{"id":88,"date":"2010-09-22T23:31:41","date_gmt":"2010-09-23T04:31:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.premiercustomtravel.com\/blog1\/?p=88"},"modified":"2015-06-02T14:25:15","modified_gmt":"2015-06-02T19:25:15","slug":"the-lost-art-of-theatre-etiquette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiercustomtravel.com\/blog1\/?p=88","title":{"rendered":"The Lost Art of Theatre Etiquette"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just returned from a wonderful live theatre production by a local group of professional actors.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the entire experience was almost overshadowed by some inapporpriate (and at times unbelievable) audience behavior.\u00a0 Since our company specializes in trips to see the best of Broadway, perhaps it’s time for a quick refresher course on what you should (and shouldn’t) do when attending a show.\u00a0 Before reading, make sure your tongue is planted firmly in cheek.<\/p>\n

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  1. TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONES AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES<\/strong> – Yes, most theatres make an announcement about this prior to the show, but really, shouldn’t it be common sense?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Oh, and while we’re at it, I mean OFF, not vibrate, not low volume ringing…OFF.\u00a0 Yes, I can hear your phone vibrating in your purse during the most emotional moment of the show.\u00a0 If you can’t be away from your\u00a0electronic toys for two to three hours at a time, just stay home.<\/li>\n
  2. NO PHOTOGRAPHY OF ANY KIND<\/strong> – Another thing they usually announce, but it\u00a0seems that some people think, “Oh, that doesn’t apply to me.”\u00a0 There are a million reasons not to do it (it’s distracting to the actors and the people around you) but quite frankly, if the theatre says no, then you should respect that.<\/li>\n
  3. NO TALKING<\/strong> – Yes, we all know that’s (insert famous\u00a0actor) and he\/she was in (insert favorite movie).\u00a0 You\u00a0don’t need to tell us when they come on stage.\u00a0 We have a Playbill and have access to the same information.\u00a0 Yes, that was a funny joke.\u00a0 We heard it.\u00a0 No need to repeat it.\u00a0 The plot is confusing?\u00a0 That’s why we’ve conveniently scheduled an intermission so\u00a0we can catch you up.\u00a0 Talking is WELCOMED during the intermission and after the final curtain.\u00a0 But no matter how quiet you think you’re being, you’re not.\u00a0 So\u00a0don’t talk — at all.\u00a0 No whispering…nothing.<\/li>\n
  4. NO EATING OR DRINKING<\/strong> – Unfortunately, some theatres have started allowing food and\u00a0drinks in the seating areas.\u00a0 Even so, don’t do it.\u00a0 Ice rattling around in a cup is\u00a0distracting, not to mention the LOUD\u00a0wrappers on your candy and chips.\u00a0 The cell\u00a0phone rule also applies here –\u00a0if you can’t wait 2-3 hours to eat, then stay home.\u00a0 Or even better – go to a\u00a0restaurant, where you can talk, have your phone on and do all the other annoying things that you shouldn’t be doing here.<\/li>\n
  5. DON’T RUN FOR THE\u00a0EXIT WHEN THE FINAL SONG ENDS<\/strong> –\u00a0Maybe you didn’t notice, but\u00a050-60 people, including actors, musicians and backstage workers just put on an exhausting show for you.\u00a0 Sure, you paid for a ticket, but they deserve some respect.\u00a0\u00a0How about a little clapping?\u00a0\u00a0Really, you can’t spare an extra 2-3 minutes to thank them?\u00a0 Even if you didn’t like the show, leaving is rude and yes, they can SEE you.\u00a0 Maybe, out of respect, you should just stand there in silence.\u00a0 Your car will still be in the parking lot.\u00a0 Oh, yes, I forgot — traffic.\u00a0 Well, I refer you to #1 and #4 – stay home.<\/li>\n
  6. SHOW UP ON TIME – OR EVEN BETTER – EARLY<\/strong> – Unlike the movies, there are no previews or commercials before a live show.\u00a0 If it says 8pm on the ticket, you can bet it will start close to that time.\u00a0 Everyone else made it on time, so really you have no\u00a0excuse.\u00a0 Leave the house earlier.\u00a0\u00a0Skip dessert at the restaurant.\u00a0 But whatever\u00a0you do, get there on time.\u00a0 There’s nothing worse than a whole row of people (not to mention the hundreds of people behind them) getting distracted because YOU can’t be on time.\u00a0 I’d support fully a NO LATE SEATING policy.\u00a0 I\u00a0rarely arrive before half-hour (30 minutes prior to curtain) and usually arrive an\u00a0hour early.\u00a0 Most facilities\u00a0have bars and restaurants.\u00a0 Oh – and chairs.\u00a0 So get there\u00a0early and relax.\u00a0 Maybe they’ll give you something free to read while you’re waiting.\u00a0 Or perhaps you could go to the bathroom, so you don’t have to…<\/li>\n
