Theater or acting classes may not be the first thing a lot of musicians think of when they’re looking for ways to pump up their live music performances. In fact, learning a bit about acting can be of huge benefit when you’re looking to connect with an audience.

There’s ultimately more to putting on a great live music performance than musicianship alone, and technical prowess isn’t everything. Stagecraft is a very real thing, and it’s not taught in most music schools. Acting and theater classes are where you can really learn to work the stage to your advantage.

Just as a few of the benefits you might gain, depending on what sort of classes you take:

• Better audience awareness, and how to build rapport.
• Use of all the space the stage provides.
• Learning to project your emotions further into the audience.
• Better use of stage design and lighting techniques.
• Advanced technical\wiring tricks.
• More moves for your repertoire.
• Improvisational techniques.

There can be across-the-board improvements to pretty much every area of your live show that’s not directly related to playing your instrument. After all, audiences are there for an experience, and everything that happens from the time the house lights dim is part of that show.

Adding to the experience with a theatrical awareness will only make your shows and stage presence better.

Acting classes are especially helpful for growing your live music performance to match your growing fanbase and venues. One of the hardest things in any live performance is making sure that everyone in the audience gets the impact of a show.

Crafting a show that’s big enough that even people in the nosebleed seats can appreciate is difficult, especially if you don’t want to seem totally hammy to people upfront. A knowledge of acting and stagecraft gives you a lot more tools for getting your performance out to everybody.

So, if you’re looking for new ways to boost your live performances, an acting class could really pay off. Keep thinking bigger to ensure your stage shows are a continued success!