According to ATC, if you wear shorts to the theatre....

You are a "loser."

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=1746812

Are they serious? I see nothing wrong with wearing a nice pair of non-denim shorts with a collared shirt.

Only on ATC would they discuss how wearing shorts to a broadway show makes you a "loser."

Updated On: 7/5/09 at 11:50 PM

Right. According to ATC. The ENTIRE FORUM.

No, according to Bruce Mem-BLAH. Not all of ATC.

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I'll never understand why jeans are considered more appropriate than a nice pair of shorts and loafers or sandals is.

I see nothing wrong with wearing a nice pair of non-denim shorts with a collared shirt.

I agree completely, and do it all the time in the summer. I also wear, ::gasp:: flip flops.

This is not surprising given the median age of most ATC posters. Were it up to them, you'd be required to wear a suit or an evening gown to the theater.

I think it depends on the shorts in question as well. Booty shorts, bermuda shorts (especially with socks), and denim shorts are unacceptable IMO. Also, shorts on a guy usually look very casual. But there are dressy shorts for woman that could be acceptable. And capris are fine IMO.

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I'd never wear shorts to the theater, it doesn't look appropriate for the setting to me.

Talk about snobs...

"This is not surprising given the median age of most ATC posters. Were it up to them, you'd be required to wear a suit or an evening gown to the theater."

You mean, like an adult? Unless you're 16 or under, there's no excuse not to dress up. But I guess that's expecting too much of some people.


Allison MacKenzie
Peyton Place, New Hampshire

Purchasing discounted tickets to a Broadway show entitles you to wear shorts or whatever you damn please.

If you pay full price, for chrissakes... dress-up a little. We in the orchestra section would greatly appreciate it.

When I saw Taboo, I wore these!

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Yeah, I don't think it matters what you wear as long as it isn't distracting to others. I wear jeans or shorts with (plain, solid colored) T-shirts to the theatre all the time. It seems snobby to me to mandate a dress code. I think TDF puts it really well in their Theatre 101 page:

What do I wear?
The days when people dressed up for the theatre are sadly in the past. Off-Broadway has always been more casual than its uptown cousin, but now the Broadway dress code seems similarly relaxed. Not to discourage anyone who wants to get gussied up--you'll still see suits and ties in the audience, but you'll also see plenty of jeans and sneakers, not only at matinees but in the evening, as well. (The exception is a Broadway opening night, when an audience--most of it invited--may be asked to wear black tie.)

From http://tdf.org/tdf_servicepage.aspx?id=103

Updated On: 7/6/09 at 12:30 AM

Saying that people wearing shorts to the theater is the equivalent of the death of reasoned discourse is only slightly more laughable than saying that gay marriage will lead to people marrying livestock.

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I would rather see all the shorts in the world than have to smell someones perfume or cologne. I am so allergic to perfume/cologne, basically anything that smells that my eyes are almost swollen shut by the time I leave a public place. I even take my allergy meds first but it doesn't help when you sit right next to someone that has bathed in it!! Why do people think they smell good like that??? Less is more people!!!

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