The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

Encyclopedia search

Topics

Whenever you feel yourself hesitate because of fear, think the words “3-2-1-Go!” and then GO! Don’t negotiate with yourself. Don’t try to figure things out. Do it before you have time to think otherwise. Treat fear like a starter’s pistol. When fear shows up, do what scares you immediately.

Topics

Your work is not you. It’s tempting to feel good about yourself when you succeed. The problem is that you then feel awful about yourself when you fail. You can become more comfortable with failure by treating it as something outside of you. Here’s a process that may prove helpful when failure occurs.

Topics

When you stop acting, you become vulnerable. It can feel embarrassing to drop your defenses and be seen in a completely vulnerable state. The thing is, others love to see you when you let down your guard. That’s why it’s so compelling to watch children play. When they let loose and dance like fairies or roar like dragons, it’s compelling to behold.

Exercises

One player has eyes closed, the other has eyes open. The blind player takes the arm of the sighted player. Without speaking, the pair walk around the space. The blind player sets the pace and the sighted player guides the route. As comfort is built, the blind player may speed up the rate of travel.

Topics

Too much tension impedes the flow of play. There are many aspects of interactive performance that can produce excess tension: fear of failure, trying too hard, angst about the past, uncertainty about the future.

Exercises

At the end of a shower, turn the water to totally cold and don’t flinch. Stand in the spray for one minute, breathing evenly and deeply. Pay attention to what it feels like without judging the feeling as good or bad.

Exercises

In your training journal, write a list of all the unhelpful things that your inner critic says inside your head. On a different page, make a list of things that you’d rather hear from a coach. Tear out the critic’s list and burn it. Review the coach’s list whenever the critic shows up.

Topics

The inner critic is a voice that sits in the back of your head and inhibits your impulses. In real life, this can be a good thing because it keeps you within the good graces of polite society. But when you play, the inner critic’s feedback isn’t nearly as helpful. It blocks your brain, locks your body, and offers up advice like, “That’s a stupid idea.”

© 2024 Interactive PlayLab
Subscribe for encyclopedia updates

Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance