“Words have the power to change moods instantly, and because of this, we should respect their importance.” – dimitrireyespoet.com
September is usually a busy reading season for me because of back-to-school and Hispanic Heritage Month, even this year when many of my usual shows got cut because of public gathering. This year in particular they were all bunched up into what seemed like 1 weekend (it was actually a 5 day spread.) What was special about this experience was that it reminded me of how gigging was before COVID where life was fast-paced. These days it has been slower, at least with travelling and meeting in person, though I’ve kept myself busy online!
In the same vein, what I learned about reading this past weekend was that “if you don’t use it, you lose it” in terms of reading poetry to a live audience, both in stage presence and comfortability. What felt like innate motions and actions last year were harder for me recently, in the way that I had to remind myself things like working the room, or speaking slower. I even had to critically think of how to recover from a few mistakes. Then it hit me— though these things had come natural to me with practice, these were actual Performance Hacks getting me through each set. And of course, I couldn’t be hungry with power and hold that information from you so here are 5 Performance Hacks to Fix Mistakes on Stage.
1) Involve Your Audience
Whether you’re the first reader, 5th reader, last reader before a break, sandwiched between two other acts, or the last reader this helps to stimulate their senses. It’s important to think about how it is to be an audience member, either sitting around waiting for the show to start, sitting for a long time during a show, or getting audience hypnosis in the way that they’ve been taking in so much material that the writers’ stories start blending into one another! Having the audience involved breaks the “4th wall” and allows them to be a part of the story. I make sure that I always have some poems that do this.
I’m notorious for performing my Mother Botanica poem at most readings— just because I ask for group participation by stomping their feet or slapping their chests or thighs to create a drumroll effect. I then sing two quick bars and head into my poem with the audience fully immersed.
2) Repeat Your Line
Guilty! I lose my spot while reading at least once at almost every performance. But that’s okay! It’s an experience! If this ever happens, repeat the last line you remember. Doing that gives you the appropriate time to find your spot. Now that you know that about me, I bet you’ll see it all the time!
3) Keeping One Hand Free
Two is best, so if you can read at a podium or you can have a sheet music stand by your mic that is optimal.
If those options aren’t available I like to try and involve my other hand while reading to it isn’t ‘dead’ or ‘limp.’ When moving your free hand it allows you to do different things while your reading, like hold or grab or carry or point or wave or any other action in your poem that could be accentuated through a hand movement. It adds to the story and piques the interest of the audience more rather than simply holding your paper or book with two hands or leaving the other hand immobile at your side.
4) Free Nervous Energy
This is done by the hand gestures or ‘working the space.’ Pacing the stage or walking around the performance area helps you shake off any jitters. As a disclaimer, I GET THE JITTERS ALL THE TIME. Whether it’s in front of 5 people or 500, the amount of pre performance jitters is still the same. Whether it’s coming from the adrenaline of performance or the fear of being spotlighted, it can easily be funneled into your movements. I have a wonderful anecdote to that in the performance hacks YouTube video below.
5) Media Safeguarding
This tip is specifically for those who have not yet ventured into knowing their work by heart (this is something I’m currently working at.) I’ve made the mistake of having awkward moments in front of an audience where I somehow lose my entire poem and here’s what you should do depending on whether you’re reading on paper or digitally.
Reading on Paper
Keep your work single sided. I can’t tell you how many times I went to flip a double sided page to a page I’ve just read. Reading on single sided pages allows for an easier shuffle.
Reading on a Phone/Tablet/Etc.
Screenshot your poems! I’ve been to many readings where the signal dropped mid-poem and poets had to make a joke about technology as they tried to regain their connection. If you screenshot your work, there isn’t a need to rely on an internet connection. Just make sure you have enough battery life!
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