Why are audiences so poorly behaved these days?

[abcd12]

Posted: 6/19/25 at 9:36pm

I’ve experienced a bit of a phenomenon lately: audiences who are terribly behaved. From everything from off Broadway shows to big Broadway musicals, it seems like no one can sit still, keep their phones off, be quiet, be courteous, and be respectful to their fellow theatergoers anymore. And ushers seem to rarely get involved. 
 

You’d think the Covid shutdown would’ve helped reinforce proper etiquette, but it seems to have only further enabled people to behave like assh*les at the theater. (I strangely haven’t really experienced this phenomenon at movie theaters, though.)
 

So I guess my question is why? Why are theater audiences so horrible these days? What can theater staff and owners do to help remedy this issue?
 

Has anyone else experienced the same thing repeatedly or am I just horrifically unlucky? (Tangentially, did anything ever come from that audience altercation at GYPSY a few months back?)

Updated On: 6/19/25 at 09:36 PM

[KarenValentine'sheadband]

Posted: 6/19/25 at 9:43pm

I'm not fully convinced it's Covid. I've seen and heard this sh** for 15 or more years. IMO, it comes down to entitlement. Many (Americans especially) believe they are entitled to what ever they want. I see it in old and young though I will say younger generations have tough time with their cells and not talking/singing outloud during a show. I also see this at concert more often. I go to 40 - 50 concerts a years. 

Updated On: 6/19/25 at 09:43 PM

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 6/19/25 at 9:43pm

“We have forgotten our public manners.”

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/19/25 at 9:45pm

So this is like the 146th post on this same topic?! 

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/Terrible-Audience-Experience
 

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/Bad-Audience-Behavior-872396

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 6/19/25 at 9:48pm

I’ve experienced this since shows re-opened. My theory is that it’s a combination of two things from years ago which have now firmly cemented the behavior. 

- “I’m so happy live theatre is back and everyone in this theatre is gonna know how much I love theatre and the cast is gonna hear my appreciation for them.”

PLUS

- Lockdowns and pandemic times where people were encouraged to narc on the maskless, the unvaccinated, (heck even kids were calling out unmasked people) and essentially told to “say whatever you want because your health is more important”, and by extension, oneself is now more important than anyone else and can do or say whatever they want. 

Updated On: 6/19/25 at 09:48 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 6/19/25 at 9:57pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "
- Lockdowns and pandemic times where people were encouraged to narc on the maskless, the unvaccinated, (heck even kids were calling out unmasked people) and essentially told to “say whateveryou want because your health is more important”, and by extension, oneself is now more important than anyone else and can do or say whatever they want."

And I'm sure the "How dare you tell me to wear a mask or what to do, I can do whatever I want, this is America" people haven't contributed to this at all. 

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/19/25 at 10:00pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "So this is like the 146th post on this same topic?!

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/Terrible-Audience-Experience


https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/Bad-Audience-Behavior-872396"

The “why did you start a new thread” bullsh*t is getting really old. 

Who gives a sh*t? My God.



Anyway yes - I’ve experienced the same trend. The audience at CALL ME IZZY this evening was atrocious. 

I really don’t know what the answer is. 

I do wish theater staff would step in more often.

When I saw DEATH OF A SALESMAN a few years back, I had to get up from my seat to find an usher to ask people two rows in front of me to get off of their phone. When I saw BVSC, I had to make direct eye contact with an usher before they stepped in to ask a patron to stop talking. They were right there, watching this person be disruptive for minutes and seemingly only addressed it because I (and a few other patrons) turned our heads and locked eyes with them.

Updated On: 6/20/25 at 10:00 PM

[ER765]

Posted: 6/19/25 at 10:09pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "So this is like the 146th post on this same topic?!

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/Terrible-Audience-Experience


https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/Bad-Audience-Behavior-872396"

Those threads are both TWENTY YEARS OLD, with the most recent post from TEN YEARS AGO.

Your post is infinitely more annoying and unnecessary than this thread. Chill out. 

[MB124]

Posted: 6/19/25 at 10:13pm

Kad said: "BorisTomashevsky said: "
- Lockdowns and pandemic times where people were encouraged to narc on the maskless, the unvaccinated, (heck even kids were calling out unmasked people) and essentially told to “say whateveryou want because your health is more important”, and by extension, oneself is now more important than anyone else and can do or say whatever they want."

