Student Blog: With Sprinkles on Top

It’s opening night! Your body is tired, your brain is full, and those opening night jitters are on. You’ve just survived tech week packed with long rehearsals and constant notes.

Now, you want everything to be as stable as possible. You want to know your track. You want to keep your body healthy. You want to have just enough adrenaline to carry you through the run of a show, but not too much that burns you out. You gather all the good luck charms you possibly can. That’s where my pre-show rituals come in. These are the habits I return to every time I open a show. These routines help me stay focused, energized, and ready to step onstage to tell a story.

If a show is an ice cream sundae, these are the few sprinkles on top I add to make opening night the best it can possibly be!

Success starts the night before, which takes me to the first part of my ritual, my tracking sheet. This has my cues, entrances, exits, and the order of scenes all in one place. Do I start this number stage right or stage left? Do I exit through the downstage or upstage curtain? When is my cue to run in and enter? I literally mark through the entire show in my head, ensuring I know exactly the order of my role and remember the notes I have been given. Driven from stress dreams where I am suddenly in a show and lost with no idea where I am, my tracking sheet is an essential part of my pre-show ritual. It eliminates any external stressors and helps me avoid many nightmares!

When I wake up the next morning, I have to go for a run. It’s nonnegotiable. I need some form of exercise the morning of a performance to shake out any pre-show jitters and ensure my focus is sharp! Running keeps me grounded and energized for what’s ahead, warming up my body and mind for the day. As Elle Woods wisely puts it, “Exercise releases endorphins, and endorphins make people happy!” Happy people? They have great shows.

After I exercise, I reach for my favorite pre-show ritual of all, coconut water! If you know me, you know I love coconut water. It is packed with electrolytes, hydration, and vitamins. Drinking coconut water is a familiar comfort that gives me everything I need to fuel a great show.

When I arrive at the theater, adrenaline is buzzing. I am ready to get “in the zone.” I slip on my headphones and play a playlist I created specifically for the character I am playing. The songs perfectly capture the energy and atmosphere of the show I am in. Listening helps me shift out of my own head and enjoy presence within the show and role.

No pre-show ritual can be complete without opening night thank you cards! I always write little individual notes for the creative team and castmates that I have had a great time working with. I add a tiny chocolate or a piece of candy for some extra fun. Gratitude is the best form of kindness!