Jennifer Alicia (they/she) is a queer Mi’kmaw/Settler (German/Irish/Scottish) multi-disciplinary artist originally from Elmastukwek, Ktaqmkuk. Her work has been featured in CBC Arts, NOW Magazine, and Canthius Magazine. Jennifer Alicia recently co-edited The Condor and the Eagle Meet, an Indigenous poetry anthology.
Pushing Through to the Authentic You — Performance Tips
I’m an ’80s baby — a time when my family would set up a camcorder, pop in a New Kids On The Block cassette tape, and I would take the spotlight and perform for hours. What a time! I love performing and have been doing it in various ways since then. I started performing spoken word when I was 19 and I’m now 36.
Even though I love performing and have been doing this for a while, I still get nervous every single time. Even the Queen (Beyoncé! Who else?!) herself recently shared that if she doesn’t get nervous for a show, then there must be something wrong. I was told that we get nervous because we care about what we’re doing. Although, I also have anxiety, so, sometimes I am not sure if it’s because I care or if I am just anxious, ha!
I am no expert! I will share my experiences as a spoken word artist. My hope is that you will take what you need and leave the rest. I hope you get something, at least one thing, that you can add to your bundle.
Preparation
- Know and love your work — It’s your words that you wrote, so why wouldn’t you know and love your work… right? Maybe. When it’s obvious you love your work, it helps the audience fall in love. Part of this is showing it through the embodiment of your words (more about this below).
- Just like a poetry performance, you should know your audience. Choose an excerpt that stands out and will resonate with the event’s theme/purpose/community.
- Practice, practice, practice — Read the excerpt out loud over and over again. This will help the words settle into your body and allow you to become comfortable. Record yourself saying your piece and then listen to it while doing your everyday activities such as cleaning, traveling, and even sleeping. This will help the words settle into your body.
- Play! Which words or lines should be emphasized? Where should there be pauses? How should the pacing go? Have fun with this! Once you find what sounds right for you and the excerpt you chose, you can literally write the pauses, emphasis, tone changes, etc. into your written work.
Example from my poem “Smudge Away Your Bullshit”:
The article reads (PAUSE), scientific research studies have proven (EMPHASIS) that smudging with sage can clear airborne bacteria populations by 94%
(MONOTONE) The next day, entire suburbs are disinfected with smoke
Smudging is named a powerful antiseptic
An air-purifier
Best keep secret (PAUSE)
(MONOTONE) Can be bought at a new age store for $20
- Practice more — Record yourself on Zoom! This will help you see what your face is doing. Practice in front of loved ones who will be gentle with you while providing helpful feedback.
The Moment
- Centre yourself — Find a quiet space away from the crowd. Try not to engage in pre-conversations. Sometimes conversations before a reading can make things worse. They can ask you questions like, “Are you nervous?”, which might actually make you even more nervous! Do what you need to do in order to focus — meditate, read your work, listen to music, hold an item that makes you feel safe (gem, trinket, medicines, etc.).
- Vocal warm-ups are important — “The tip of the tongue, the teeth, the lips.”
- Be present and lean into yourself — For example, I am an awkward person and I used to feel insecure about it. Being insecure about my awkwardness would actually make me feel even more awkward! Ever since I have accepted my personality and characteristics, such as my awkwardness, I have leaned more into it during performances and have received positive feedback from audiences about that. It’s okay to showcase your personality!
- Acknowledge the mishaps — Things might go wrong/not as planned and that’s okay! If a glass spills, it’s okay to acknowledge it. If the microphone battery dies mid-reading, you can play around with it and say it’s because your words were too powerful, ha!
- Don’t get distracted — This is a tough one that I struggle with. If you see someone stand up and walk out in the middle of your performance, try not to think about whether it was because of you — maybe they really just had to leave! Try to stay in the moment and stay present. Focus on the folks who are still there — they want to hear what you have to say!
Aftercare
- Decompress — After your reading, it’s okay to find a quiet space and decompress. You most likely have a lot of adrenaline so please take some time to centre yourself.
- It’s okay to say no! Some people might want to come up to you after your reading to provide feedback. It’s okay to say no! Boundaries are important and consent is important. If you do not want to receive feedback about your reading or work, it’s okay to say that.
- The bigger picture — Sometimes we like to analyze our reading — I missed a line, I didn’t say that the way I wanted to, I wish I did this differently… Most of the time, the audience doesn’t notice! It can be easy for us to criticize ourselves, but these are things the audience doesn’t see. So please be gentle on yourself!
Brockton Writers Series 