From the row behind me at La Jolla Playhouse came the sound of some flaming dip, singing along loudly (and not terribly tunefully) to those songs.
OK, maybe that’s a little harsh. The man was obviously a proud fan of the band, and was just getting lost in the experience of this world-premiere show built around the Lips’ music.
25 comments:
In some ways, I find it really crazy that the cell phone incident from the beginning of the summer at Hand to God on Broadway is causing so much uproar. Nevertheless I have many mixed emotions about all of the things that are going on as a result of this. First off, I would like to applaud the charge scenic artist at Hand to God on their incredible work. As someone who is constantly looking for a place to plug in their phone I understand where this guy was coming from. However, common sense would tell you to not plug your phone in on the set. All in all, I think that this event has brought to light the fact that American’s don’t think before they follow through with common sense actions. This also brings up how attached we have become to our electronic devices, and I could go on a rant about that, but that is a comment for another day.
I had never thought twice about the idea that some people didn’t know proper etiquette in a theater venue. I feel like it would be basic knowledge that a theater is not a concert, or a place to casually go on stage. It is an honor to go onto the Broadway stages, even to those who work there. I guess it comes from living in an area where I often went to see Broadway shows for school field trips that this fact surprises me so much. We were taught the basics of courtesy from such a young age that it is permanently imprinted into my brain that cell phones, and other noises are considered disrespectful in venues and especially during shows.
Over the summer, I almost transferred to SUNY Purchase due to financial strains, and the teenager who attempted to charge his phone on the “Hand of God” set was discussed in the scenic designer group. One of the designers said that the teenager went to her high school and couldn’t believe his ignorance in basic formality for a show. Maybe it’s not a lack of knowledge but rather a lack of caring which has caused a lack of etiquette.
If I had a penny for every time someone told me that the problem with theatre was that young people don't have the proper respect for the art form, I would be able to cover my full tuition at Carnegie Mellon. Yes, theatre etiquette is a vital and dwindling tradition, but that is a mark of the casualness of our culture, not of any actual lack of respect. Like the author said-- if we train people to behave a certain way, we can't expect them to simple know the occasions when they cannot. Many of us, especially at a school like CMU are lucky to grow up attending the theatre, and have the customs ingrained in us, which makes it easy to judge those who cannot follow such seemingly instinctual habits. What people forget is that for most, theatre is a luxury. Theatre has a problem with young people, but not because young people don't understand the importance of theatre. It's because theatre has decided to be too elite to invite in a new generation. Theatre isn't going to die because of young people and their bad manners. If theatre dies, it will happen because people are not taking the time to teach new comers why it deserves to live.
As a young person whose life revolves around the arts, I can definitely see the cell phone issue from both sides. On the one hand, the stage manager and theatre-lover in me has serious issues with cell phone use during a performance. I feel the performers deserve respect, and cell phones can distract from truly enjoying a show. But there's an undertone of theatre elitism in this whole discussion. People often use these types of incidents to bolster their ego, as the author said, and also to show their cultural superiority in knowing the rules of theatre. We, as theatre people, can often get caught up in our own bubble of ingrained habits. It is our job to educate those new to theatre about the expectations and policies that arise when watching a live performance. In addition, I agree with a lot of the movements stated in the article regarding incorporating cell phone use into the performance. By accounting for the use of cells phones, we take an assumed distraction and turn it into a tool to enhance the experience. The future of theatre lies in technology. Denying cell phones as an artistic tool is only holding the art form back.
I think that the Hand to God incident and the more common cell phone ettiquette horror stories (audience members texting excessively, trying to film on their phones, etc.) are two separate issues. For the Hand to God teenager, the fact that he didn't realize the stage was off-limits to audience members seemed to be the more relevant problem than then fact that he was trying to plug in his phone. Attending more shows and being exposed to theater culture would show him what you can and can't do during a performance. However, the idea that texting and taping with cell phones can be done pretty much anywhere has basically inundated our culture. How many of us haven't texted during a presentation or snapchatted a video of someone performing? How different is it, then, for someone to think texting during a Broadway show is okay? To me, the difference between these two categories is that one was the result of simple ignorance of basic theater rules, while the other results from cultural change. It will probably never be okay to walk on stage before the show starts, but more and more people are starting to feel comfortable texting or recording shows as they see other people doing it too.
