One piece of good news to come out of the pandemic is our increased awareness about the importance of maintaining good mental health. For training performers this is especially important, and change is happening.
Rose Bruford College has recently appointed an in-house counsellor as one of its permanent members of staff. Previously students were signposted through student services to organisations outside of the school, so this appointment will shorten the distance students have to go for support.
This kind of structural change is a positive sign for students everywhere. If mental health support services become a fundamental part of how universities operate, then access to them is something all students can expect. But where is the support once performers are out in the wide world?
An epiphany
It would surprise anyone who has seen Georgi Mottram perform to know that she was a shy teenager. At school she barely spoke, when friends asked if she had enjoyed her weekend, she would nod and turn away.
Georgi is now an extraordinarily successful soprano, singing teacher, and vocal practitioner. With her all-female singing group, Ida Girls, she regularly performs around the world. She has sung alongside the likes of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Russell Watson, and has even been nominated for a classical Brit award.
Growing up in Jersey, she admits that there were few opportunities for a singer who aspired to the West End stage. So much so, that when a visiting vocal coach told her that she might have what it takes to become professional, she didn't even realise that was possible.
Leaving home to train in Manchester, she struggled in the first year of her studies. Until she had an epiphany, and made the conscious decision, at 17 years old, to become more confident. And it worked – Georgi discovered who she was as a performer and nurtured her unique sense of show-womanship, before entering the profession with a huge sense of confidence.
A collapse in confidence
Some years down the line, and it is that same conscious re-framing of fear that has supported her through some crippling periods of anxiety and stress. When Ida Girls were at the height of their pre-Covid success, Georgi was regularly flying around the world with her fellow sopranos to perform in some of the most high-profile events on the classical calendar.
But the stress of overwork in addition to a sequence of highly emotional events in her personal life contributed to a sudden collapse in confidence. Her anxiety levels were so bad that she struggled to socialise with friends and family, let alone sing.
A combination of therapy and medication failed to provide her with the solution she needed to get her back on stage, and so after much googling she stumbled across a Breathwork tutorial on YouTube.
The morning after completing the session online, she says the change was visceral. Through a process of simple breathing and visualisation techniques she had found that her problem might not be entirely psychological but also physical.
A step to help others
Georgi is now a Breathwork practitioner, supporting clients on a bespoke one-to-one basis as well as offering more informal group sessions online. She works with singers and performers to alleviate feelings of anxiety and stress that can hamper performers at any stage in their career.
We are living through incredibly stressful times, and Georgi says that the techniques she recommends to West End singers are equally applicable to the general public. The first strategy she recommends is to alter our language around fear.
The phrase ‘stage fright’ is a term she loathes, and she explains how the sensation might better be described as an ‘adrenalin overflow’. When the fight or flight instinct is triggered, the body floods with adrenalin, which can be paralysing. Learning to understand this process, observe when it is happening, and finding personal solutions is the key.
How to manage ‘adrenalin overflow’
Preparing the body is crucial. Being centred, strong, and standing tall can in turn make you feel more capable of succeeding in your task. Georgi also explains that the body cannot distinguish between reality and our imagination – this is why we wake up in a cold sweat after a particularly vivid nightmare. You can use this to your advantage by consciously visualising your success and stepping into it. Olympic athletes use this approach in high pressure settings – so why shouldn't performers?
Finally, if you can pinpoint exactly what your fear is, then you can create and repeat positive affirmations to overcome it. If you are worried about being judged for instance, then a helpful affirmation might be ‘I feel safe on stage’.
Georgi is an extraordinarily talented singer who has experienced the paralysing impact of anxiety and found a healthy way to manage it. She insists anxiety is not a reflection of your ability – performers at all levels can suffer from ‘adrenalin overflow’. Eva Noblezada and Camilo Cabello have both been vocal recently about their own challenges.
The key is to talk about it, share your thoughts with someone you trust, and find rational, conscious solutions that will help you towards becoming a relaxed and powerful performer.
For more information go to @breathewithgeorgi, www.powerofthebreath.co.uk or www.georgimottram.com