ABSTRACT
Approach your first performance as if it is a dress rehearsal. Actually, considering that the audience is an integral part of any effective performance, your first live performance is really the first time the entire “cast” is assembled. In this sense, you and your audience are partners in the same production. Your first live performance is the time to begin to get a sense of how to, if not include, at least respond to the audience’s subtle reactions to your work. Listen and feel carefully, and an audience will change your work for the better. But though you certainly would like as many people at your premiere as possible, you probably don’t want critics or other important decision makers present for this first attempt.
