The other night I went to a play at my alma mater (my high
school). I walked in thinking I knew what to expect from a typical small-
town, high school auditorium on a Friday night kind of audience. I thought
that my years of performing in that very same auditorium had prepared me
to sit in the audience. Boy was I wrong. I was appalled by the lack of
courtesy on the part of the audience towards both the performers and other
audience members. I expected some level of disrespect, after all, these
people were small town residents out to see their sons and daughters in a
play, not serious theatre connoisseurs. But it was more than I had
expected.
With funding for theatre and music programs dwindling all across
the country, many people’s experience with theatre and music performances
has been drastically reduced, resulting in a loss of knowledge as a general
population as to how to act in that type of situation. From my somewhat
limited experience in the theatre, I have learned a few basic rules of
theatre etiquette. I present them to you here, in hopes that I may in some
small way make people’s theatre viewing more enjoyable in the future.
#1) It is considered polite to dress up when you attend a performance of any kind. There is a reason for this, it’s not tradition or anything like that. The reason for dressing up is to show respect for the performers.
Now, this doesn’t mean you have to wear a tuxedo to a high school play. In most towns, attending a play at the high school is the same thing as going to a basketball game, and so most people don’t feel inclined to dress up. There are also several other obvious exceptions to this rule, such as an outdoor theatre performance, or a rock concert, etc.. etc… However, when attending a professional theatre performance, such as one of those put on at the civic auditorium in Portland, one should at least make an attempt to look nice. Last summer when I went to The Phantom of The Opera in Portland, there was this guy sitting a couple of rows behind me who was wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and a Bulls hat. Everyone else was wearing suits and ties and evening gowns and here is this guy dressed like he was going to a basketball game or something. Needless to say, he looked a little out of place. Everyone kept staring at him like you see in the movies when some hick shows up at a fancy dinner party wearing cut-offs. He felt really stupid, and everyone with him was embarrassed.
#2) It is considered impolite to leave to go to the bathroom (or anywhere else) in the middle of a performance. When I was at the play at my high school, there was a constant stream of people going to and from the bathroom during the entire performance. This is why intermission was invented.. In most places, including some high schools, the doors to the auditorium are locked while a group is on stage, it doesn’t matter if it is a drama group or a band or whatever, you cannot leave the room until they leave the stage. At the civic auditorium, the lock the doors while a performance is taking place, the only time they are opened is during intermission. So if you are late for the show, you spent fifty dollars on a ticket to watch the play on a tiny TV monitor in the lobby.
#3) Excessive talking during a performance is also considered rude. It’s okay to make the occasional quiet comment to your companion about the play, but extended conversations about just about anything are generally frowned upon. This is rude not only to the performers, but also to those around you who are trying to hear the play. This is especially unnerving at a high school performance. Most high schools either don’t have a sufficient sound system or have no sound system at all, and because of this it is hard enough to hear the play without having to try and tune out some guy sitting next to you talking about the Knicks game. It can also be very unnerving to an actor onstage, especially at the high school level, where most actors are relatively inexperienced. When I was at the play last week, I was constantly striving to hear the actors over the constant comments of some guy to my left and the whining of the kids sitting on my right. This really detracts from the enjoyment of a performance by not only distracting other audience members, but by also impairing the ability of the actors to effectively perform.
#4) Try and be aware of the other members of the audience. Especially where shorter audience members are concerned. If you are six feet tall and you sit in front of a four-foot child, chances are they aren’t going to be able to see. Or, if you have an excessively large hairstyle it can hinder other audience members’ viewing. I must have missed half of that play because some lady in front me was sporting the beehive from hell and I couldn’t see a thing.
I don’t claim to be the all-knowing god of all that is theatre. I don’t know all there is to know. But I do think that everyone should at least keep in mind these simple rules of etiquette. But, I also think more people should make an effort to go out and see a play, but that’s another column…
Copyright 1998, The Commuter, Albany OR, Reprinted with permission
