Sit down, shut up and clap: A guide to theater etiquette by Amanda Duarte — Page 2

Broadway Joe said: "I know she is joking but if you actually ever talk to people the way she does in real life then you best be prepared to fight because there is always someone out there more crazy than you."

And that is the exact same reason you should be a respectful and considerate theatergoer. You never know when you are going to be seated next to me... I mean.. a crazy person.

I love this women and agree on everything she has said. Last week, when the lights went down during "The Beast in the Jungle" a man in the front row, one person down from me was still texting. And older man attempted to shut him down but he waved him off like some douchebag. The ushers at the Vineyard are volunteers and they were nowhere to be found. I got up from my first row seat (plenty of room from the stage) stood over him, and told him "Turn your phone off right now, it's fu*king rude". That is when two rows of people applauded and 2 people said "thank you". I freaked him out so he immediately put it in his fanny pack until after the show.

If some bu!lsh*t is happening in the theater, never be afraid to speak up. I know a lot of people don't feel they can do that, or don't want to start drama but it's vitally important that people learn proper etiquette. Some people can't be saved obviously, but some people honestly do not know proper decorum inside a theater.

Updated On: 6/28/18 at 07:19 PM

EllieRose2 said: "I love this women and agree on everything she has said. Last week, when the lights went down during "The Beast in the Jungle" a man in the front row, one person down from me was still texting. And older man attempted to shut him down but he waved him off like some douchebag.The ushers at the Vineyard are volunteers and they were nowhere to be found.I got up from my first row seat (plenty of room from the stage) stood over him, and told him "Turn your phone off right now, it's fu*king rude". That is when two rows of people applauded and 2 people said "thank you". I freaked him out so he immediately put it in his fanny pack until after the show.

If some bu!lsh*t is happening in the theater, never be afraid to speak up. I know a lot of people don't feel they can do that, or don't want to start drama but it's vitally important that people learn proper etiquette. Some people can't be saved obviously, but some people honestly do not know proper decorum inside a theater."

Yes! I will always speak out ! People need to stop being afraid of confrontation . In the long run your doing some good.

Gee, Where are all you confrontational people when I go to the theater? I always seem to be the only one who tells people to turn off their phones, etc., when it is quite obvious that everyone around is just as annoyed. Just once, I would love to see someone else confront that person, instead of it always being me.

mailhandler777 said: "Next time I chew my gum I'll make sure that I do what I do now. People around me have no clue that I'm chewing gum anyway because guess what. THEY DON'T LOOK AT ME OR LOOK AROUND TO SEE IF PEOPLE ARE CHEWING GUM. I'm guessing the people that have issues with gum chewers are people that eat loudly themselves and think everyone is like that.

I may also have to use the bathroom too and I'll definitely get up during a show to do so. If anyone tries to stop me you will be more embarrassed than I will be trying to stop me."

Scott Rudin will not let you back to your seat. And that policy has worked really well in his shows . Same thing at circle in the square for Once..

Cell phone light really does bother me. One lady at Long Day's Journey Into Night at BAM kept her phone on for the first FIVE MINUTES of the show as she read messages and texted.Ugh! Very distracting. She was considerably down the aisle one row ahead of me, or I would have said something to her quietly. Finally she turned it off.

But worse, for me, are the people who feel it necessary to call out a comment during a show. During a perfomance of The Color Purple, right in the middle of "I'm Here", an incredibly poignant number, during a pause when you could hear a pin drop in the audience, one woman felt compelled to loudly exclaim "YES! You SING that song, girl!" Okay, I get that you were moved, but it definitely took us out of the moment. My 15 year old looked at me like "Really?! " This is not an audience participation piece, folks.

Annie, grab your gun and shoot me because I violate half of these...

Sit the **** still - When a part is particularly suspenseful, I have a tendency to move to the edge of my seat or to shift my leg a bit. Sometimes I'll even tap it! Sorry, I can't control my reaction to the sheer emotion some of these actors have (Harry Potter when part 1 act 2 ended and IT was flying around the room I thought I was going to be hit and the head and dodged one. Not my fault, subconscious).

Be over 25 years old, and preferably over 30 - I'm still under 25. Sue me. I have been going to the theatre since I was 13 and have never misbehaved so badly people complained and many people have actually said I'm a wonderful seatmate.

Do not eat or drink - After rushing Waitress from 9 - 12 when the box opened, seeing the show at 1 and never getting time to eat I packed a cookie to eat before the show but had to eat during the first song. I'd rather not be at a show and hear my stomach growling the entire time. You wouldn't either. I got no breakfast or lunch until then, and it was well deserved.

Come at me, tell me that I should go to the theatre again in 3+ years, lose all emotional capability and on an empty stomach.

Food or drink is unacceptable unless you are sick. Oh, wait, DON'T COME TO THE THEATER WHEN YOU ARE SICK! Chewing, crunching, smacking gum, when someone lifts their drink full of ice making a huge sound, a crinkle of a water bottle. All of those things are unacceptable and gross. Can people in America really NOT go a few hours without food or water? Unless you have a medical condition, you can. I am actually telling you, the human body can handle it. Really and Truly.