Wow, this past summer’s Hand to God incident really has popped the lid off of a long simmering complaint. As a “theater practitioner” it is obviously unfathomable to me some of the baffling incidents that audience members have caused. Yet realistically, how can somebody who has never seen a theatrical event be expected to understand the incredible importance of theater etiquette, let alone even know them. Yes, I understand that at the top of every show there is generally a pre-show announcement, but I feel that they fall onto the same deaf ears as pre-flight safety announcements. So what is the solution to all this etiquette disregard nonsense? Frankly, I don’t know if there a bullet-proof answer. As long as theater is made across this country and the world, something will inevitably go wrong somewhere, and sometimes that thing will be an audience member’s lack of etiquette. Every medium of entertainment has its pros and cons. If you don’t want to have to deal with an unruly audience, go watch a movie in the privacy of your own home. However, if you think seeing live theater is worth it (like I certainly do), then maybe stomaching the occasional “glitch”, including the audience, isn’t all that bad.
While I can certainly understand why theater people are so upset over the Hand to God incident, I totally agree with the writer’s message about being upset vs. feeling personally offended, speaking from a place of privilege in being familiar with theater etiquette. I think that living in a bubble of working in/ being extremely passionate about theater, it can be easy to forget that not everyone has been educated about the same things.
This past summer, I was watching a show I had worked on the set for, and the audience members behind me were acting quite rowdy, yet in a way that engaged with the show (egging on the tough male ensemble characters, jokingly warning the lead about her cheating husband, etc). I wasn’t sure how to react/ if I should tell them to quiet down, because it didn’t seem all that inappropriate in relation to the nature of the show (new work, comedic, musical, on the verge of interactive). Because the show had been running for quite some time and had yet to have such a large/ captivated audience, I decided not to say anything. I held my tongue and didn’t turn around until one of the audience members answered their cell phone and loudly answered to the person on the other end, in the middle of a scene, “I’m at a show right now!”. It was clear to me that these people hadn’t been to many theater shows before, therefore making them not familiar with the proper audience etiquette, but I think common sense/ manners do apply in some cases. The idea of actors tweeting/ interacting with audience members during intermission is interesting to me, because I do like how more and more shows right now are finding ways to break the strict boundaries between audience and performance.
Once, at a local theater in my area, multiple high schools took classes of students to see the show "MLK: The Mountaintop." It was a show based on Martin Luther King Jr., the night before his assassination. The majority of the schools who attended were from the inner city, with high schoolers who had rarely seen live theatre. While I did not notice much texting throughout the show, the audience was extremely engaged in the show. At multiple points when a character did something shocking, I would hear several cries of "Bitch, what?! What are you doing?" When something sexy or saucy happened, you would think you were sitting in a live studio audience for a sitcom. When a character asked a rhetorical question, he received a reply. These are things that would normally have people thrown out of theaters. But the actors went with it. At some points they indirectly replied to the audience, through movement, through tone, or through a look. The actor playing MLK actually seemed to enjoy it. There was no doubt the audience was having a good time.
While this kind of behavior may seem abhorrent in some theatrical settings, when an entire audience is under the impression of "this rule is being broken by all of us, so it is no longer a rule," everyone gets along fine. My friends and I found ourselves shouting out as well after intermission. The rules we set for theater are arbitrary, half of the reason we follow them is simply because everyone else is. When intermission hits, I will follow the crowd to where I hope is the bathroom, simply off the assumption that everyone else in the crowd knows exactly where they are going, when in reality probably all of them are thinking the same thing as me.
Sharing the "Hand of God" story is fun, making fun of people for making silly mistakes is funny! What we have to accept in the theatre community is that there are non theatre people coming to see shows, which is a REALLY good thing, because it either A) creates more theatre people, or B) PAYS OUR BILLS. We have to accept "outsiders" into the community, and ridiculing people who make a mistake isn't the most accepting or caring thing to do.
Coming from being involved in both my high school’s theatre program and a children’s community theatre I’ve experienced quite a view unruly audience members. From teenagers tweeted through the whole show and left a bag of chips behind, to moms that came in late and took pictures the whole show. It is extremely frustrating. But in light of some of these events, specifically “Hand of God,” but certainly with other shows as well, many consistent theatre goers are tearing these people apart. As annoying as these distractions are, as a theatre community we have to keep in mind that these people almost never have malicious intent. Specifically, “Hand of God,” but certainly with others shows as well, the perpetrators aren’t intentionally trying to disrupt. It is simply that in past audiences they’ve been a part of, their actions are considered fine. Their ignorance is no reason to let their behavior continue, but as a community we can not continue to berate these outsiders for their behavior- or they will remain outsiders. There are teaching moments within these frustrating situations, and we must seize them in order to expand the groups of who is coming to see shows.
