Theater Etiquette
Going to a play is a special experience, one that you will
remember for a long time. A production team puts in many long
hours and a lot of hard work to mount a play for an
audience. If you keep in mind common courtesey for the
performers as well as your fellow audience members, everyone's
theatre experience will be optimized. What follows are a few
reminders for attending the theatre.
1. Please Arrive Promptly
Even better - arrive early. At most
theatres, including Clayton State University Theatre, late arrivals are not seated.
Make an effort to arrive at the theatre 30 minutes before the show
starts to get your ticket and use restrooms etc. Get to your seat
before the performance begins. You do not want to be disturbed by
a late arriver, so do not disturb others. Unless noted
otherwise, all Clayton State University Theatre productions begin at 8:00 p.m.
2. Please Do Not Speak During The
Performance
Laughing at jokes and applauding the
actors is encouraged, but do not repeat the dialogue or explain
the plot to your companion. You are not at home watching
television. You did not pay to listen to your neighbors, so do not
make them listen to you. 3. Please
Bring Children To Age Appropriate Productions
It is unfair to your children to bring
them to a show that bores them or that has language and/or content
that disturbs them and their fidgeting is intrusive on those who
paid to enjoy the production. Save your children's theatre going
for a performance intended for children.
4. Please Leave Your Camera At Home
Copyright laws prohibit photographing [or recording] a
performance, so your camera [or other recording device] could be
illegal as well as bothersome to those around you. The clicking
sound is irritating to your neighbors and the flash is dangerous
to the actors and neither is part of the play.
5. Please Turn Off All Electronic Devices
Beepers, pagers, alarm watches, cell
phones, CD players, portable radios and other noisy electronic
devices have no place in the theatre. At the very least, turn them
off and at best leave them at home or in the car.
Back to Top 6.
Please Do Not Eat Or Drink In The Theatre
Unlike a movie, which keeps going no
matter what noise you make, the actors on stage are distracted by
what they hear in the auditorium. You will contribute to an
enjoyable experience if you refrain from rattling wrappers and
crunching ice. No food or drink is allowed in the theatre.
7. Please Do Not Put Things On The Stage
The stage is not a resting spot for your
pocketbook or your playbill or your feet. These items are ugly for
the audience to look at and dangerous for the actors.
8. Please Do Not Riffle Your Playbill/Program
Do not smack your playbill/program
nervously against your leg, or roll and unroll it, or scrape your
teeth with it. Open it in advance to the performance page so you
can check for important information if you can read in the dark.
9. Please Keep Your Feet Off The Seats
Do not drape your legs over the seat in
front of you and do not walk on another seat to get in or out of
yours. 10. Please Remain In Your Seat
Until The End
The end means the end of the curtain
call. If you are ill and must leave before the show is over, leave
as quietly as you can and at an appropriate interval. Please do
your best to use the restrooms only during intermission. Should
you leave the theatre during a performance you may not be
permitted back in until an appropriate interval. It is extremely
discourteous to the actors to head for the door before the
performance is entirely ended. Back to Top |
