KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN
Your eyes are doing more storytelling than you think. When they disappear, so does the audience’s access to you. What feels intense on your end can read as absence on theirs.
YOUR EYES TELL THE STORY
Actors often close their eyes at peak moments.
I’m a Broadway audition coach, and while it can feel truthful, it cuts off connection. The audience can’t track your thoughts if they can’t see them.
Your eyes are how we read your inner life — not as a metaphor, but as a practical tool.
WHY WE LOOK AWAY
Looking down, closing your eyes, turning away — that’s human.
It’s how we protect ourselves when something feels vulnerable or overwhelming.
But in performance, protection reads as withdrawal.
And the moments you want to hide are usually the moments we most want to see.
MAKE IT A CHOICE, NOT A REFLEX
You’re allowed to look away.
But it should serve the story, not your comfort.
If you remove eye contact, know why. Track what it communicates, then bring us back in.
USE FOCAL POINTS
Give your eyes somewhere to live.
Create a “partner space” and a “thinking space.” Engage with your partner, then shift to a visible place (not down) when you need to process a thought.
Let the audience watch you think instead of disappearing.
Then bring the idea back to your partner.
CATCH AND ADJUST
If you notice yourself closing your eyes or dropping your gaze, don’t panic. Just respond.
Open them. Lift your focus. Reconnect.
That awareness alone can shift the entire moment.
STAY AVAILABLE
The audience wants access to you.
If your eyes are open and engaged, they can follow your thoughts, your shifts, your discoveries.
That’s what keeps them invested.
🥜 IN A NUTSHELL
If we can’t see your eyes, we can’t see you. Keep them available, make your focus intentional, and let the audience witness the moment instead of missing it.
