ON TOUR WITH THE MOUSETRAP

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Earlier this year I was unexpectedly cast in a four-month tour of The Mousetrap. It was a brilliant opportunity to perform in this Agatha Christie classic (the longest running play in the world!) and was by far the ‘biggest’ acting job I’ve had. And I was terrified.

I was understudying two parts which meant there were a lot of lines to learn, and I needed to learn them fast. There was very little time to prepare and before I knew it, my bags were packed, and I was off tripping around the UK.

Only three hours notice to get on stage

During the second week I received a call saying that one of the actors I was covering for was unwell and that I would be going on. I had about three hours’ notice to review my lines, warm up on stage and to get into costume. 

Before I knew it, the curtain went up and I was waiting in the wings about to go on. There was nothing more I could do than hope I knew my lines and pray for the Theatre Gods to look kindly upon me.

There was something I could do... breathe

But actually, there was more I could do. I could breathe. As I stood in the darkness, with my thoughts racing and my heart pounding in my chest I remembered what I teach others; ‘the breath is the most powerful tool we have to regulate our state.’ 

So I deliberately slowed down my breathing. I gently did several spinal roll downs to help me get out of my head and into my body as well as some gentle voice exercises to keep my vocal chords warm and engaged. I also reassured myself that I knew my lines. I had been hammering away at them every day, it turns out nothing motivates line learning like knowing you could be called on stage at a moment’s notice! I had done the prep. I was ready... or as ready as I’d ever be.

It was a wild, electrifying ride

And with that, I went on. Of course, the nerves were there, but thanks to the prep work I was in control of them, rather than the other way around. The show whizzed by and before I knew it, we were taking our bows and the curtain came down. It was a wild, electrifying ride! 

We first need the right tools

There will always be moments when we are thrown into situations that are out of our control. And we have a choice; we can choose to sidestep those moments for what is safe and familiar or to step into them. But to be able to step into the unknown, we need to first equip ourselves with the right tools. 

That’s where knowing how to work with your body, breath and voice, as well as preparing your messaging is so important.

Get in touch to learn more

So if you’d like to empower yourself to communicate with more ease, authenticity and confidence and learn to feel calm in situations that feel overwhelming, drop us a line at Sequentially and let’s see how we can help you. Don’t leave it to chance.

After all, you never know when that call will come.