Stage Presence: Borrowing Techniques from Theatre for Brass Players

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Stage presence can make or break a performance. It is the invisible but powerful factor that draws audiences in, keeping them captivated from the first note to the final bow. While many brass musicians focus solely on technical precision, engaging an audience will elevate a performance from good to unforgettable. It helps bridge the gap between being a musician and an entertainer. Fortunately, we can borrow tried-and-true techniques from theatre arts to enhance our stage charisma. This article explores how theatre training—focused on body language, confidence, and audience interaction—can help brass players take their performances to the next level.

The Power of Body Language: Telling a Story Without Words

Theatre actors often rehearse how to use their body effectively to communicate emotions, create connections, and tell stories. For brass musicians, body language also plays a crucial role in performance. Even before you play a note, your posture, facial expressions, and movements communicate something to your audience. Drawing on principles from theatre can help brass players develop more intentional, expressive physicality on stage.

Posture: One of the most important elements of body language is posture. Actors use strong posture to convey confidence, authority, and energy. Brass players should adopt an upright and relaxed posture, avoiding slouching, which can signal nervousness or disengagement. Proper posture also aids breathing and allows for greater musical expression.
Movement and Positioning: In theatre, movement is purposeful, designed to direct the audience’s attention. For brass players, this can mean stepping forward during solos to create a sense of presence or even subtly shifting your weight to the music’s rhythm. Avoid remaining static, as it can make the performance feel lifeless. A well-placed gesture or slight body movement can create a dynamic visual connection to the music.
Facial Expression: Like actors, brass musicians should use their facial expressions to match the mood of the piece they are performing. Whether it’s a joyful, solemn, or intense moment, let your face tell the audience what you’re feeling. This doesn’t mean exaggerated expressions but subtle changes that reflect the character of the music.

Stage Presence Technique: Mirror Work

Mirror Practice: Rehearse in front of a mirror to observe and refine your body language. This technique allows you to become aware of your movements and expressions, helping you to develop a more engaging stage presence.
Video Recording: Record your performances and review them critically. Pay attention to your body language and adjust as needed.

Building Confidence: The Actor’s Mental Game

Confidence is crucial for actors on stage, and the same holds true for brass musicians. It’s one thing to be musically prepared, but projecting confidence helps ensure the audience believes in you as a performer. Techniques from theatre can help brass players cultivate confidence even in high-pressure situations.

Breathing Exercises: Actors use breathing exercises to calm nerves and center themselves before a performance. Controlled breathing can help brass players maintain their focus and poise. Deep diaphragmatic breathing not only reduces anxiety but also supports brass playing, giving you a stronger and more sustained sound.
Positive Visualization: Many actors use visualisation techniques to mentally rehearse their performance, imagining themselves succeeding in their roles. As a brass player, you can adopt this technique by visualising a successful performance, from the moment you walk on stage to the final applause. This mental rehearsal builds confidence and helps reduce performance anxiety.
Stage Fright? Reframe It: Actors often talk about “transforming nervous energy” into performance energy. Instead of fighting stage fright, brass musicians can learn to channel that adrenaline into focus and intensity. Actors remind themselves that the audience wants them to succeed, which is a mindset brass players should adopt to quell self-doubt.

Stage Presence Technique: Improv Exercises

Improvisation classes in theatre teach actors to think on their feet, adapt, and embrace mistakes as part of the process. Brass players can benefit from trying some improv-based exercises to loosen up and build the kind of resilience needed when things don’t go perfectly on stage. Before a gig, Jazz musicians aren’t too concerned about what they will play because they know they have the skills to react to, and recover from, unexpected situations while on stage.

Engaging with the Audience: Creating a Connection

Audience interaction is at the heart of any theatrical performance, and brass players can borrow several techniques from theatre to engage their listeners. Effective audience interaction makes a performance memorable, as the audience feels a direct connection to the performer.

Eye Contact: In theatre, making eye contact with the audience creates intimacy and draws them into the performance. Brass players can do the same by periodically looking up from their sheet music to make eye contact with various sections of the audience. This small gesture can make the performance feel more personal and engaging.
Address the Audience: Actors often break the fourth wall, speaking directly to the audience to involve them in the performance. Brass musicians can create a similar effect by addressing the audience briefly before or between pieces. Whether offering background information on a piece or acknowledging the audience’s presence, this direct interaction builds rapport and makes the performance feel more interactive.
Reading the Room: Actors constantly gauge audience reactions and adjust their performance accordingly. Brass players can adopt this by being sensitive to audience feedback—whether it’s a particularly attentive silence or bursts of applause—and using it to guide the emotional intensity or pacing of the performance.

Stage Presence Technique: Audience Awareness

Actors are trained to be aware of the audience’s presence without letting it distract them. Brass musicians can benefit from practising the ability to perform “with” the audience, understanding that their energy contributes to the overall experience.

Putting It All Together: Stage Presence as a Performance Tool

Mastering your instrument is one thing, but creating an unforgettable performance requires combining all these elements. Theatrical techniques help brass players unlock the expressive potential of their bodies, minds, and audience engagement strategies.

Consistency Through Rehearsal: Just like actors rehearse for weeks to deliver a polished performance, brass players need to integrate stage presence into their practice routine. Set aside time during rehearsals to focus on how you’ll move, stand, and interact with the audience.
Experiment with Characterisation: Actors frequently build characters to immerse themselves in a role. Brass players can try approaching each piece as if they were playing a character. Is your piece light-hearted and playful? Or is it intense and solemn? Visualise a persona that fits the music and let it inform your presence on stage. Learn from videos of other players in similar situations to see what you think what works, or what could be improved.

Stage Presence Technique: Scene Work

In theatre, scenes are often broken down into small, manageable chunks, each with a clear objective. Brass musicians can apply this by breaking their performances into sections, considering how each part contributes to the whole in terms of emotional energy, movement, and interaction.

Conclusion

Stage presence, much like musical ability, is something that can be developed and refined with practice. By borrowing from theatre arts, brass players can learn to captivate audiences not only with their sound but with their entire performance. Incorporating body language, cultivating confidence, and interacting with the audience will help you stand out and leave a lasting impression on any stage. In the end, the best performances are the ones where the audience feels both the music and the presence of the musician.