‘Disarming’ Performance Anxiety: Re-engaging the joy of performing by becoming more resilient in our innate vulnerability
Tuesday 29th October 2024, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (London Time)
Dr Mark Seton's overview:
Performance anxiety is a complex and potentially confusing label often used to give meaning to a diverse range of bodily experiences and cognitive beliefs that inhibit our capacity to perform in an optimal manner. However, through my research and coaching on vulnerability and actor wellbeing, I have found that we can reduce the effects of performance anxiety when we choose to move consciously towards greater competency in technique, deeper connection with the audience and vulnerable pleasure in our craft.
In this workshop, I will offer practical, playful and holistic strategies to ‘dis-arm’ three factors of being human that can impact our capacity to perform: doubt, shame and trauma. Firstly, through an awareness of body data, body knowledge and body wisdom, we’ll identify energetic preferences in performers that may undermine performance potential. Secondly, we’ll explore playful ways to allow the body to give ‘voice’ to how it may hold tension and need to find release. Thirdly, we’ll invite both storytelling and playfulness to process moments of past shaming that still disempower us. Overall, I will guide us through three resilient vulnerability phases I have identified – presence, perception and play – that can give us all agency AND connection for optimal performing that brings us joy.
Dr Mark Seton
Dr Mark Seton is an Honorary Research Associate (Department of Performance Studies) at the University of Sydney. He lectures in screen performance and drama at Excelsia College.
Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.
Learn MoreSorry, this is an archived short course...
We have plenty of upcoming short courses coming soon. See details of some of them below or look at the full list of short courses.
Monday 12th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Tuesday 13th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday 14th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Thursday 15th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Tuesday 20th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday 21st January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
(London Time)
Level One Certificate in Accents and Phonetics
Louisa Morgan
Are you a voice, acting, or singing coach looking to expand your expertise and add accents and phonetics to your teaching repertoire? This 6-session course covers essential topics such as articulatory, acoustic, and auditory phonetics, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and ethical approaches to accent and dialect coaching. By the end of this course, you'll be equipped with the knowledge and practical skills to start to bring phonetics and accent coaching into your coaching and provide more comprehensive support to your clients.
Monday 12th January 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)
Emerging and Developing Voice: Singing and Speech
Karen Brunssen
How does the singing voice influence the speaking voice? How does the speaking voice influence the singing voice? When is there a disparate relationship between the two? Can they help each other? Can one harm the other? How can we use them positively in the voice studio. During this short course we will consider the voice as we sing and as we speak. The acquisition of language is a very interesting journey from birth through old age. We will broach the topics of “lexical” which refers to learning words, and “semantic” which is how we use words in the context of language.
Monday 12th January 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Perfectionism: A Theoretical & Clinical Overview
Dr David Juncos
What exactly is meant when we label ourselves or someone we know a perfectionist? It is a good to be this way? Or are you setting yourself up for failure? Can a performance psychologist or a other performance-related practitioner help you if you’re a perfectionist? In this short course, you will learn how perfectionism is defined according to popular models in clinical psychology, and whether it is maladaptive or adaptive. You will also learn how perfectionism impacts on music performance anxiety, in addition to other areas of importance for performing musicians, like work-related stress and burnout, and procrastination with one’s practice.