I WAS LOOKING at various photo albums posted on Facebook by colleagues and friends, taken during music festivals, concerts and theater productions?complete with the outlandish costumes that were a hallmark of the 1980s.
The fashions may have changed, but the audiences have remained the same: unpredictable.
For the most part, many of our more established performers can rely on audiences that are with them for the entire show, engaged and invested in everything they do. These are the crowds that sing along with the songs, get up from their seats and dance, and cheer with all their might until the curtain call rolls around.
However, as all performers know only too well, this isn?t always the case. All of us have had to perform for, well, our share of tough crowds.
Checklist
We have differing definitions for what a tough crowd is: It could be anything from an abnormally quiet audience (so quiet that we can hear crickets in the venue); or one that ignores a performer outright by talking loudly while the show is going on (I?ve fallen prey to this type of audience and dub myself the ?hired help? in this instance); and still another type that considers us invisible, as if we?re not there.
So how does a performer prepare for what could possibly be a tough crowd, besides that requisite vocal warm-up and cosmetic primping? And what does one do once in front of that audience, when the world seems like it?s coming to a fiery, apocalyptic end?
I don?t exactly stand in a corner and give myself a pep talk. But I mentally prepare myself for whatever could possibly happen out there.
There?s a checklist that I keep in my head: Will I be performing during dinner/dessert? Is there alcohol that will be served? How will I deal with clanging silverware? What is my audience? I sit quietly and psych myself up for anything and everything. Most of the time it works, but there are instances when it doesn?t.
Forging ahead
In the not-so-distant past, I did a corporate gig, at one point dueting with one of my good friends. He and I were really getting into the song, putting forth our emotions, feeling every lyric.
When the song was over and we faced the audience to take a bow, we received sparse applause (in a room of about 500 people, I counted maybe 10 clapping for us). Yes, it might seem arrogant and egotistical to place a high expectation upon an audience, but I?ll be honest, I felt bad for myself?and even more so for my duet partner, who is a much more established performer than I am. Throughout the rest of my set, I had him in mind.
While singing solo, I spotted a little girl (she must have been about 10 years old) watching the performance with full attention. At that moment, the rest of the people in the room virtually disappeared, and I did all my songs for her. If not for her, forging ahead would have been more difficult. I was thankful that she was there.
At some gigs, friends show up to keep me company. These are people who know me inside-out, which means they can tell when a show is going south. They can feel my anxiety level rise. I seek them out in the crowd and strive to make eye contact. It?s to them that I ?broadcast? that I?m starting to feel a bit antsy.
Calm me down
They then look right back at me, and ?calm me down.? No one needs to say or do anything. All it takes is one look, and I?m fine.
For the most part, I am so thankful for the audiences that come to see my shows. They are some of the most incredible, receptive and engaged crowds I?ve ever seen.
But once in a while, a tough one comes along, and all I can really do is just keep doing what I love to do, shrug my shoulders, and move forward.
Eh, that?s show business, I guess.
Shameless plugs
Joanna Ampil (?Miss Saigon,? ?Avenue Q,? ?Les Misrables,? ?Jesus Christ Superstar?) will perform in a concert titled ?West End Girl? on Sept. 18 at OnStage Theatre, Greenbelt 1. Her special guest is Ariel Rivera, with music by Gerard Salonga and FILharmoniKA. The concert is presented by AmbientMedia.
Joanna is an amazingly talented singer and actress, and this concert is sure to be a treat. Be there!
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