From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Mathieu_Ren=E9?= <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca>
To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:24:05 -0500
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] SOM- Audience


Some theatres used to, and probably some still do, evict someone rude and 
noisy during a performance.

At a venue I go to sometimes, they have a clearly stated written explanation 
in their yearly catalogue of shows, of what is and was isn't acceptable, and 
why. I appreciate that they do emphasize the importance of showing respect 
for the people on stage, and the difference between a TV show and a live 
performance.
They are also immutable on the lateness policy, in respect for the people on 
stage and audience. They close and lock the doors on time, and let no one 
else in afterwards.  Even in the case of a free event where I had some 
puppets performing, they locked the doors. Since I was late, I had to wait 
for the end of the show to go in and say hi. In theory anyways, I did wait 
for 95% of the remaining time, at which moment I noticed that the door had 
not been clsoed right. So in I went, followed by another who had legitimate 
business inside,  only to find ourselves locked in, between entrance and 
main doors, until an employee spotted us and let us in, after verifying our 
credentials.
I snuck in the small room where the show was taking place, at a moment 
between improvs, and only saw the two last sketches.

I believe when people as a community (or even better, as a society) make 
them unnaceptable or even better outright viscious insulting for all, the 
unwanted behaviors are nearly erradicated.

For sure, when I go see shows and they make a very obvious joke menace about 
destroying cell phones and other noisy devices if they should manifest 
during the show, people do shut them off.
A good friend of mine had his cell phone ring during a movie. I noiselessly 
gestured him to shut it NOW DAMMIT, but he started talking on it. Not loud, 
but enough to irritate at least three rows of people around us. I should 
have taken the phone from him as soon as I saw him about to talk.
Anyways, he stopped relatively quickly, and I gave him "hell" after the 
movie.

Once, at a stand up comedian's show, a cell phone rang during the 
performance. The comedian was very cool about it. He paid the culprit for 
the price of the phone by asking people in the audience to chip in for it 
(took no more than a minute), then had someone bring a stick or bat or 
hammer of some sort, and smashed the thing to bits.
How satisfying. He was a Canadian comic, but I can't remember which one, 
sorry.






_______________________________________________
List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit
Archives: http://www.driftline.org