What to Do If Something Goes Wrong on Stage
During Saturday’s March for Our Lives, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School student Samantha Fuentes, a wounded survivor of the shooting,took the stage to address thousands of protesters with fervent speeches . In the middle of the performance, she ducked behind the podium and vomited.
The crowd fell silent, then a restless whisper hung in the air as the cameras turned away. Less than a minute later, Fuentes reappeared with a smile and a cry: “I just vomited on international television, and that’s great!” Cheers and applause rang out in the audience as she immediately returned to her speech.
There are several things now that are more embarrassing than the idea of experiencing involuntary body functioning in front of millions of people. Nonetheless, Fuentes, the teenager, knows the secret to defeating what was likely the result of her nerves as well as her trauma: it’s you . You raise your hand and say, “Aha, it was me!” You offer a joke so that everyone knows that you are okay, that you can admit what happened and laugh together because you are complicit in it. Then you go back to what you were doing again.
Fuentes’ speech was unusual for several reasons, and we are not saying that the focus should be on her illness. But we do think she taught us an important lesson in grace in adversity – a lesson that we can use in our real life.
The chances of throwing up on stage are pretty low in most cases. But there is always the possibility that something will go wrong: your slideshow stops working, you spontaneously burp right into the microphone. If something awkward (or even horrible) happens to you on stage, remember what Fuentes showed us all: we are all part of a community. Moments that are inconvenient for you are just as inconvenient for people watching you. They are between concern and the urge to laugh. When you offer them a way out, admitting what happened, they will love you for it! Not to mention, they’ll be impressed that you continued acting after the fact.
Believe it or not, overcoming an unpleasant moment on stage can work for you much more than it does harm. What may have been just great speech is now also an example of your good sense of humor, your tenacity, and how well you deal with yourself under pressure. So don’t worry if something goes wrong: just follow Fuentes’ lead and admit it.