Adepero Oduye Quotes

In the sixth grade, I auditioned for a play called 'Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.' I got the lead, and I was terrified, but I went and did it.

As soon as I got up on that stage, and I remembered how welcoming and warming the judges, their presence is, and it was just all uphill from there.

I know what it feels like to walk out in front of a sold-out crowd of a thousand people that are there for you, and how good that feels, but as an opener, you just have to train yourself to think that it's going to be harder.

In 'The Sound of Music,' I was a von Trapp daughter in a white dress with a blue satin sash, and my line was, 'I'm Brigitta. I'm 12, and all I want is a good time.' I got a laugh. And I was so delighted, I laughed, too. Sadly, that's a problem I still have - onstage, I laugh hysterically at how funny I am.

Being surrounded with such positive people always helps.

This has not changed: always like the first time, very, very nervous. But when the music begins, you are in the music, it's a sort of transformation. Your feeling for the music is greater and has nothing to do with your nerves. You go out of yourself.

The whole thing with playing on a stage with mics and all that has always been kind of uncomfortable to me.

It's really fun to be on stage in front of people.

I've never done regional theater, and I'm getting to make my Broadway debut as a principal, playing a pretty cool part, so there are probably people keeping an eye on me to see if I'll trip up.

I wouldn't have the experience or the confidence to go on 'AGT' without being on 'Little Big Shots' because doing 'Little Big Shots' was really fun, but it was also really good practice for my appearance on 'AGT,' and it was just a great, awesome experience that I will remember always.

'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa' has helped me shed my inhibitions. Dancing in front of an audience was not easy for me. But I managed it and got progressively comfortable with the audience as the weeks progressed.

I've always loved acting but never thought I could do theatre because I got the worst stage fright ever.

When you go out on stage and you greet the crowd, there's nothing like it.

So initially getting up on stage I was really nervous, I was like, 'wow, I'm going to be standing there and all these people are going to be looking at me?' But funnily enough it wasn't too traumatic. It felt quite natural because I felt I looked good and I knew how to do the poses.

It's a really strange thing to be doing, to go on stage and all of a sudden have bright lights and spotlights.

Very few people know what it's like being onstage looking out at a sea of bodies.

It doesn't sound that cool to say it, but I still get nervous for any show. But it's different degrees - playing a small basement of a club versus playing a festival like Firefly or Bonnaroo. The feeling is, 'Crap, I'm about to be blasted in the face,' and once you get started, then it's like, 'OK, I've done this before. I know what I'm doing.'

Everyone will clearly be a bit nervous and scared before going onstage. But what I do is just remember that this is my passion. Once I get on the stage and see everyone smiling and looking at me, the joy that it brings to me makes me forget all about my nerves.

I've been nervous a number of times. Your first start. Playing in the Super Bowl. Your first Super Bowl. Very nerve-racking. The one thing that you can always fall back on is that you know what you are doing. You know how to play the game.

I think actually performing on stage when everyone's facing you and you're one person facing them, that is quite a lonely thing in a strange way. You have to be quite insular from everybody else, you've got thousands of people staring at you and you're just on your own.

I remember my first ever gig in town, I was very nervous. I had a big red shiny face. But that all disappeared after 30 seconds and I settled down and got a great lift from that.

If you're nervous you think: 'I don't want to make mistakes or give the ball away.' But you limit your own qualities then.

I don't feel like I'm the type of performer who's going to knock your socks off. I'm trying to get over my nerves.

I remember going on stage for the very first time as a solo act, I was probably, like, nine or 10 years old. And being backstage, I started having anxiety... I was literally getting sick.

I always liked performing. I always liked being in front of people. That's one of the things I loved about law; we had mock trials, and I got to go up and state my case. But I took an acting class, and after my first class, I was hooked.