Fear, Magic, and the Stage: Why Performers Keep Coming Back to Live Theatre
Every so often, a conversation about performing drifts beyond scripts and stages and becomes something far more human.
In this episode of Showtime, Andrew G sits down with performer, writer and creator Olivia Mitchell — an artist who spends her nights stepping into other people’s lives on stage, while also building stories of her own.
What unfolds isn’t just a discussion about acting. It’s an honest reflection on nerves, creativity, storytelling, and the strange pull that keeps performers returning to the stage.
Because theatre isn’t just about performing.
It’s about connection.
And sometimes, about facing your fears in front of hundreds of people.
The Moment Before the Curtain
Ask most performers what they feel before walking on stage and you probably won’t hear the word “confidence.”
Olivia describes it more honestly: a strange mix of anxiety and excitement — the kind that makes you feel like you might throw up and run on stage at the same time.
For many performers, those emotions are inseparable. Fear and exhilaration exist side by side.
Yet despite that tension, artists keep returning.
Why?
Because the moment the performance begins, something changes. The nerves settle, the character takes over, and the story begins to breathe in front of a live audience.
And when it works, it’s electric.
The Myth That Acting Is Easy
One of the biggest misconceptions about performing is that it’s simple.
People often assume acting is just memorising lines and standing where the director tells you. Olivia laughs at that idea.
In reality, creating a character means building an entire human being. A performer has to understand how that character thinks, how they move, what memories they carry, how they relate to others and how they see the world around them.
It’s a deeply creative process.
Actors aren’t just reciting words.
They’re constructing lives.
And every performance is an attempt to make that life believable for the people watching.
When the Audience Becomes Part of the Story
One of the things Olivia loves most about theatre is something that can’t be controlled: the audience.
No two performances are ever the same. Some audiences laugh loudly and react to every moment. Others sit quietly, absorbing everything in silence.
Either way, their presence changes the energy of the show.
Actors feel it immediately.
That invisible exchange between stage and seats creates something unique every night — a shared moment that can’t be recreated or paused like a film or streaming show.
It’s fleeting, unpredictable, and completely alive.
And that’s exactly why performers love it.
Creating Your Own Opportunities
Like many artists, Olivia hasn’t just waited for roles to appear. She’s also stepped into the role of writer and creator.
For her, storytelling started long before professional theatre. As a child she imagined becoming an author, constantly writing down ideas and observing the world around her.
Those instincts never really disappeared.
Today, inspiration still comes from everyday life — a conversation overheard, a moment observed, a line someone says that suddenly sparks an entire story.
Writing, she explains, doesn’t always arrive neatly. Sometimes an idea sits quietly for years before it finally turns into something worth exploring.
But when it does, the reward is seeing a story come to life in front of an audience.
The Extra Fear of Performing Your Own Work
If performing someone else’s story is nerve-wracking, performing your own can feel even more vulnerable.
When the words, ideas and characters are yours, the stakes feel higher. You’re not only hoping the audience connects with your performance — you’re hoping they connect with the story itself.
But that vulnerability is also part of the process.
Every performance becomes an opportunity to refine the work, learn from the audience, and keep shaping the story.
Creativity, after all, is rarely perfect on the first try.
Shakespeare Under the Stars
In this production of The Tempest, Olivia isn’t performing inside a traditional theatre at all.
Instead, the show unfolds outdoors — in gardens, coastlines and open spaces across Victoria.
The setting changes everything.
Without theatre walls and artificial lighting, the audience feels closer to the story. Nature becomes part of the experience. The environment itself helps bring the magical world of Shakespeare to life.
And for many people, it removes the intimidation that sometimes surrounds classic theatre.
Shakespeare, Olivia believes, often seems scary when read on the page. But when performed live, the language suddenly becomes clear, funny and deeply human.
Stories that are hundreds of years old begin to feel surprisingly familiar.
Why Theatre Still Matters
In a world filled with streaming platforms and endless digital entertainment, live theatre might seem like a relic of the past.
But for Olivia, its value is exactly what technology can’t replicate.
When people gather to watch a story unfold in real time, something special happens. The audience and the performers share the same space, the same moment, the same emotional journey.
You can’t pause it.
You can’t rewind it.
You can only experience it together.
And that shared experience creates a connection that no screen can fully replace.
The Reason Artists Keep Going
Like many performers, Olivia admits she sometimes questions whether a career in the arts is sustainable.
That doubt is common.
But the love of storytelling — and the feeling of stepping into a character and connecting with an audience — keeps pulling artists back.
It’s not always logical.
It’s often nerve-wracking.
But it’s deeply fulfilling.
Because at its core, theatre is about something simple and timeless.
A group of people gathering together.
A story unfolding in front of them.
And for a moment, everyone in the room feeling something real.
