Shakespeare said, " All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players". I think what he was getting at is that in many ways life is a performance; we learn as children how to "act", and as we get older we make decisions about who we are and adopt behaviors that express that self knowledge. Society expects us to behave in certain ways appropriate to our age and station. So to a certain degree we all are performers in our day-to-day lives, but that doesn't quite explain those who seek the spotlight as a primary source of self identity.
You probably have heard performers who say, "I only feel alive on stage", which I find a little sad and limiting. Yet it is those who are driven that find success as performers; it's not something one can undertake half-heartedly. In Nashville I met many musicians who came to town with a fire in their belly, and spent literally every moment singularly focused on getting onstage and noticed. Sometimes they seemed a little manic and I wondered if it was healthy, since the odds for fame and fortune are slim.
So why do some of us feel the need to get up onstage and why do we reward them so royally? Psychologically, one theory is that some feel the need to be "seen", and performing is a way to get the attention missing from their childhood. The spotlight and the applause becomes the parental approval they were denied. On the other hand, we've all seen "stage parents" who push their kids as well. While this analysis goes pretty deep, it does make sense and perhaps explains why some performers don't really enjoy performing for its own sake, aren't particularly entertaining, but nonetheless feel compelled to be the center of attention. Much more can be said about this and I'll have some more thoughts in future posts.
Personally, I have always been sort of neutral about performing. I started doing piano recitals when I was nine, was in theater in school, in bar bands and so on, so it sort of came naturally. I don't get stage fright, which of course can be paralyzing. As it turned out I stopped for twenty years and didn't particularly miss being onstage and only started up again when my passion for songwriting began. During that long hiatus I didn't really think I'd ever want to perform again, that part of my life was over.
In Nashville songwriters are expected to perform their own songs as part of networking with other writers, since most successful songs are co-written with two or more writers collaborating. I found I enjoyed the challenge of "selling" my songs in a competitive atmosphere of a writers night, but when I moved to Oregon I didn't think I'd continue. I was happily surprised to find a lively music scene here where one could perform in a winery tasting room, so I gave it a try. I'm playing solo doing my favorite songs and producing "Nashville style" shows with other local songwriters.
The result of this has been a whole new "act" in my play, to paraphrase Will S., and I'm having a great time!
Singer/Songwriter Rick Millward lived and worked on the West Coast until moving to Nashville in 2000. He was part of the Music City songwriter community, collaborating with other artists and producing over 30 projects in his boutique studio, including two EMMY nominated soundtracks. Now in Southern Oregon, Rick has discovered a vibrant local music scene centered around the many tasting rooms.
His latest record “Loveland” is available on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
