Wednesday, July 03, 2019
Is It Ever Okay to Leave a Performance During Curtain Call?
Dance Magazine: Last week, I attended a show I'd been eagerly anticipating: Dragon Spring Phoenix Rise at The Shed, a brand-new performance venue in New York City. Not only was I looking forward to Akram Khan's choreography (not to mention a sword-wielding PeiJu Chien-Pott and remixes of Sia's music), but I was anxious to get a taste of The Shed's ambitious inaugural season.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
I think theater people (people who work as some part of a theater company) have an extreme amount of respect for the effort of other performers and technicians. There is an extreme amount of respect between fellow thespians, because no other people understand the cathartic experience of creating something and then seeing it come to fruition in front of an audience. Whether your art is good, bad, or horrendous, you made something, and it feels good to be recognized for your efforts. Most of that recognition occurs during a curtain call, and it is an indescribable feeling when you hear the applause at the end of a show, and know that at least some part of that applause is for you and your efforts. As much as you make art for yourself, part of theater is making art for others to enjoy too. When people leave before the curtain call, there is a feeling of your art not being taken seriously and even worse, your art being thought so little of. When you pour all your efforts into a work of theatrical art, and then people entirely disregard it, it can feel devastating. We should respect each other in all situations, whatever we think of one's art. Effort does not equate to final product, and art can be interpreted in countless ways, respect and compassion should be offered.
I do think there are some instances in which exiting during the curtain call is an okay thing to do. For one, I don't quite agree that you should stay through the curtain call if the show has terribly offended you, just because you made it that far. I think when shows with high potential to offend are put on, the performers and those involved with the show must be expecting some kind of reaction or response from the audience. There's not much opportunity for the audience to respond beyond waiting to talk to performers as they leave or going online to write about it, so I think it's valid to use an early exit to express your opinion. However, the description in this particular instance does not indicate that the performance was offensive at all, simply disappointing. I fully agree with the author that this particular audience was terribly rude, and should have at least stayed seated to show respect for the effort of the performers.
-Ashtin W.
I don't think that there is ever an instance where it is okay to leave the theater during the curtain call. It is very rude to the actors who have spent months and months rehearsing for the show and if someone hates the show that much, I doubt they will sit through the whole thing just to leave before the actors take their bows. As was mentioned in the article, the actors can see you leaving and this is something that can seriously mess up their morale and potentially affect future performances. I think that something that some people don't think about is that if the show is disappointing because of the writing, this shouldn't be pinned on the actors and leaving during the curtain call can do this. The article mentions how if you are "truly unenthused" by a show, you can just not clap but stay in your seat and I think that this is the right thing to do as the actors might not see these people like they would have if they got up and left.
Ben Hirschfied
Unless there is some sort of personal emergency or urgency it is respectful to stay for the curtain call in order to acknowledge the difficult work the cast and crew contributed to the production. However, I understand that if people leave during or before the curtain call they probably have some sort of reason. I don't believe that it is a sign of dislike of the show because they stayed that long already but probably because of another unrelated reason. However if one leaves before curtain call because they purely want to with no reason besides personal pleasure it is rude to everyone involved in the show. If hordes of people leave simultaneously it creates an atmosphere of disappointment for the cast and crew as their audience will not even stay to celebrate their accomplishment. However ultimately like most things in this world, it is not black and white and often if people they leave there is a genuine reason why so while it might be rude it can be excused in some circumstances.
Kaisa Lee
In general, I believe it is very important to stay throughout the whole curtain call. I think, even if you personally did not enjoy the show, it is important to acknowledge and respect the work that the cast and crew put into making this show for your viewing, and staying through the curtain call allows the people on stage to see this respect. Even if you did not personally like a show, that doesn’t take away from the extensive work that the cast and crew did to put this show on. That being said, as the author Madeline Schrok pointed out, I think there are some external circumstances that make it okay to leave during curtain call, for example an illness. In the case of an illness or some pre-planned event that has a person rushing out, though, it is one or two people leaving rather than half the audience, which creates a very different atmosphere. Leaving during the curtain call should be a rare occurrence for only emergencies or other emergency-esque type events and not a common occurrence.
— Josie G.
This article is very interesting in the fact that it addresses a concern a lot of people have. When you go to a show, and there are people leaving the second the show ends, and not waiting through the curtain call. Most shows I see, I see with my parents, because, you know, money... My dad, in particular, is not the most patient person, and the second the show ends he is pushing us to get out of there so we can beat the traffic and save 5 minutes of traveling. This often aggravates me, but I don't have much of an option in most cases. I have also been on the other side, sitting in the booth and watching a lot of the audience start to trickle out when the show ends. One of the things I notice is that this happens a lot less in school environments, becuase the audience is made up of three groups of people. The avid theatergoers, who go to high school theatre for the enjoyment of it and have no relationship to the performers, and they stay because they are typically well versed. Next are the friends, who have a relationship of some kind to the performers and stay so they can cheer them on. The last group, are the parents, who have one of two motivations to stay; they are the ride home and have to wait anyways, or they are the type of parent that would do absolutely anything to see their little baby take a bow on stage. However, in higher up theatre, there is "less" motivation for patrons to stay through curtain call becuase often times they have no connection to anyone involved, and therefore will not feel bad just leaving. While I highly disagree with this philosophy, in my experience, this remains the case.
This article is very inspirational bc it illustrates a concern the people have within the theatre. Drama people have an extreme amount of respect for the energy of other performers and technicians. There is an intense amount of respect between fellow theatre kids because no other people understand the purifying experience of creating something and then seeing it come to a realization in front of an audience. Whether your art is great, poor, or frightful, you made something, and it feels good to be recognized for your efforts. Most of that memory happens during a curtain call, and it is an incredible sensation when you hear the applause at the end of a show, and know that at least some part of that cheers are for you and your efforts. As much as you make art for yourself, part of the theater is making art for others to enjoy too. When people leave before the curtain call, there is a feeling of your art not being taken seriously and even worse, your art is thought so little of. When you pour all your efforts into a work of theatrical art, and then people entirely disregard it, it can feel strong. We should appreciate each other in all situations, whatever we think of one's imagination.
I mostly believe and agree with everything this author has to say. It is okay to not like a show or to think it is not stimulating but in the end it comes down to etiquette. These actors have worked for probably months on this show because they want to showcase their talents and create an enjoyable experience for you, their audience. The performers deserve respect and at least and acknowledgment for their efforts.
However, like the author said, there are a few instances that leaving the theater before the curtain call. I believe these to only be
- personal or family emergency
- immediate threat
- you are strongly offended by the content being presented
Other than this it is simply disrespectful to leave the theater before the curtain call. But again, no one has the right to tell you how to behave or what you can or can't do. We as a community just ask that you be respectful.
Post a Comment