Vanya Y Tucherov (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ravencallscrows) wrote2008-05-15 11:37 am
ravencallscrows) wrote2008-05-15 11:37 am
Entry tags:
Seattle Audiences and the Arts
OK, Seattle. I love you and all, but there are some things about you which confuse the hell out of me. At present, it's "Why don't patrons of the arts here have the common decorum to wait at least until the house lights come up before leaving a theatre?" It's bad enough you have your mobile phones out as you walk up the aisles, oblivious to the people around you- and especially the little old lady whom you almost pushed over in your rush to check your voicemail, but didn't anyone ever tell you that it's just downright rude to get up and start heading for the exits at what you percieve might be the end of a performance.
You show disrespect for the cast of whatever show it is you've just paid to see, you show disrespect to the venue, the other patrons, and the art itself. And, to top it all off, it's just rude. What, pray tell, do you gain from it? You get your car out of the parking garage five minutes earlier and jump the line for the post-performance Starbucks?
Don't even start trying to tell me that you've spent a few hundred dollars on an evening out and you're in such a rush for it to end you can't spare the few minutes to show some appreciation for the performers or even some common courtesy. Spending all of intermission on your mobile phone is bad enough. Our parents managed to get away from us for a few hours at a time when we were kids, and for the most part, we're all none the worse for wear because of it. If you're that concerned about little Daphne and little Niles with their babysitter, maybe you need to hire different sitter for the precious brats.
Some of us remember the days when patrons of the arts were requested to check their pagers and the like with the venue staff. If something came up which was life-threatening, they had your seat location and could come alert you to the nature of the emergency, but face it- unless you're a trauma doctor or your kid has just gone into anaphylactic shock or the like, it can wait until after the performance. More emphatically, it should wait until after the performance.
Are there West Coast or Seattle-specific etiquette guides which show this to be acceptable? I'm sure there must be something out there which says that it's acceptable to dress super-casually for such events- which would be anathema elsewhere. [Try going to a Broadway show or the Kennedy Centre in D.C. in ripped jeans. You're not likely to be outright refused entrance, but you'll stand out like a sore thumb.] Besides, it's a special occasion, it's appropriate to treat it as such. We're not talking white-tie and tails and formal gowns, necessarily, but dressing up a bit won't hurt. Besides, there are damn few occasions in this town for which one can dress- it's a shame to pass one up.
But I've wandered far enough down this rabbit-trail. Why do you think that it's acceptable to get up and leave before the lights come up. This isn't the eighth inning of a Mariners' game when they're on the wrong end of a 8-1 score, it's not the Sonics trailing 132-74 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter; it's a live artistic performance. The curtain will fall and rise again, the cast will come onstage, and it's both acceptable and polite to applaud them for their work. We're not talking junior-high drama troupes here, either- and none of you who've gotten shanghai'd into attending one of these things would dare traumatize your child, cousin, nephew or niece by walking out before it was done- but some reputable performers- most recently, the National Theatre of Great Britain touring withMy Fair Lady at the Paramount and the Seattle Opera presenting I Puritani at McCaw Hall.
You're already experiencing culture by attending such events. Is it too much to ask for you to show some class as well?
[A hat-tip to the audiences at Pacific Northwest Ballet performances- I've not seen such behaviour in 3+ years of attending the PNB, just somewhat relaxed dress, which isn't overwhelmingly surprising for Sunday matinees.]
You show disrespect for the cast of whatever show it is you've just paid to see, you show disrespect to the venue, the other patrons, and the art itself. And, to top it all off, it's just rude. What, pray tell, do you gain from it? You get your car out of the parking garage five minutes earlier and jump the line for the post-performance Starbucks?
Don't even start trying to tell me that you've spent a few hundred dollars on an evening out and you're in such a rush for it to end you can't spare the few minutes to show some appreciation for the performers or even some common courtesy. Spending all of intermission on your mobile phone is bad enough. Our parents managed to get away from us for a few hours at a time when we were kids, and for the most part, we're all none the worse for wear because of it. If you're that concerned about little Daphne and little Niles with their babysitter, maybe you need to hire different sitter for the precious brats.
Some of us remember the days when patrons of the arts were requested to check their pagers and the like with the venue staff. If something came up which was life-threatening, they had your seat location and could come alert you to the nature of the emergency, but face it- unless you're a trauma doctor or your kid has just gone into anaphylactic shock or the like, it can wait until after the performance. More emphatically, it should wait until after the performance.
Are there West Coast or Seattle-specific etiquette guides which show this to be acceptable? I'm sure there must be something out there which says that it's acceptable to dress super-casually for such events- which would be anathema elsewhere. [Try going to a Broadway show or the Kennedy Centre in D.C. in ripped jeans. You're not likely to be outright refused entrance, but you'll stand out like a sore thumb.] Besides, it's a special occasion, it's appropriate to treat it as such. We're not talking white-tie and tails and formal gowns, necessarily, but dressing up a bit won't hurt. Besides, there are damn few occasions in this town for which one can dress- it's a shame to pass one up.