The tricky part of any live experience in the 21st century is determining what place technology has in live venues, be they theatre, dance, opera, or abstract street performances. There is certainly a specific given decorum to a theatre event, one that matches up with a typical classroom or office setting. Turn off your devices, and be engaged in the experience, if only for the two hours. A common argument in the theatre sphere is "If you pay 150$ for center Row C orchestra seats, why would you want to be on your phone?". That being said, the advent of instant social media such as Snapchat give audience members a reason to use their devices. The common theatre-goer would like nothing more than to Snapchat the picture of the show's hot lead, or Instagram how close they are to the stage. Playing the Flaming Lips during a show is a whole other animal, as is going to charge your phone in the middle of a show, but the phone policies you find in theatres are so archaic that it's no wonder people try to circumvent them. Since one rarely runs into trouble having their phones out covertly in other places, why not try your luck in a theatre? You might even get more than 100 likes. Finally.
Professional theatre is encountering a new generation of audience members, both young and old. Both phone-prone teenagers and adults new to theatre are appearing in audiences and often acting in interesting ways, as the article explains. Many of these behaviors are caused by habits formed in other entertainment venues, namely movie theaters and concerts. In some cases, theatres are adapting to these new practices to draw in larger audiences and to, in a sense, “keep with the times.” One case of this is the allowance of food and drink in many professional theaters. Adopting a common movie theatre profit scheme, this change demonstrates a willingness to adapt in cases that are mutually beneficial for the audience and the theater. This unfortunately results in some very loud second acts, which may not be too problematic at a loud musical, but can e very distracting at a quieter drama.
Another change I've witnessed is an increase of cheering when certain actors come onstage. At a production of If/Then, Idina Menzel's first few lines were lost in an uproar of applause, hoots, and cheers in her first scene – something more reminiscent of a rock-concert than a play.
And of course, there is cell-phone use. The glow of screens in rows ahead of you can be quite distracting during a tense scene, and annoying during even the most action-packed musical. Even if smart phones are being used in constructive ways, unless done so carefully, they often detract from the viewing experience – even for the person using the device in what they think is a beneficial way.
The problem with all three of these types of interruptions is that they distract the audience from the play. They break the powerful connection between audience members and actors across the threshold of the stage, straining the energy that the magic of theatre is essentially fueled by: the aspect of live, in-person story telling.
So what is the solution? Maybe packaging snacks in ways that result in less crinkling (or maybe reverting to the old No Food rules). Possibly engaging audience members over devices before, during, and after the play, but asking for the audience to put the devices down when the curtain rises. A better communication of standards is clearly necessary, especially if the industry wants to succeed in attracting more “new” audience members.
I think that technology has seriously invaded the audience portion of the theatrical and entertainment world as a whole – you always see people at sporting events on their phones, so why not theatre? There are so many reasons why smartphones should not be permitted in closed-audience spaces like that and one of the main ones is the overall experience is ruined. Theatre is typically meant to be an immersive experience and the distractions given by mobile phones constantly draws the audience back to reality, and not the world of the play. However most outside people, the article mentions, don’t realize that these rules could even apply. My family enjoys going to the theatre and it wasn’t until recently that they all became more invested in the work involved (probably due to my course of education) and they are all surprised when they ask to see my phone or have me snap a selfie of all of us right before curtain, and my phone has already been shut off.
I believe a serious problem today is finding a true balance between the realm of theatre and that of our innovating society. As a theatre community we are certainly trying are best to find a compromise, like the Cygnet Theatre's 'tweet seats'. A couple of years ago, on a trip to New York city with my family I was able to see Jersey Boys. In this musical they incorporated huge media screens that sometimes faded into the scenery but also functioned as extra story telling devices that seemed to fascinate the audience. A lot of these innovations are compelling and artistically used, opening doors for a plethora of new ways theatre can be made. Some may argue however, that all of this new technology takes away from the raw art form that is live theatre. It can be noted that one of the greatest appeals of live theatre is that the actors feed of of the energy and focus of the audience and in-turn, the audience gets a quality show from the actors. With the use of technology however, this flow may be disrupted and even negatively affect the performance of the actors. I can somewhat see that the line of what is acceptable and what is not maybe unclear to the young audience because the rules of theatre have been around for so long that nobody really bothers to reteach them. Rules may seem pretty obvious and straightforward (and frankly even common sense) for people who are an active part of the theatre community but try to put yourself in a newcomers shoes. If you went to a baseball game would you know the etiquette?
overall, I think we need to be open to what new technology can offer us and how we can use it to strengthen our art form but at the same time, we need to do a better job of educating young audiences of the rules we abide by.
