Alliance High School has a lot to be proud of. Most recently, we have a sparkling addition to our building, which our town united to construct. The Performing Arts Center is the new pride of Alliance and of the Bulldogs. It needs to be treated as such. A theater is not a hockey rink and the behavior of everyone present needs to change accordingly.
Below is the etiquette for a theater as provided by Patricia Jones.
Present or future performers, do you know the rules of theater etiquette?
Do you understand how important it is for an audience to know and practice these rules?
Remember, a live theater performance can be very exciting. All of the people involved in the production, both cast and crew, work very hard to be sure they give a great performance. It is the job of the audience members to help the performers give their best performance possible. The audience can do this by practicing the rules of theater etiquette.
- Arrive to events at the theater on time.
- Visit the restroom before the performance begins.
- Turn off your cell phone or, if it must be on, put it on vibrate. Do not speak on the phone during the performance. If you must call the person back, do it outside during intermission or after the show has finished.
- Don’t speak during the performance…whispering is still speaking.
- Remember that the Overture (introductory music) in Musical Theater is part of the performance, so be quiet when it begins.
- Do not take pictures during the performance. It can be very distracting to the actors or musicians and can cause a mishap.
- Remain in your seat for the entire performance. If you must leave, exit during intermission. In an emergency, wait for an appropriate break in the show. It is rude to get up in the middle of a quiet moment…rude to the actors and your fellow audience members.
- Do not eat or drink in the theater.
- If you must have a cough drop, do not make noise with the wrapper. If you chew gum, nobody wants to see it or hear it, and they definitely don’t want you to leave it!
- Do not put your feet up on the seats or balcony and do not kick the seat in front of you.
- Do not angle your head together with your “special someone” as you obstruct the view of the people behind you.
- If you brought a bag or a purse, please put it under your seat and leave it alone during the performance.
- Do not whistle or scream out to the performers.
- Don’t put or throw anything on the stage.
- Do laugh when the performance is funny.
- Do applaud when it is appropriate during the performance.
- Applaud when the director or conductor walks onstage at the beginning of the performance.
- Applaud for soloists in choir or show choir performances, but not in band concerts.
- In a band concert, you don’t applaud at the end of a movement, you applaud at the end of the piece.
- Do applaud when the performance is over…this tells the performers and crew that you appreciate their work.
- Stand and applaud if you really thought the show was great.