In the 19th century, attending the theatre was a major public forum; housing the bourgeoisie and the proletariat together to enjoy melodramatic performances and satirical opera. The theatre opened its doors to an evening of dress up, attentiveness and polite conversation between acts, with a recognisable standard of behaviour: no noisy eating, sitting quietly and respecting the space of your neighbours. This leads me to wonder – has theatre etiquette deteriorated in the 21st century?
The re-opening of theatres post pandemic brought about a noticeable rise in rowdy behaviour as people eagerly returned to the stalls – but what constitutes excitement and what is just plain rudeness? It is no longer unheard of to have rustling sweet wrappers, mobile phones pinging mid performance, fights in the stalls and fans singing along, drowning out the hard working professions. Is the behaviour of audience members becoming disruptive to a point of intervention?
This follows a recent viral clip of actress Gillian Anderson telling returning front row fans to “not sit in the front row” as it is “distracting”. The fans attended Edward Albee’s play “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” 20 times, sitting in the front row on each occasion. Anderson commented “You cannot come 20 times and sit in the front row, it’ll drive me mad,” at the stage door.
In this intimate theatre setting, especially as it is set in the round, the front row is merely feet away from the performers, so it is understandable how seeing the same faces night after night could be off putting. It raises the questions though – are audience members becoming less considerate of actors? Is it because fans feel a sense of entitlement to catch the attention of their favourite celebrity on stage because they have paid to see them?
Similarly, last month A-list actress Cate Blanchett, starring in her National Theatre production of Electra/ Persona, was filmed pleading for the theatre audience to put their phones away stating: “There are few places on this planet where we can simply be together and be present”.
This came as a result of fans recording throughout the show and while the actors were simply applying makeup in-between acts. The two-time Oscar winner addressed fans in an appreciative but direct manner: “I understand you like filming the curtain call – and it is kind of flattering in a way. But for anyone who is filming the show, please don’t, because it spoils it for the next group of people who come in and are present with us”.
An increasing amount of measures are being introduced to ensure the respect of audiences. New rules are in place specifically requiring mobile phones be silenced, designated sing along times and articles have been released by British Theatre to provide information on West End theatre etiquette. Have we become so accustomed to watching the world through a screen, even though the live performance is right in front of us? Is this why we feel entitled to meet celebrities at the stage door night after night? After all, they are public figures.
It is more than reasonable to suggest that the standard of behaviour in theatres has declined since the regimented expectations of the Victorians.
The next time you go to the theatre, have a look around you and see what you notice. People in joggers and hoodies? Or whispering during the show? Maybe you have someone singing along loudly behind you. Is the person in front holding up their phone, blocking your view? This issue is becoming increasingly prominent as we see more and more celebrities finally addressing the behaviour of audiences. We can only wonder – and dread – what will become of the way we view the theatre, or the way theatres welcome their audiences if this escalates.