Even though the focus of this article was about being understanding of the fact that not all theater-goers understand theater etiquette, I think the idea of having specific seats or shows where using a phone is not only permitted but intended was the most interesting point mentioned. It turns the phone from a distraction into a tool for engaging in the show. The audience being able to have a silent dialogue during the show has its benefits. I’m not sure if I’d personally want to go see a show on the social media night, but I understand that people might like that experience. As for the main point of the article, I think a lot of the rules for theater etiquette tend to be mentioned in the pre-show speech. At the very least silencing and/or turning of cell phones is generally mentioned. Theoretically that pre-show information could be slightly expanded to mention not making noise during the show, though listing every potential problem in detail would be impossible.
Bad theatre etiquette not only affects the actors but also the rest of the audience. I consider texting or playing games on the phone during a show to be very irritating and disrespectful. One solution that I find to be very effective is to shut off all signals and wifi of the theater. I’ve been to a few theaters that enforce this policy, and the shows all went smoothly without interruption with engaged audiences. However, there are still things that theaters can’t control. Once during a show in my high school, a parent kept on taking photos of her child (an actor on stage) using her phone with loud snaps and blinding flashlights. Although her intents were good and she was obviously enthusiastic about the show, she was disrupting everyone around her. Ultimately, I think it comes down to the audiences’ own awareness of his/her surrounding and appreciation of the performance itself - which means we have to clearly communicate and let the audience know explicitly what is not allowed and strictly enforce consequences.
Of all the children I know in Generation Z, they all have one thing in common: they are always on their phones. This generation engages in entertainment in a much different way than the generations that come before them. Yes, as artists we are appalled that someone would think it is okay to go onstage to charge a phone. However, we also need to step back from our role as artists and think about what this generational switch means for our industry and our practices. A teenager felt in the audience of "Hand to God" was so desperate to keep his smartphone alive that he consciously went onstage to try to charge it. This kid probably knew that it was a risky decision. Even if the kid had never been to the theater before, he almost certainly went onto a stage sometime in his life. He knew that going onto a stage meant that he would be in a spotlight for the rest of the audience. Yet, he still went through with it because he felt that the need to have a working phone outweighed his need to follow what he knew was the proper practice- the actors perform onstage, the audience watches from the house.
Perhaps we need to shift our discussion from concentrating on how ridiculous it is for people to not know proper theater etiquette and instead open a conversation about how we can incorporate this generation's (and frankly, the world's) obsession with technology. Yes, we love theatre because of its live interaction with its audiences, but maybe there is a way to keep that magic while reaching the younger generations through the little rectangles that are constantly glued to their hands.
The iPhone came out when I was 6 years old, I got my own when I was 15, and at 18 I find myself feeling like I'm missing a limb if it's not in my hand or my pocket. I am an addict. I've admitted it, now whats the next step? I guess it's learning how to distance myself from my technology in a way that is still functional. I say functional because there are a ton of people in the world who can not function without their phones. Not because they need to check Instagram every 15 minutes, but because their boss calls all the time, or they need it to help them communicate. As a culture we need our smart phones, we can not live a well adjusted lives without them. So as a culture, we need to stop shaming the people addicted to their phones, because there are a lot of them, and start figuring out how to incorporate technology into art forms. As a theater enthusiast I have no problem putting my phone away for three hours. But someone who is sitting through wicked as their first show at 25? Forget it. I am not suggesting that we allow people to sit on their phones for a whole show, but as a community we need to figure out how to better use technology, or we are going to begin to ostracize ourselves.
I was more humored by the cell phone incident than outraged. The example is just so extreme that either someone was trying to make a statement or (what it seems to be) just very oblivious. Theater has been slow to adapt the technology and to a certain extent if you want to sit in a designated area where tweeting is allowed then by all means have at it. The part that troubles me isn't about disrespecting the performers its about disrespecting the other audience members. I feel that when you buy a ticket to a performance you have the right to engage with it or not as much, or little, as you desire. So if you can text without being distracting then you are wasting your money but its your right. However you can't text without being distracting. When I go to see a play, musical, or even a movie, and someone takes out their phone the whole theater is aware and it is just as annoying as when you talk during the show (another thing that is so unbelievably common during shows and movies). I just wish people would remember that they aren't the only ones who paid to be there and the rest of us might actually be *gasp* watching the show.
