THEATRE ETIQUETTE

Shouldn't we already know this? Let's review...
by Loren A. Roberts (guru of multi-hyphenate media)

Quick mini-rant here today, because I attended an otherwise-wonderful performance at the Pasadena Symphony this weekend. It was a textbook case of what not to do at a show:

• When they get on the P.A. before the show and tell you to turn your cell phone off before the performance, it's not a guideline -- it truly kills the moment when your cell phone goes off right when the clarinet is hitting that transcendent high note. Turn the friggin' cell phone off. If you're too important to turn your cell phone off, you probably can afford to have the Symphony play at your private residence so you can answer the phone without disrupting our enjoyment of the show.
• When you bring children to a performance of any kind, go over the rules with them beforehand: no talking. No Gum Chewing and popping bubblegum. (Really!???!) No opening a bag of chips during the show. (Really!?!) Put the program down on the floor so that the kid is not rustling the papers through the whole performance.
• Even if the venue is not completely full, find your seat number and sit in it. Don't assume that you can sit anywhere. Unfortunately, right before the show starts, you are going to have to move because you are in someone else's seats.
• I have experienced many different parts of the world (including here in L.A.), and I love smells. But I don't love smells that I can't get away from, and I have family members who are allergic. If you're going to be sitting next to me, please shower, make sure that the coat you only wear once a year doesn't smell like mothballs, and go light on the perfume/cologne. Pleeeease!

There are plenty of concert/theatre etiquette lists online [here, here, and here are a few]. Make yourself and all of your friends aware of them, and let's make the show wonderful for everyone involved.

LOREN A. ROBERTS produces films, videos and music, designs magazines and logos, plays and sings in a rock-and-roll tribute band, and is a student of what happens when science and technology and the arts and culture collide. www.hearkencreative.com
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Comments

[Julie]

AMEN!!! And take that hard candy out of the wrapper before the performance starts!

[Loren A. Roberts (guru of multi-hyphenate media)]

Good one, Julie!

There's another one, too, which isn't as big of a deal but happened at the show: when listening to a piece with multiple movements, it is customary to hold applause until the whole composition is over. There was some scattered, embarrassed applause after the first movement of the Mozart. All one needs to do is consult the program before the show starts, to see how many movements are in each piece.

[Ali Gordon]

In response to the symphony movements, it's harder to gauge when and when not to clap in an opera (is this the end of the aria? Is there a recit section I need to wait for directly after?), so if you're not sure, wait to see what the rest of the crowd does! A few years ago I went to see Les contes d'Hoffmann at the Met, and after a particularly moving version of "Elle a fui, la tourterelle" I burst into wildly enthusiastic applause, only to find that I was the ONLY one clapping. As I was sitting on the aisle, I was able to receive death-glares from an entire row of theater patrons. Whoops! I guess it's a little pathetic that my enthusiasm was met with scorn, but I agree, if you can follow the rules, follow them. Keep the performance running smoothly.

[Loren A. Roberts (guru of multi-hyphenate media)]

Okay, Ali, you bring up two very good points.

First, I think it's bad form to publicly shame people for mistakes. I didn't turn around and glare at the parent for not keeping his kid quiet. That makes as much of a scene as the original distraction. So those people should not have scorned your enthusiasm.

Secondly, why scorn the enthusiasm at all? If something was so good that it moved you to immediate applause, then maybe it was the rest of the crowd who needed to be woken up! I have been in far too many concerts where the applause does not match the performance -- either too much applause for too little effort or too little applause for something that was truly transcendent. It used to be that everyone waited for the king or queen to applaud before they could begin with their applause; I would hope that we are a bit more democratic with our applause now.