Stage fright is a common affliction that affects people from all walks of life, from actors to athletes to anyone who ever has to get up in front of a crowd of people to do something. I haven’t actually heard much discussion about it among artists and performers that I know, so it’s interesting to hear the stories of successful performers who have struggled to overcome it.
One of those performers is Muppet performer Dave Goelz, who discusses his experience with stage fright in the book Stage Fright: 40 Stars Tell You How They Beat America’s #1 Fear
What unnerves me is working live on television. And that has always fascinated me because ninety-eight percent of my work is done in a recording environment. The state I’m in when I go in there is alert—alert, and I know where the doors are. So if it really goes bad, I can get out and they’ll never see me again. [Laughs] I’ll be out the side door, get a taxi, and I’ll never run into those people again.
Click here to read a longer excerpt, which features a couple of great behind-the-scenes Muppet anecdotes.
You can find many, many more interviews with performers talking about how they cope with stage fright at HowToBeatStageFright.com. The book is available to buy on Amazon.com
