Audience members leaving their seats before curtain call — Page 4

> People who have such contempt for the people performing onstage that they take the attitude of 'I paid for my ticket and can damn well do what I please,' even when it disrupts the actors and fellow audience members (who ALSO paid for their ticket) should stay the f*ck home. Honestly...what's the point of going?

get over yourself.

your hypothesis (people who leave early have contempt) is both false and narcissistic.

whenever i can, i stay for the curtain call. it is not a sign of "contempt" to have to bolt when the curtain goes down. on our side of the fourth wall, the lowering of the curtain usually significes that -- hel-lo-o-o! -- THE PERFORMANCE IS OVER!!! you're done ... so, if circumstances dictate, we can be, too.

but your comments make it clear that you have lost sight of who is there for whom -- utterly. if you can't keep it clear in your mind that WE are paying YOU to entertain (provoke, amuse, outrage, charm, thrill, awe ... any and all of the above) US, then you seriously are in the wrong line of work.

and one more thing: if everyone you just challenged to "stay the f*ck home" actually did so, you'd be out of that line of work in no time. this board is full of theater queens; we're a non-representative sample of your actual audience. and *our* opinion is divided. the masses who in fact fill the seats in your theater would have no problem leaving before the curtain call if they needed to. Dare all of them to 'stay the f*ck home' and see how quickly you're back waiting tables ...

you need to recalibrate your expectations at a fundamental level -- instead of having a hissy fit over the few people who leave, why not focus on the majority who are still standing there expressing appreciation? seriously: you've got 500 to 1000 people clapping for you, and all you can see are the dozen or two who have to jet???

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Really? Matinees? Most people have a thing during the day called "work."

Really? You work 7 days a week? Most people have off on the weekends, that's why they have matinees Saturday and Sunday.

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and possibly train schedules are less frequent on weekends ... and possibly the commuting distance for some people is so great that an evening performance after work is the only viable option ... and possibly the paying customer has custody of the kids on the weekend and can't get back into the city ... and possibly ... and possibly ... and possibly ...

you're totaly right, marianne, but again (AGAIN!) it's not the patron's (i believe that's what we're called) job to arrange her schedule to suit the cast!!!

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I was just pointing out that not everyone is privileged to have weekends off. I have no issues staying for entire shows. As long as I make it to the last train, I'm fine. But, it never occurs because the last one leaves at 1:30am, and the chances for a show to get out that late are very slim.

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PRS: if you think those are "excuses", please don't ever cheat on your husband/wife/partner!

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Right. I mean, sure there are some shows that make you suffer through interminable megamixes and whatnot, but I still think two minutes is a good median call.


All of these arguments are ridiculous. To split hairs and say that no, the whole shebang is over with the end of the play and not with the end of the curtain call is just silly. But saying you pay an actor's salary in the same entitled way people rail at people in bureaucratic jobs is just silly, too.

Even if I feel "meh" about a show, I stick it through till the curtain call is over, and not out some sort of obligation to the performers or whatever or respect to the collective consciousness of audience and actor or any BS. It just doesn't occur to me NOT to, just like it doesn't occur to me duck out two minutes before the end.

I'm frankly just sort of flabbergasted by all the people contorting themselves into the reasons why they can't just make it through the curtain call. I think it's perhaps because deep down everyone knows there's no good reason for you to NOT stick it out, except for the fact that you're an entitled a-hole.

Or devolved.

Seriously, I just don't understand how much time people think they are gaining.

I was at four shows this week. I did not see ANY mass exodus OR mini exodus before the curtain calls were complete. (I wasn't particularly LOOKING for any, either.)

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No, I don't think everyone does.

"To say that you have paid these people to entertain you makes you sound like a slave owner."

It does have a slight 'Dance, n*gger, dance!' feeling to it, right?

And whatever2 (could a name ever be more apt?), you clearly haven't read or understood what I wrote. I do not believe people have contemp if they leave early. I believe some of the people IN THIS THREAD have contempt for actors. And the idea that you think actors are there for you...to entertain you...is simply full of contempt.

I'm not there for you. You're not there for me. We're there for the play. And if you don't think so, then you are the one in need of getting over one's self.

orange skittles- i apologize i read that wrong.

Phyllis RS - i see your point.

Jane- it is about priority and i guess some other people's priorities lie elsewhere when they feel a show is complete. i have never sat anywhere other than orchestra other than in the west end and even then can not imagine "wanting" to leave, but i never had issues to make me need to either.

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for sure they know it's rude. if i "had" to go (and it would have to be an emergency) i would be going out very sheepishly.

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Um, I'm the one who used the slave analogy, and I"m sure you got my drift.

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