Short Courses & Events / Archive

‘Disarming’ Performance Anxiety: Re-engaging the joy of performing by becoming more resilient in our innate vulnerability

Tuesday 29th October 2024, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (London Time)

Dr Mark Seton's overview:

Performance anxiety is a complex and potentially confusing label often used to give meaning to a diverse range of bodily experiences and cognitive beliefs that inhibit our capacity to perform in an optimal manner. However, through my research and coaching on vulnerability and actor wellbeing, I have found that we can reduce the effects of performance anxiety when we choose to move consciously towards greater competency in technique, deeper connection with the audience and vulnerable pleasure in our craft.

In this workshop, I will offer practical, playful and holistic strategies to ‘dis-arm’ three factors of being human that can impact our capacity to perform: doubt, shame and trauma. Firstly, through an awareness of body data, body knowledge and body wisdom, we’ll identify energetic preferences in performers that may undermine performance potential. Secondly, we’ll explore playful ways to allow the body to give ‘voice’ to how it may hold tension and need to find release. Thirdly, we’ll invite both storytelling and playfulness to process moments of past shaming that still disempower us. Overall, I will guide us through three resilient vulnerability phases I have identified – presence, perception and play – that can give us all agency AND connection for optimal performing that brings us joy.

Dr Mark Seton

Dr Mark Seton is an Honorary Research Associate (Department of Performance Studies) at the University of Sydney. He lectures in screen performance and drama at Excelsia College.

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Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.

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Sorry, this is an archived short course...

We have plenty of upcoming short courses coming soon. See details of some of them below or look at the full list of short courses.

Performing Pain: Vocal Health in Emotional Roles!
Thursday 19th February 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 26th February 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)

Performing Pain: Vocal Health in Emotional Roles!

Louisa Morgan

How connected are acted emotions to our real-life emotions? Are they expressed differently? Do they feel different in the body? This 2-part course with Louisa Morgan looks at the potential impact of acted emotion on vocal health, why we should consider it as voice practitioners, and how to care for our performers needing to work with it.

Incorporating CBT principles within vocal health and voice care
Tuesday 24th February 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Incorporating CBT principles within vocal health and voice care

Dr Luke Aldridge-Waddon

Join Dr Luke Waddon as he introduces the principles and techniques within cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) in relation to the voice and voice care. He will discuss psychological factors relevant to the development and maintenance of voice disorders and how these might be approached from a cognitive-behavioural perspective. He will describe theoretical concepts and therapeutic components often used within CBT and consider how these might be applied when working with voice users.

Sex differences in VOICE!
Tuesday 3rd March 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Sex differences in VOICE!

Dr Richard Lissemore

This two-hour workshop, led by performer, articulatory phoneticist, and voice physiologist, Dr. Richard Lissemore, will examine in detail the role that biological sex plays in the perception and pedagogy of singing voices. We'll consider how parameters such as anatomy, physiology, articulation, resonance, and radiated acoustics influence the perceptions and pedagogical decision-making of singing teachers.