Theater Etiquette
Theater cannot exist without an audience - they breathe life and meaning into a production almost as much as the cat, crew, and production team do. Audiences are the reason for theatre, they are who we share our stories with and who keep the theatre running! However, every time I am in a show, I am reminded that not everyone in the audience is familiar with proper theater etiquette. You probably already know or have at least heard most of this info, but it is worth repeating. I will also explain WHY these “rules” exist - I find that knowing why often helps the information stick.
The oldie-but-goodie, TURN OFF YOUR PHONE. Now this one I KNOW you have heard, but at least one person during every performance either checks their phone or has a ringer/alarm going off. The obvious reasoning is that it disturbs your fellow audience members who paid to see the show just like you. What you may not always realize though, is the actors can see you. They see the light from your phone, they see your entire face as you respond to that text, and they tell everyone backstage about the jerk in the 2nd row texting. In addition, it is incredibly distracting to the people on stage when an alarm goes off (taking the entire theater out of the magical escape and back into the “real world”). For example, in the show I am currently performing in (Man of La Mancha at Oceanside Theater Company - come check it out! We run until May 26th), there are two large stage combat scenes. While the purpose of these scenes is to further the plot of the show, the main focus of them for us actors is always safety, safety, safety. Now imagine you are about to kick as hard as you can just two inches from your friend’s face and right as you go to do it, a loud noise and bright light go off the opposite direction of where you need to look to aim…that’s pretty scary. Better yet, imagine you are the person getting kicking! For the safety of everyone and the sake of the illusion of theater, please turn your phone off. ALL THE WAY OFF. Next time you see a show.
Taking pictures and recording…just don’t do it. Again for safety and all the other reasons listed above. Not to mention, it’s illegal. The rights to producing these shows cost loads of money, don’t get the theater or yourself sued because you wanted to take home the magic (although we appreciate the compliment).
Dress somewhat nicely. Now, I know there are some theaters that are more casual than others, but in general, it’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed. Respect the time, effort, and minimum pay these actors, singers, musicians, crew, and production team are working with and put on some khakis. I’m not talking black-tie unless specified by the theater, but out of courtesy, please don’t show up in a t-shirt and shorts or whatever you wore to the beach that day.
For the love of Dionysus, do not critique the show or any ONE person’s performance until you are on your way home. In high school, my teacher called this the “Rule of 60,” meaning don’t say a word until you are going 60 miles an hour on the highway home. I am very lucky in that my mother never misses a show; she may not come to every single performance, but she flies from Texas to California every single time I am on stage. She’s a saint. BUT, this also means the mother of someone on stage could be sitting next to you. My mother is not the only one folks! You never know if the person next to, in front of, or behind you is the mom/dad/best friend of one of the actors, musicians, directors, or crew members. Believe me, my mom listens to every comment people have while she’s out there, and if you hate it, it WILL get back to the actors and break our hearts, please, just keep your negativity to yourself until you are on the way home.
Don’t be offended if your favorite characters do not stop to talk to you on their way out, or if they sneak out the back door. Theater is exhausting; anyone who has been a part of a production knows this. By the end of a show we are spent and to be blunt, sometimes (not always!) the last thing we feel like doing is mingling with strangers. We LOVE when people enjoy the show and it’s such an honor to have someone stop you and tell you what a great job they thought you did, but please do not take offense if the conversation is short; honestly, we’re usually just counting the minutes until we can eat.
I hope having this post provided some insight into why theater works the way it does and just how much those phones drive us actors crazy. I did not cover everything in this post by any means, but if you follow these suggestions you are sure to be a model audience member. If you have anything you’d like to add, please feel free to comment below!