And I'm sure the "How dare you tell me to wear a mask or what to do, I can do whatever I want, this is America" people haven't contributed to this at all."

^^^^ this. 

[KarenValentine'sheadband]

Posted: 6/19/25 at 10:21pm

BorisTomashevsky said: 

- Lockdowns and pandemic times where people were encouraged to narc on the maskless, the unvaccinated, (heck even kids were calling out unmasked people) and essentially told to “say whateveryou want because your health is more important”, and by extension, oneself is now more important than anyone else and can do or say whatever they want."

 

I was living in LA during all of that time I never once saw or heard anyone say something similar? If what you claim is  'true' then the those behaving this way were/are basically the a holes of the world, correct? Oh, your Dump slip is showing, dear. You might want to take care of that. 

 

Updated On: 6/19/25 at 10:21 PM

[abcd12]

Posted: 6/19/25 at 10:23pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "I’ve experienced this since shows re-opened. My theory is that it’s a combination of two things from years ago which have now firmly cemented the behavior.

- “I’m so happy live theatre is backand everyone in this theatre is gonna know how much I love theatre and the cast is gonna hear my appreciation for them.”

PLUS

- Lockdowns and pandemic times where people were encouraged to narc on the maskless, the unvaccinated, (heck even kids were calling out unmasked people) and essentially told to “say whateveryou want because your health is more important”, and by extension, oneself is now more important than anyone else and can do or say whatever they want."

On your second point, I echo what Kad said. 
 

On your first point, I think you’re missing my issue. I LOVE an expressive audience. That’s half of what makes the theatrical experience so special, in my opinion. The exchange of energy between actor and audience. In fact, the audience at Sunset Blvd. helped elevate the performance I was at. They were clapping and cheering (at all the right moments), which I love. It was electric. That’s not what my problem is. My problem is people talking, checking their phones, texting, getting up and down repeatedly, not sitting still, etc. 

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/19/25 at 10:41pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "I’ve experienced this since shows re-opened. My theory is that it’s a combination of two things from years ago which have now firmly cemented the behavior.

- “I’m so happy live theatre is backand everyone in this theatre is gonna know how much I love theatre and the cast is gonna hear my appreciation for them.”

PLUS

- Lockdowns and pandemic times where people were encouraged to narc on the maskless, the unvaccinated, (heck even kids were calling out unmasked people) and essentially told to “say whateveryou want because your health is more important”, and by extension, oneself is now more important than anyone else and can do or say whatever they want."

Neither of these takes are as fierce as you think, my dear. 

[pmensky]

Posted: 6/19/25 at 11:32pm

I think the real culprit behind worsening theatre behavior is the smartphone, not just its presence, but its lasting effect on how we process attention. We’ve been rewired to need multiple stimuli at once, so when the lights go down and we’re asked to focus on one unfolding narrative, people get jittery. The result is more whispering, fidgeting, snacking, not because these habits are new, but because the tolerance for stillness has eroded. If a phone isn’t in their hand, something else has to take its place to satisfy that double craving for stimulation.

[Back Row]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 1:13am

I think there are a number of factors, including some mentioned here, but the high cost of theater tickets seems to give people a sense of entitlement, the right to do whatever they want because they PAID for that right. 

[binau]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 3:01am

I see it in both New York and London. It’s not just New York. Phones going off, talking, looking at phones. It’s getting frustrating. At the Jamie Lloyd Evita people in prime orchestra seats talking commenting on the show while the director is sitting behind them WTF is wrong with people,

That said of course it has ALWAYS been a problem. I remember people texting during Sutton Foster’s Anything Goes (2011) or parents giving devices for children to use during Jeremy Jordan’s Sunday West Side Story matinee (2010). But it does feel worse now. 

The most annoying thing is I never know what to do - confronting them makes it awkward for me. I try to give a passive aggressive look and I see others try it too. Sometimes it works, often there seems to be no self awareness or no care. 

Theatre is so expensive these days I would have thought people would just want to shut up if only for their own benefit. But alas. 

