So is it okay for audience members to sing along during musicals? — Page 3

Dave28282, on the article she mentions that while her mother was being shushed, black and latinx audience members around her giggled in amusement of the white patron and his “audacity”.

Well, I’m actually a part of the Latino demographics and I would not be giggling with them, I would be telling them to just be quiet.

The most infuriating part of the article is when she brings up Hamilton, just because you can engage with the material on a different level, doesn’t mean you can act however you like in the theater.

I think it’s worth noting again that Dominique Morisseau who wrote the book for Ain’t Too Proud actually retweeted the article in agreement, she wants the audience to participate in her shows.

edit: here’s the tweet I mentioned: https://twitter.com/domorisseau/status/1124053294811426838?s=21

Updated On: 5/17/19 at 12:20 PM

"I think it’s worth noting again that Dominique Morisseau who wrote the book for Ain’t Too Proud actually retweeted the article in agreement, she wants the audience to participate in her shows."

That sounds like a good reason to me to not buy ticket to this show. I want to be able to hear the wonderful actors in the show not the audience members. Thankfully, I can buy the recording of the show in the future.

White gatekeeper/??seriousl

anyway the answer is No, No, No, No. I did NOT pay to hear you sing. It is rude.



of course, unless it is "no Time at All" and Andrea Martin is asking you to join in. Then you must

No, it isn't. And I think trying to make this issue about race is actually laughably ridiculous.

My feelings about why singing along and audibly engaging with theater is how distracting it can be for audience members, even if you don't think it is. My sister has near total hearing loss in one ear (only recently diagnosed as an adult - she compensated for over 30 years), and while she doesn't need assisted listening devices, she DOES have to work a lot harder to listen and follow live theater. If someone next to her was singing or otherwise drawing her aural focus from the show, she can't engage in the show anymore.

I think there isn't one correct way to engage with live theatre as an audience member, that the predominant way on Broadway is one built on the historic behavior of a specific group that may not be representative of audiences today, and that as of now there is not a great way to reconcile differing cultural baggage in a diverse audience.



But at the end of the day, this is not a "sit quietly, it's serious theatre" show. People sing at Beautiful, Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia, etc.

Updated On: 5/17/19 at 05:12 PM

Kad said: "I think there isn't one correct way to engage with live theatre as an audience member, that the predominant way on Broadway is one built on the historic behavior of a specific group that may not be representative of audiences today, and that as of now there is not a great way to reconcile differing cultural baggage in a diverse audience.


I've re-read this 4 times and still have no idea what you said.

and DP I would certainly tell you to STFU. It's not your show or your theatre. You are just a member of the audience no matter how well you know the show---do your singalong at home.

Updated On: 5/17/19 at 06:11 PM

SO nice to have you back where you belong

GavestonPS----Same for me when I saw Dreamgirls in San Fran and I nearly shxt myself when all that screaming and 'go girl' started. I have no recollection of the show except the audience.

and for all those Dollypop supporters it's his/her actions in a theatre space that I am criticising. Look at me?

This idea would have unfortunate racial overtones in many places, but in a different world, I wonder if it would work to have dedicated 'quiet' and 'participation' theatre seating sections, a bit like dedicated quiet train carriages. Hear me out :) For many music concerts, in my admittedly limited experience, there is a dedicated ticket type and venue area for the mosh pit as compared to the seated area. Mosh pit patrons get prime position closest to the stage, while the seated patrons (probably older on average) get a little more comfort and quiet, with seating located higher than the mosh pit to prevent those on their feet from blocking others' sightlines. The conventions of each section are clear, and I don't think there's any particular sense of suspicion or animosity between the two; it's just catering to patrons' differing preferences in a way to minimise inconvenience to all. (I'm not suggesting literal mosh pits within theatres, BTW.) Obviously in a theatre, sound would carry between sections more easily, but perhaps the best/worst of having patrons with different preferences in close proximity would be minimised. But yeah... doing this would probably 'read' as being a form of segregation by another name, unfortunately.
(Personally, I haven't experienced being seated close to vocal patrons in a theatre setting, so I'm not 100% sure how I would respond.)

VintageSnarker said: "There's more to the audience demographic breakdown than black and white. There are many cultural traditions of theater and storytelling.And if we're really talking about inclusion and intersectionality what about those with anxiety, autism, etc.? I know there are sometimes ADA performances but you never know what someone's going through. Ultimately theater is a shared space. It's important to find some kind of balance where everyone feels welcome and comfortable. (And no, I don't mean you shouldn't be challenged by anything on stage but there should be a baseline for conduct that benefits the majority of the audience.)

"

Of course, there are more theater traditions than just the African and the European (and neither of those traditions are entirely uniform). I was just providing one--often remarked upon--example. If you want my entire course on THE HISTORY OF WORLD THEATER, we'll need at least nine months and probably a different message board.

I have no objection if theaters want to try--with signs, recorded announcements, a curtain speech, whatever--to communicate the desired behavior to the audience. I want more plays like ANGELS IN AMERICA, which can accommodate some vocal responses from the audience, but which are basically written with the idea that the audience will hear every line. However, we should keep in mind that audiences once shouted back at HAMLET, while the bear and the dogs were waiting off-stage to fight between acts. (Some historians question whether bear-baiting every actually took place during Shakespeare's plays, but variety acts of various kinds were part of the event.)

My point is not that it's racist to want a quiet audience, but that it's ignorant to assume everyone comes from the same performance tradition.

Updated On: 5/18/19 at 09:37 PM