A Second Opinion

Attending shows at Robsham, let alone at any theater, is sometimes difficult for me, because I feel that audiences have no sense of respect for performers anymore. In the days of our grandparents, the theater, ballet, or what have you was a coat-and-tails event, full of all the glitz, glamour, and grace of a wedding. Today, however, as ticket prices are more readily affordable by the wider community - a good thing - all sense of manners seem to have been shut out.

Watching the Dance Ensemble's masterful spring production, Impulse, this past weekend, I found myself once again regretting having decided to go to a dance performance at Boston College. It is the same for all of them - they remind me of cattle calls, or to be more blunt, bar fights. Anyone and everyone who doesn't take their time to travel to the theater any other time in the year shows up, screams like a moron, and dresses tackily. Or, as I witnessed at the Dance Organization performance last year, they just bring beer. And any or all of those acts is tacky.

The screaming during the performance was so ridiculous at points this weekend that I felt like leaving the theater to preserve my sanity. While it is good for audience members to show their support to the performers, it is inappropriate for them to scream things such as "I want your sex." Last weekend, it was at an all-time low, as if members in the audience were competing to see who could cheer on their friends the loudest. Some dancers clearly lost their facial composure because they were so distracted.

I also saw someone clad in sweatpants. Sitting as a spectator in the theater is not the same as being a spectator at a football game. Sadly, some people at BC seem to get more dressed up for that. It is the role of the audience to demonstrate respect for the performers that they are seeing, regardless of how much the tickets cost. This is clearly portrayed through their dress. Nice jeans are the minimum of what is acceptable for a performance. If people feel that they are so important that they must come from the gym before going to a performance, they should pack the proper clothes, shower, and change before entering the theater.

As a former performer, I see at as my duty to be a good audience member. You should, too. Then, the theater will be a happier place not only for us but for our entertainers.