I was less bothered by the guy who went on stage to try and charge his phone than I was by the way he defended himself. I accept that he doesn't go to a lot of shows and doesn't have much experience with theater, but not going on stage is a seriously basic thing to not know. He said that he'd been to shows before and, in a way more importantly, that he plays lacrosse for his school. When he was deciding whether or not he should go on stage he could've thought of it in a context that's more familiar to him. "If I was on the field getting ready for a game would I be kind of annoyed by someone form the stands wandering onto the field?" That may have lead to him deciding to stay in his seat and charge his phone after the performance. But honestly that's just me being nit-picky, the real problem like other commenters have said is that being on your phone or talking during a show is rude to the other members of the audience. I get it you bought a ticket and should be able to do what ever you want in your seat, but everyone else in that theater bought a ticket too and they have just as much of a right to enjoy the show the way they want.
In my opinion, the change in theater etiquette is mostly due, not to cell phones entirely, but due to the existence of computers, television, and, of course, cell phones. It is not entirely dependance or people not being able to live without these specific devices, but it is actually just how easy it is to access this sort of entertainment now. For example, I have never seen a production of Anything Goes live, but I have seen an illegal filming of the production on youtube. Because good theater is so prohibitive and slightly expensive to see, people have defaulted to watching versions on youtube and television. The experience of watching a production on a screen is so completely different than live theater. People can eat loudly, talk to one another, pause, and rewind. This reliance on a certain level of entertainment standards, completely changes the dynamic during a live theater production. People are still in this mindset that during entertainment that they can eat and be loud and jump up and charge their phones. So overall I think the issue is not that people have an unnecessary reliance on technology, but instead they have a different standard on what entertainment should be like.
Theatre etiquette has to be one of the most frustrating things about going to go and see a performance. But of course it has brought some amusement in the social media age with the minor mishap of the theatregoer going onstage to try to plug in his phone. With it of course is the terrible notion that this kind of disturbance in the theatre is a much more reoccurring instance than perhaps ten years ago. Back when patience levels where greater because the people of the days weren’t constantly on their phones getting updates on social media which allowed for so many distractions that are present nowadays. I wish that more people would be able to put their phone down for a few hours, because there shouldn’t be anything that serious that can’t wait until the show is done. If you respect the theatre, then everyone else will be able to enjoy the show just as much as the next person. As enjoyable as it is to know that you yourself aren’t enjoying the show, don’t let others get a bad experience because of one bad apple that just had to check the score of a football game.
Before this year of high profile cases of cell phone usage in the theatre, I had never really realized how rampant this issue really is. I have seen the show in DC referenced in the article (albeit not the one where the incident actually happened). The show is called The Fix, a political drama about the troubles in DC politics. The set was the White House, so there is absolutely no reason anyone could mistake onstage as a place to look for a bathroom. I guess I don’t really get a say in how people don’t know theatre etiquette issue, as I have grown up seeing and making theatre, so the rules have pretty much been ingrained into my head. It is just hard for me to understand the person in the article explaining his actions that he just didn't know. I feel like a good solution to this problem would be to find ways to educate people about the benefits and different aspects of theatre.
Technology has certainly changed our everyday lives, but there are times and places where it causes more of a hindrance than it helps. Live theater is certainly one place, and it seems obvious to me. Then again, I was raised to know and understand things like not using phones in the theater. It seems to me that it is in part a generational issue. I can’t think of a single class where I didn’t have to tell someone to put their phone away. I couldn’t believe that in class of ten people they thought that I wouldn’t notice someone on their phone. While we often hear of cell phone jammers (mostly in movies and TV shows), no amount of this technology will make up for the lack of common sense and decency that is seen today. With all of our smart technology becoming more mainstream, it seems that our society has started to accept its use in situations where it once would have been considered rude – including face to face conversations with someone. I love being able to pull up information, references, or details in a conversation, but is it really appropriate? Think back on the last few conversations you have had – did you pull out your cell phone to look at something (relevant or not)? Was it really that important that you had to take focus off of your conversation?
Post a Comment