Adults with bad theater etiquette

[SnuggleBuggles]

I have been going to plays, musicals, and other performances for most of my life so I know the drill pretty well. It annoys the heck out of me that other adults do not have good theater manners.

-If you feel a need to eat cough drops, unwrap them before the show starts not during it. It's hard to focus on Cosette singing about her castle on a cloud when you are crinkling your stupid wrapper!

-Don't leave or come back during the middle of the song. Wait for an appropriate moment. Ushers should take some responsibility here too. Same goes for if you are late.

-Obviously, no talking.

-Why do you need to leave at the beginning of the last song? Do you really hate traffic that much? You really miss some good stuff. I can understand if the show really stinks (I have left bad shows before too). But, The Lion King? It was really good!

I know there are more offenses but you get my drift. I'm working hard to train my ds to be a good theater goer. :)

Beth

[elizabethkott]

Oh, Beth! You are a woman after my own heart!!!
As a theatre teacher, I think it is of the utmost importance to train future audiences in the proper, respectful way to behave at a theatre. So many people these days seem to forget that the people up on stage are not the same as the people in the box in your living room or the people on the big screen at the movie theatre - they can HEAR you!!!!!
If it makes you feel better, we recently took a group of 30 students into NYC to see Wintuk. They were appalled and outraged at bad ettiqutte as well! So I guess we're making them aware...
Sorry that your theatre experience was marred by stupid people. And boo on the ushers for not doing anything! I know they get to see the show for free and everything, but come on - do your job!

[trales]

I am so there with you guys.

Don't wear jeans and a scuzzy top to the world premier of a new piece at the Boston Ballet. Come on. Is it so hard to put on something nice. Last time I was at the Opera in NY, I was appalled by people's dress and behavior.

[kijip]

I am so there with you guys.

Don't wear jeans and a scuzzy top to the world premier of a new piece at the Boston Ballet. Come on. Is it so hard to put on something nice. Last time I was at the Opera in NY, I was appalled by people's dress and behavior.

I worked for the Seattle Opera for a few years and we literally had people in dirty gardening clogs and torn jeans arrive to take in the show. Only think more annoying were the crazily overdressed people. Like those wearing tuxedos to a matinee. Not cool.

[cvanbrunt]

I'm with you! My pet peeve, not every show deserves a standing ovation. Also, at the symphony, don't applaud between movements, the piece isn't over yet. Man, am I curmudgeon or what?

[mamicka]

I'm with you! My pet peeve, not every show deserves a standing ovation. Also, at the symphony, don't applaud between movements, the piece isn't over yet. Man, am I curmudgeon or what?

Ditto to both of these. I can't *stand* when people clap between movements. It almost ruins it for me.

[jal]

True story:

We go to see the movie "Crouching Tiger - Hidden Dragon". What appears to be a grand-father brings two children (i.e. pre-teen) and sits two rows behind us. Bad enough, but at least the violence in this movie doesn't have lots of blood-letting.

In the middle of the movie, the man's cell phone rings. He answers. I expect to hear him quietly say "I'm at the movie's, can I call you back". Noooooo... he proceeded to carry on a 5 minute converation. Sure the movie has sub-titles, but listening to others conversations while trying to watch a movie AND read the subtitles is rather distracting to say the least.

Here's the best part...
Not five minutes after his phone call, the children start getting a little restless... and the man start's to "shuush" the kids. Half the audience was giggling at him after that.

[Pennylane]

I am so with you on this! I went to see Rent a few months ago and there was a girl in front of me (in her mid-twenties) that was singing the entire time, waving her arms around, screaming out the characters names, etc. I expected her at any moment to pull out a lighter and hold it in the air.

It was so annoying and really ruined my time. All I could watch was her carrying on like she was at a rock concert!

Where do people learn their manners????

Ann

[SnuggleBuggles]

I am so with you on this! I went to see Rent a few months ago and there was a girl in front of me (in her mid-twenties) that was singing the entire time, waving her arms around, screaming out the characters names, etc. I expected her at any moment to pull out a lighter and hold it in the air.

It was so annoying and really ruined my time. All I could watch was her carrying on like she was at a rock concert!

Where do people learn their manners????

Ann

Now that is just awful! Why would she think that was ok?? I'm sorry you had to sit through that. :(

Beth

[jhrabosk]

Now that is just awful! Why would she think that was ok?? I'm sorry you had to sit through that. :(

Beth

Sadly, I think, it's the directions the shows go. With so much reality TV and so many live productions that market themselves as "experiences," how do people differentiate between a "rock musical" and a "rock concert"?

I don't know...half-baked thought that I had when I read your post...

My theater-going has become increasingly restricted since DD's birth, but I'm not totally sorry. I can't handle the people who go these days.

Before DD was born, I used to work at the photo booth during NYC Ballet's Nutcracker. You wanna see some poorly behaved parents teaching their kids bad theater manners? Holy...you wouldn't believe it. My colleagues and I should've collectively written a book...

[elektra]

Sadly, I think, it's the directions the shows go. With so much reality TV and so many live productions that market themselves as "experiences," how do people differentiate between a "rock musical" and a "rock concert"?

I agree with this, however is it really so sad to have the audience participation element? And I suppose we would have to give some folks a break if this is all they have known.
If you think about it, Rent even has that when Maureen is doing the "Moo"ing; she tries to get the audience to Moo along with her. And when I saw Mamma Mia I almost felt like the cast was let down a bit since our matinee crowd was just sitting and watching, and not singing along with the Abba songs.

That being said, I would have been bummed if instead of the cast's voices, all I could hear was the teenager next to me belting out the songs while attending a performance of Rent.
And that type of thing would be pretty inexcusable at an opera or ballet.

I do agree that people today seem ruder in general in theaters. I have experienced someone taking a cell phone call at the movies. And when I saw a live performance of It's A Wonderful Life over the holidays, there was a girl, about 9 years old, crinkling the cough drop wrappers! And her mother did nothing about it. Granted it was a local theater in a small CA city, about as far as Broadway as you could get, but still!
I think common courtesy has gone out the window in many cases. That's what it boils down to IMO.
I guess I feel just a bit more sympathy for people who mean well but just don't know the rules- like someone who is overdressed for example.

My husband does still tease me about something I did at a theater that was accidentally rude- it was after a production of The Producers in NYC, and the audience was all filing out. I accidentally cut someone off as we were exiting the area with the seats, and it turns out it was Alan Rickman. DH says every once in awhile, "you cut off Snape!"