| At Last . . . |
At Last... one of my favorite songs. I used to sing it for my vocal teacher, my mom, around the house...but never in front of an audience, because I suffered from stage fright. People told me I had a really good singing voice, and I loved to sing, but I could not get over my performance anxiety. I forced myself to perform in front of audiences, and each time I performed I experienced a level of anxiety one could expect if she were being pushed out of an airplane at 3000 ft. I had panic attacks, complete with the full cavalcade of autonomic responses! I thought that I would never realize my dream of singing in public. This book provided me with the last missing piece in my puzzle. By reading the celebrity interviews (there are some amazing quotes in there) and doing the steps of REBT, I can finally have FUN performing! I have a degree in Psych., I should have known that cognitive therapy is the best treatment for unrealistic fear or anxiety. Now I perform regularly in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I love it! Wow, every time is a party! Thank you Mick Berry and Michael Edelstein!
-- Ann Phillips (San Rafael, CA) |
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| What American Idols Are Really Feeling |
The interviews are personal, revealing, engrossing, and sometimes astonishing. I was surprised to read Robin Williams still gets nervous. "Oh, totally", he says. Jason Alexander's most harrowing experience involved sleeping--yes, sleeping--on stage: "Lying on that bed, on that second story, on that Broadway stage--that combination literally scared me to death." There's more from Olympia Dukakis, Maya Angelou, Melissa Etheridge, David Brenner and others.
-- Malcolm Greenhill (San Francisco, CA) |
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| Good ideas and suggestions |
Stage Fright is an easy read with plenty of good ideas for anyone who needs to perform in front of crowds. I can see it as a valuable aid to teachers on Parent Night, or community leaders chairing meetings. Good book.
-- B. Metzler (Pinehurst, NC) |
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| Not just for Actors! |
I am not a performer, but my job does call on me to do regular and extensive public speaking, and this book was great! It gave me several practical tactics I could use when preparing for appearances before large crowds, and best of all, it was a fun read. The personal testimonies from various actors and comedians were a hoot. The commentary from the authors put it all into context. I recommend this for anyone who has to perform or get up in front of a crowd. Highly recommended!
-- Tricia (Guilford, CT) |
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| Conquering Stage Fright |
Mick Berry and Michael Edelstein have produced an excellent book in STAGE FRIGHT. It combines a straightforward presentation of the tools of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) with interviews of real comedians and actors, sharing their struggles and victories in the trenches of actual performances. This is a winning approach that allows the reader to see how real people have applied these principles in their own lives. It is enlightening and often very moving to hear how celebrities like Robin Williams, Maya Angelou and Olympia Dukakis have dealt with the fear that has the potential to silence even such huge talents. The goal of self acceptance is a worthy one, which the book emphasizes and shows how to achieve through specific REBT techniques. I can highly recommend this book.
-- Pamela Butler, author of Talking to Yourself: How Cognitive Behavior Therapy Can Change Your Life (Mill Valley, CA) |
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