Haqq, an actor who has appeared off-Broadway with theater companies ranging from the Barrow Group to the Epic Theatre Ensemble, told Insider he recently witnessed a variation of this faux pas while watching a performance of "Springsteen on Broadway."ĭuring the show, he said, an audience member was the only one to clap in the middle of an upbeat ballad - and as a result, was ejected from the theater. Not only does it qualify as spectacularly bad timing, but it's distracting to the performers and fellow audience members.ĭevin E. Showing appreciation for a performer by clapping is excellent theater etiquette - but not in the middle of a song. Make sure you clap at the end of a musical number - not during it The woman was then kicked out of the theater and the performance resumed. One of the most infamous incidents involving this infraction was when the late acting great Katharine Hepburn interrupted a 1982 Broadway-bound performance of "West Side Waltz" in Boston to yell at a woman who had, contrary to theater rules, taken a flash photograph of Hepburn in action. "It is the ultimate sign of disrespect in the theater," said off-Broadway performer Jenna Nicole Schoen, whose credits include "Wicked," "Jersey Boys," and "A Chorus Line." "It is very uncomfortable for everyone when you are reminded not to record, especially if the rules are already established." People need to realize most of the theaters are not new and require legroom." Never record video or take photos during a show Don't go shopping at Bloomingdale's before you go to the theater. Robin Rothstein, a playwright and former director of operations at touring-show producer Broadway Across America, told Insider: "The Broadway theaters are old and seats are small.
This also means not bringing your shopping bags with you. When the show ends and the curtain call is over, it's common courtesy and good etiquette to grab your things and exit the aisle quickly so everyone can get out. Don't block the aisle during intermission or after the show