What to Do When You Forget Your Material
The second most common fear of beginning comedians is the fear of forgetting their material. It is actually better for you if this happens early on in your career because you will learn to handle it and learn strategies for surviving the forgetfulness. Not only will you be able to survive, but you will be able to turn it into something funny that engages the audience.
Sideline Your Inner Critic
Yes, this was mentioned as a strategy for getting over the fear of the stage as well. When your critic is present, you automatically take time to evaluate yourself, which takes your attention away from your material and puts it on yourself. In return, you are unable to remember your material because your mind is being consumed by your flaws. This is often referred to as “going blank.” In actuality, you are not blank because you still have all sorts of thoughts going through your mind; you have just put obstacles in the way of your material. The best remedy for this is to ensure that you are separating your composer and director during your rehearsals.
Practice the Way You Want to Perform
Many people believe that it is possible to rehearse only in their heads for the performance they want to have. The problem is that when you rehearse this way, you will only remember your show this way. When it is time to perform, you will only be able to perform in your head and the audience will be left out.
If you want to truly be able to perform your show out loud, then you must practice and rehearse out loud. By speaking out loud during your rehearsals you can change your tone of voice and inflect the appropriate emotions during your routine. It is extremely important that you practice the way you want to perform on stage.
Continue to Have Fun
Even when you mess up or something goes wrong, it is important that you continue to have fun. When you continue to have fun the audience will as well; there is no remedy for an audience that feels bad for you. The audience will enjoy your show as long as you continue to have fun and the fact that you made a mistake or couldn’t remember something will not matter. Plus, when you have fun and enjoy your show, you can easily turn a bad situation into a funny situation.