’m a perfectionist”. It’s usually declared with pride – as a measure of how much that person cares about their work, and the level of quality to which they hold themselves. But say you hold the view, as many people do, that perfection is impossible. Perfection doesn’t exist. Does that mean the pursuit of perfection is pointless? Or worse, that it’s dangerous? Cellist Zoe Knighton shares her thoughts on how to move on from a less than perfect performance. Musical theatre actors Rachel Dunham and Matt H...2019-10-1426 minHouse Lights Up4. ValidationJudgement is something all performing artists must learn to navigate. And how a performer approaches judgement and criticism can have a lot to do with their ideas about validation and their individual definition of success. As social creatures with the need for approval and acceptance wired into our brains, the promise of external validation looms large in the minds of many. In this episode, we consider the dangers of this innate need for the performer. We look at varying sources of validation and ways of dealing with criticism, including what a performer can do if they're just n...2019-10-1335 minHouse Lights Up3. VulnerabilityIn this episode we consider some of the features of a career as a performer, as well as features of the industry in general, that make entertainment and performing arts workers a particularly vulnerable population when it comes to mental health and wellbeing challenges. "Artists create from the heart. When you create a piece of art, when you perform your craft, you're putting yourself out there to an audience who are sitting there with expectations of being entertained... And because you're in an industry that expects high performance consistently... When you're going out on stage, it feels...2019-10-1242 minHouse Lights Up2. The Mind On StageIn a perfect world, a performer is able to focus their mind on command, reliably and predictably, to the benefit of their work. In the real world, the mind can have other plans. It wanders, plays tricks on its owner. It can take control of the body in that crippling affliction, performance anxiety. In this episode, we consider these common experiences and ways in which they can be addressed.Hip hop artist Rob Tremlett, cellist Zoe Knighton and actor/singers Rachel Dunham and Matt Heyward share their personal experiences of performance anxiety and focus-related issues. Luke Hunter...2019-10-1138 min