Relying on an audience

There are more and more themed running events, some more amusing (like adding "zombies") and some more extreme (running through brambled forests).

Some of these runs are brutal, with cold weather, damp conditions, and a near-guarantee to draw blood.  They're not very popular (go figure) but draw a very small group of sadists people who want to test themselves.  There's not a lot of glory involved, since they draw a smaller crowd, and from what I've heard, many don't finish some of these more extreme courses.

Where am I going with this?  Well, when you perform, are you performing for the audience?  Or for yourself?  Can you put out the same level of energy and skill when there's no one watching?  It's easy to say "yes" to that, but you might be surprised.

It's great to feed off the energy of an audience and return it in kind, but never rely on it to make your performance vibrant.  To that end, you have to make sure you do in practice what you want in performance - hold back in the former and I guarantee you it won't come out naturally in the latter!