[bear88]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 3:48am

I think I have been lucky in New York. I don’t think I have had a genuinely unpleasant theater experience because of a bad audience. I am always fine at local and regional theaters. The only time I run into trouble is at touring productions in San Francisco (the occasional loud argument, some very annoying women who sang along with Fiddler on the Roof until I made a remark at intermission). There is the dread at one theater that gives out drinks in bottles, which inevitably start rolling down the aisle. But I blame that on the theater, not the audience.

[ER765]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 8:03am

Agreed about ushers needing to step in. 
 

it leaves the onus on the theatergoer to speak up which can go so left so fast. I’ve politely asked patrons to please stop talking before and been SCREAMED at. 

[witchoftheeast2]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 8:27am

Updated On: 6/20/25 at 08:27 AM

[verywellthensigh]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 11:26am

Honestly, I think the agonies of the times are having a nihilistic, crazy-making effect on everyone.  Just ask the airlines (another situation where you're surrounded by people in one space). 

[morosco]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 11:54am

It seems like many have lost any sense of "public manners". I was at a movie recently and quietly asked a constantly chattering couple to please be considerate and that request was met with a swift "F*UCK YOU" as a response. Many also feel like rules or any form of etiquette don't apply to them.

[joevitus]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 12:13pm

I feel like the conversation is too narrow because it ignores how much this sort of thing happens at the movies, too. My guess is that it's also happening at concerts and other performance venues. And it did not by any means beging with COVID. I think actually it's more like a lot of the people who were acting like jerks before COVID were the same jerks who refused to wear masks during COVID, rather than COVID instilling a new mindset. 

I personally think it comes down to the insularity of contemporary life, going back to probably the early 00's. People who spend most of their times in their own homes, watching t.v. on connecting online aren't as well socialized about how to behave in pubic space. I also think our phones lead to the merging of public space with private space. And now, as we  have a generation that grew up like this--as opposed to sinking into it in adulthood after an earlier life where they were taught better--it is only getting worse. 

Updated On: 6/20/25 at 12:13 PM

[KarenValentine'sheadband]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 12:25pm

joevitus said: "I feel like the conversation is too narrow because it ignores how much this sort of thing happens at the movies, too. My guess is that it's also happening at concerts and other performance venues. And it did not by any means beging with COVID. I think actually it's more like a lot of the people who were acting like jerks before COVID were the same jerks who refused to wear masks during COVID, rather than COVID instilling a new mindset.

I personally think it comes down to the insularity of contemporary life, going back to probably the early 00's. People who spend most of their times in their own homes, watching t.v. on connecting online aren't as well socialized about how to behave in pubic space. I also think our phones lead to the merging of public space with private space. And now, as we have a generation that grew up like this--as opposed to sinking into it in adulthood after an earlier life where they were taught better--it is only getting worse."

^^ BOOM! 

 

[Kad]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 12:30pm

I worked front of house and audience service jobs when I was in college and just out of it, now well over a decade ago. And people could be absolutely terrible then. I never witnessed any assaults or anything,  but wild levels of entitlement, constant phone use or other inconsiderate acts, and bizarre, anti-social behavior were incredibly commonplace even back then. I'm sure anybody who has worked retail, hospitality, or other similar service jobs has tons of similar stories dating back years or decades. 

It is kind of hard for me to determine if it has become more common or worse, or if we just now have more avenues for it to be seen and discussed via social media and are more attuned to it (the phenomenon of when you become aware of something, you see it everywhere).  As far as I know, there are not hard statistics about things like this. 

Updated On: 6/20/25 at 12:30 PM

[MB124]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 12:31pm

The OP didn’t say it started with Covid. They questioned whether or not the lockdown exacerbated the behavior. 

They also explicitly said they hadn’t experienced it as much at the movies. You’re free to broaden the convo by bringing that up as well. But based off of how quickly everyone jumps down people’s throats on here, if the conversation expanded to movie theaters, I’d imagine someone will say the conversation is off topic. 

[abcd12]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 12:38pm

Pre-show announcements seem to be in vain, as well. 
 

I always shiver a bit when there isn’t one, mentally preparing for the inevitable alarm or phone ring. But I’ve been to a bunch of shows lately WITH an announcement (some even with the added reminder of a Playbill slip AND ushers holding signs) and phones are a problem, regardless. 
 

No one gives a sh*t. It’s awful. 

Updated On: 6/20/25 at 12:38 PM