Singing onstage while being blinded by a spotlight can be disconcerting if you're not used to it. I got a great question from a reader about it; with her permission I'll post her question and my answer here:
Hi, Judy,
My gigs are mostly small, in dimly-lit rooms where I can make eye contact with people. I recently had an experience performing in a theatre seating 600, in which I looked out into the black abyss with a blinding spotlight on me. Felt like I was standing in the road at midnight with a motorcycle coming at me. Suggestions? Thanks, Devora Gila
My answer:
HAHA... yes, been there done that.. it can be disconcerting indeed to look out at the audience and see only "the LIGHT"!
Here's what I do:
I pick a spot in the whiteness, in the middle of where I think the audience will be sitting, and sing to that spot like it is a person. It WILL be a person... and they will think you're singing right to them. When you do this, everyone around that person will ALSO think you're singing directly to them, because that's the way it will look from their point of view.
I move this focal "spot" several times while I'm singing the song, to another place in the whiteness and sing to someone else. I don't do this rapidly, I try to make it real to myself and pace it as if I were really connected to each person.
Don't move the "spots" you sing to too far up or you'll be perceived as singing over everyone's heads. Keep them at about audience level. You'll get used to it quickly.
You can use this trick if ever you need to talk or sing to a camera. Many times you will be directed NOT to look at a camera when performing, but if you are supposed to (say for a video, or for a photo shoot) just look directly at the eye of the camera like you would look into human eyes... the eyes of whoever you'd logically be talking or singing to at the time.
This works in the "blackness" you see, as well. Just pick a spot in the general direction of where you think your audience is. Let me know how this works for you!
Comments, anyone?
Labels: performance, singing live