  7. LEAVING DURING A PERFORMANCE<\/strong> – Getting up to get another beer is fine at the ballpark but not cool at the theatre.\u00a0 You should only leave the auditorium in an extreme emergency (checking your Facebook doesn’t count) and you should expect\u00a0that you may not be let back\u00a0in until a suitable break in the show.\u00a0 I once saw “Phantom of the Opera” on a sunny afternoon in Houston.\u00a0 People were coming and\u00a0going throughout the usually darkly-lit show and\u00a0each time the doors opened, the arena and stage were both flooded with light.\u00a0 It ruined the effect and the show overall.<\/li>\n
  8. THINK ABOUT YOUR FELLOW AUDIENCE MEMBERS<\/strong> – This should be a basic life lesson – stop thinking just about yourself and consider others.\u00a0\u00a0How is my behavior affecting those around me?\u00a0 Am I too loud?\u00a0 Am\u00a0I fidgiting too much?\u00a0 I honestly think that some people don’t realize that they are being distracting or rude, but\u00a0 if they simply looked at it from afar, they’d see it and be completely embarrassed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Seems so simple, doesn’t it?\u00a0 Most of this\u00a0stuff is simple common sense.\u00a0\u00a0If everyone would\u00a0try to live by these\u00a0suggestions, live theatre would be an even more amazing experience.\u00a0\u00a0But there are a few other suggestions to remember – the things you SHOULD do.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. ENJOY THE SHOW<\/strong> – Relax and let the pros entertain you.\u00a0 By turning off the\u00a0phone, not talking and not eating, you’re completely free to escape from the real world for a few hours.<\/li>\n
    2. LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE ARE ENCOURAGED<\/strong> – If you’re amused, let that laugh out.\u00a0 Enjoy\u00a0that song or performance?\u00a0 Loud applause is completely appropriate and quite frankly, the best\u00a0compliment the actors can get.<\/li>\n
    3. TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE SHOW<\/strong> – Live theatre is a unique art form.\u00a0 Many people who have never been to a Broadway show have misconceptions\u00a0that have kept them from attending.\u00a0 Tell them how much fun they’ll have or even better, take them to a show.\u00a0 You’ll be helping to promote a great American tradition and you’ll both have a wonderful time.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      So the next time you hear that announcement right before the curtain goes up, remember: Yes, these rules apply to me.\u00a0 Now where is that cell phone?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Just returned from a wonderful live theatre production by a local group of professional actors.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the entire experience was almost overshadowed by some inapporpriate (and at times unbelievable) audience behavior.\u00a0 Since our company specializes in trips to see the best of Broadway, perhaps it’s time for a quick refresher course on what you should (and shouldn’t) do when attending […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[7,78],"class_list":["post-88","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-traveltips","tag-broadway","tag-etiquette"],"fifu_image_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premiercustomtravel.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premiercustomtravel.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premiercustomtravel.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premiercustomtravel.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premiercustomtravel.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=88"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.premiercustomtravel.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2594,"href":"https:\/\/www.premiercustomtravel.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88\/revisions\/2594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premiercustomtravel.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=88"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premiercustomtravel.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=88"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premiercustomtravel.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=88"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}