But I've wandered far enough down this rabbit-trail. Why do you think that it's acceptable to get up and leave before the lights come up. This isn't the eighth inning of a Mariners' game when they're on the wrong end of a 8-1 score, it's not the Sonics trailing 132-74 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter; it's a live artistic performance. The curtain will fall and rise again, the cast will come onstage, and it's both acceptable and polite to applaud them for their work. We're not talking junior-high drama troupes here, either- and none of you who've gotten shanghai'd into attending one of these things would dare traumatize your child, cousin, nephew or niece by walking out before it was done- but some reputable performers- most recently, the National Theatre of Great Britain touring withMy Fair Lady at the Paramount and the Seattle Opera presenting I Puritani at McCaw Hall.
You're already experiencing culture by attending such events. Is it too much to ask for you to show some class as well?
[A hat-tip to the audiences at Pacific Northwest Ballet performances- I've not seen such behaviour in 3+ years of attending the PNB, just somewhat relaxed dress, which isn't overwhelmingly surprising for Sunday matinees.]
no subject
I love the treat of going to the theater, because I break out my best jewelry, gloves and choice of shawls. I understand this is a bit extreme, and don't expect it out of everyone, but generally nice clothing should be worn. I am agnostic, but was raised by Catholics, and this is similar to how one should dress when going to church on Sunday. It's all about respect.
Last time I went to the 5th Avenue Theater, I was appalled by the sloppy clothing, the texting during the performance (yes, your screen light does stick out from aisles away), and definately the getting up and leaving before proper time. My ex even tried leaving too, and I made him stay and told him it was rude to leave yet. I was saddened by how widespread the disregard was for these people who gave their all on stage for the past hours just for our entertainment.
And whole heartedly agree with the trauma doctor bit. Maybe it's time to reinstate the checking pagers at the door. I've seen people get pissy about being asked not to be on the phone while being helped in line at the store, and say if they can't be on the phone then they won't patronize the place. Good. Those kind of people should stay away until manners are learned.
no subject
But anyway, I was going to say last time I went to a play was in the basement of CHAC. I really wanted to see this tiny production of Titus Andronicus (my favorite Shakespeare play). My friends were already inside with a front of the house table, and I made it there a few minutes too late. Rightly, I was embarrassed not to be in there before the curtain rose, but this was the last weekend of the performance and I tried as hard as I could to leave straight from work and get there on time. They properly made me wait in the halls until the end of the first performance, and then ushered me in after the lights went down. If CHAC can do this, why can't the PNW ballet or McCaw?
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I may have been born here, but because I spent most of my youth traveling AND being fortunate enough to attend many fine performances, my shock at the casualness/rudeness of the people here has never dissipated.
Example: most places that celebrate Mardi Gras do so with parades, beads, costumes, and having a grand ol' time. In Seattle, people in jeans and t-shirts get drunk, walk out en masse into the street, and beat each other up. Woo-hoo.
This very behavior was a deciding factor in my girlfriend's move to San Francisco--she didn't want her daughter growing up among such an uncouth, casual culture.
Part of the reason I go to sci-fi conventions is so I can dress up, and I get tired of always hearing from my father's family, "oh, and you don't have to dress up for this event," because they know I won't wear attire similar to their own. Ever.
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*sigh*
I love Seattle, I really do. I just wish we weren't quite so obsessively wired.
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I didn't especially feel like I'd dressed up - I wore a dress. Not a fancy dress, but a summer one, mainly because I was expecting to have a bit of a hike from where I parked to the theater and didn't want to show up all sticky and sweaty, both for my own comfort and in consideration to my seatmates. I was one of three people I saw in a dress. The second was a woman in her 80's, and the third looked to be about six.
I got there late, due to a very odd set of circumstances, and they did wait to seat me and the other ~30 other late people till the end of the first musical number. I had people step over me four times during the performance, and I was the only person in five rows to wait till the lights came up to leave.
I do have to say that the performance actually did deserve the SO it got, but it was closing weekend right before they went on to Broadway, so the bugs were all worked out and the cast was primed to go.
Growing up going to the theater, it saddens me to see how people behave there now.
no subject
Amen
I must say that I am always encouraged to read about the number of theatrical events about which you post. Mostly because you go to more theater than probably any non-theater professional I know. And because you do, you wright about it casually. And the number of people who comment encourages me to believe that theater is - at least - still alive and well in Seattle. And yes, it would be great if people could revel in the whole 'classy night out' experience and dress well to go to the theater but for as large as Cleveland is (it's comparable to Seattle and where I currently live) it doesn't support much theater. Personally, I care more about getting butts in seats than what those butts are wearing.
Wouldn't it be lovely if theater was still as well supported as it was in the 80's?
(Sorry for the. ramble. I should really wait until coffee to post.)