We would have enjoyed last night's performance so much more if we hadn't been constantly distracted by the audience members in the row in front of us. I was completely irritated, but then thought well maybe these people have never seen a show before and they just don't know the do's and don'ts of attending live theater. Yes, I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt because there were many children in the audience, but let's face it, many of the offenders were adults and the example for their children. This is also not an exaggeration, by any long stretch, but between the constant talking during the show, the million questions that any 4 year old asks, the getting up and out of their seats no less than ten times, the switching from seat to seat, the cell phone being used to let the 4 year old watch videos on it while the show is going on, and the light up shoes on the kids that lit up our area with every moment, it was all just too much to take. Oh and did I mention the parent actually climbed over the seat in front of them to retrieve something? I asked politely if they could please keep the noise down, and it was met with a blank stare as if they didn't understand that they were doing something wrong. Clearly this mother had absolutely no clue, so if you reading this blog and also have no clue, here is a friendly reminder of the Do's and Don'ts of Theater Etiquette.
1. Arrive early, not late. If you're late, you may be held out and have to wait until intermission and miss parts of the show. People who arrive late are disturbing the performers as well as the audience members. To put it simply . . .it's annoying, and rude. Just don't do it.
2. Sitting in a live show is NOT like a movie theatre. It's much quieter. The performers who you are there to watch, also deserve that respect to actually listen to them. They work very hard to put on a stellar show with every performance, so please show the respect they deserve and actually listen to them.
3. The overture is part of the performance. Please don't talk during this time. If you don't know what an overture is, you might want to look that up.
4. When the theater announcer tells you to turn your cell phones off, it's not just for the sake of the ringer, which by the way, you should turn the ringer completely OFF (the person next to you can actually hear the vibration too). The other reason for turning off your phone is because the glare is also very distracting, and flipping through photos, watching videos, and checking social media during the performance is a BIG no no. I'd like to use other words to describe the tingling sensation that this situation creates on my nerve endings, but I realize that children may be reading this blog too so I'm making this a "G" rated blog. You're welcome.
5. If you have candy or other things you plan to consume during the show, please open the packaging before the show. There's nothing worse than hearing crinkling of candy wrappers during the quiet moments of the show. It's like nails on a chalkboard.
6. Don't talk during the show. I mean it's okay to whisper a comment or two about something that might be happening, but engaging in an ongoing verbal conversation while the show is going on prevents the audience members around you from hearing what is happening on stage. Please wait to have your conversations during the intermission and after the show.
7. Please don't start a 'sing-a-long'. It's tempting sometimes, we know, as I especially have the voice of an angel (that's a joke). But if you want to sing on Broadway, then you're gonna have to audition like those people up onstage did. Your fellow Broadway fans paid money to hear them flex their vocal muscles, not you.
8. Respect the space and comfort of those around you. The average seat in a theater makes that economy airline seat look like one on a private jet. With that said, you can still be a good neighbor, and not hog up the arm rest, and take up the valued leg room in front of you. Also, go easy on the perfume. The last show I saw left me gagging for clean air. The person next to me had so much perfume on (and not the good kind), that I felt like I needed an inhaler to breath normally again. Good thing I wasn't actually allergic!
9. Those cute light up shoes that your kid loves to wear, and jump and pounce on are not cute in a dark theater setting. Leave those at home, and your audience members will thank you for your consideration.
10. Ah, children and theater. That brings up other things to consider. Attending a live theater performance can be a wonderful and memorable experience for even young children. If you teach it the right way, you will be cultivating appreciation for a love of live theatre. Done poorly, you can create an awful experience for your child and the people seated around you. There are things you should mention to your children BEFORE you attend the performance so they understand what's expected. These things include being quiet, and sitting in their own seat and not talking or fidgeting during the show. They should also not kick the seats in front of them. We know that kids will be kids right? Well if you think these things will be a problem during a show, then maybe wait a few years until they are mature enough to see a live production. This would be so much better than creating a bad experience for those around them.
Some of these things seem so self evident, but clearly after last night's not-so-fun experience, it was necessary to reiterate them. Thank you for reading and keeping up with the blog. I'll get down off my soap box now. Have a great day!
1. Arrive early, not late. If you're late, you may be held out and have to wait until intermission and miss parts of the show. People who arrive late are disturbing the performers as well as the audience members. To put it simply . . .it's annoying, and rude. Just don't do it.
2. Sitting in a live show is NOT like a movie theatre. It's much quieter. The performers who you are there to watch, also deserve that respect to actually listen to them. They work very hard to put on a stellar show with every performance, so please show the respect they deserve and actually listen to them.
3. The overture is part of the performance. Please don't talk during this time. If you don't know what an overture is, you might want to look that up.
4. When the theater announcer tells you to turn your cell phones off, it's not just for the sake of the ringer, which by the way, you should turn the ringer completely OFF (the person next to you can actually hear the vibration too). The other reason for turning off your phone is because the glare is also very distracting, and flipping through photos, watching videos, and checking social media during the performance is a BIG no no. I'd like to use other words to describe the tingling sensation that this situation creates on my nerve endings, but I realize that children may be reading this blog too so I'm making this a "G" rated blog. You're welcome.
5. If you have candy or other things you plan to consume during the show, please open the packaging before the show. There's nothing worse than hearing crinkling of candy wrappers during the quiet moments of the show. It's like nails on a chalkboard.
6. Don't talk during the show. I mean it's okay to whisper a comment or two about something that might be happening, but engaging in an ongoing verbal conversation while the show is going on prevents the audience members around you from hearing what is happening on stage. Please wait to have your conversations during the intermission and after the show.
7. Please don't start a 'sing-a-long'. It's tempting sometimes, we know, as I especially have the voice of an angel (that's a joke). But if you want to sing on Broadway, then you're gonna have to audition like those people up onstage did. Your fellow Broadway fans paid money to hear them flex their vocal muscles, not you.
8. Respect the space and comfort of those around you. The average seat in a theater makes that economy airline seat look like one on a private jet. With that said, you can still be a good neighbor, and not hog up the arm rest, and take up the valued leg room in front of you. Also, go easy on the perfume. The last show I saw left me gagging for clean air. The person next to me had so much perfume on (and not the good kind), that I felt like I needed an inhaler to breath normally again. Good thing I wasn't actually allergic!
9. Those cute light up shoes that your kid loves to wear, and jump and pounce on are not cute in a dark theater setting. Leave those at home, and your audience members will thank you for your consideration.
10. Ah, children and theater. That brings up other things to consider. Attending a live theater performance can be a wonderful and memorable experience for even young children. If you teach it the right way, you will be cultivating appreciation for a love of live theatre. Done poorly, you can create an awful experience for your child and the people seated around you. There are things you should mention to your children BEFORE you attend the performance so they understand what's expected. These things include being quiet, and sitting in their own seat and not talking or fidgeting during the show. They should also not kick the seats in front of them. We know that kids will be kids right? Well if you think these things will be a problem during a show, then maybe wait a few years until they are mature enough to see a live production. This would be so much better than creating a bad experience for those around them.
Some of these things seem so self evident, but clearly after last night's not-so-fun experience, it was necessary to reiterate them. Thank you for reading and keeping up with the blog. I'll get down off my soap box now. Have a great day!
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