Any event in public life requires compliance with certain rules, which are called etiquette. Naturally, the rules of conduct in the theater also exist. When a person goes there, he wants to get aesthetic pleasure, enjoy the art of actors.
But at the same time, it is very important not to spoil the pleasure of the performance with your other wrong behavior. We will talk about theatrical etiquette for adults, as well as about the rules of conduct in the theater for schoolchildren in our review.
What should be the appearance?
You need to prepare for the trip to the theater in advance in order to choose the right clothes that should match the situation. It is not for nothing that the theater is called the temple of art. In modern reality, this is not so difficult to do, as women don an evening gown, and men no longer need a tuxedo. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to look more elegant than usual.
A suit of calm tones, a light shirt, and a beautiful tie will suit men. And for women - an elegant, but not flashy dress, complemented by accessories, but again not too bulky. It is better to dress more modestly than to overdo it. In a word, as always, it is advisable to adhere to the golden mean.
Observe the measure is also necessary when using perfume. This applies to both women and men. Excessive passion for perfume is regarded as a bad manners. Moreover, with a large accumulation of too “fragrant” persons, where a lot of different aromas are mixed, someone may feel dizzy or even have an allergic reaction.
How to behave before the performance?
According to the rules of conduct in the theater, at the entrance, the tickets are presented to the controller by a man (even if he is invited to the performance by a woman). He also opens the front door to the lady. You need to appear in the theater in advance. This event is festive, so the rush here is extremely inappropriate.
After all, before the performance any actions are always performed, for example, you may need:
- turn over clothes into the wardrobe;
- buy an applet;
- rent binoculars;
- stroll through the lobby, getting acquainted with information about the theater or the performance;
- greet friends.
If you appear in the theater about half an hour before the start of the performance, this would be the best option.
What to consider in the wardrobe?
Following the rules of behavior in the theater, a man must constantly take care of his companion, including in the wardrobe. He is obliged to help her take off her outer clothing, and only then undress himself. After that, he takes things into the locker room and takes the number, leaving it with him. At the same time, you should not carry it on your finger, you need to hide it in your pocket immediately.
After the clothes are handed over, usually a person looks at himself in the mirror, evaluating his appearance. And if he noticed any unwanted touches in him, correcting them right in the lobby would be wrong. To do this, go to the toilet room.
How to get to your place in the hall?
The first man to enter the auditorium. He shows the lady the way to the place (if this is not done by a theatrical employee). Along the row, one should move towards the seated people, if necessary, apologize in a quiet voice, without attracting undue attention, and move on.
In the event that the aisle is very narrow, the one who sits must stand in order to let the passer through. The first is a man who, having reached the place, must stop and wait for his lady to sit down, and then sit down himself. Seats must be taken before the third bell rings.If the seats are located in the middle of the row, then it is better to follow them in advance so as not to disturb the people sitting on the sides again.
If the seats are on the sides, then it’s worth, on the contrary, not to rush so that you don’t have to skip the audience all the time in the middle of the row. If it suddenly turns out that someone has taken your places, you need to show your tickets to the people sitting on them. And then very politely express a request for their release. In the event that “double” tickets are purchased, you need to contact the theater staff, whose responsibility is to resolve this problem.
When you may not be allowed into the hall?
Being late to the theater is a manifestation of indecency. After the lights in the room went out, you can only enter the box. In all other cases, employees have every right to block your access to the place before the intermission. If they showed loyalty and you were allowed to go into the hall, you need to do it as quietly as possible and sit on the first empty seat. Sneaking into the places indicated on the ticket, if they are in the middle of the row, in this situation is unacceptable. This can only be done at intermission.
How to behave on the spot?
After the seats in the hall are safely occupied, you should not think that you can completely relax and not follow the rules of theater etiquette. Here is a reminder of the rules of conduct in the theater during the performance:
- Putting your hands on both armrests is not necessary, as this may interfere with the neighbors. Even if the room is stuffy, it is not recommended to fan the program. No need to consider people in the room with theatrical binoculars. And also while watching you can’t eat and rustle with chocolate foil.
- It is not recommended to sit very close, bending their heads to each other, so as not to interfere with looking at the scene from behind.
- You should not sit with your legs crossed, legs wide apart, lean on the back of the chair in front, rest your feet on it or fall asleep, leaning on the back of your chair (even if you are bored).
- It is required to observe complete silence, not forgetting to turn off the phone in advance, without discussing the acting and the behavior of others. If the latter behave indiscreetly, you must very quietly make a remark to them, and if it does not help, turn to the representatives of the theater for help.
- It is considered bad form to express excessive pleasure from the performance. The applause should not be too loud and prolonged during viewing, usually it is postponed to the end of the performance. As well as presenting flowers to the actors. And even more unacceptable are the stamping of feet, screams and whistles. It is not customary in the theater to shout “encore”, since here, unlike a concert, repetition of any scene is impossible.
These 5 basic rules of behavior in the theater while watching a performance will help you to show your culture and, as they say, do not hit your face in the mud.
How to leave?
Concluding the review of the rules of behavior in the theater for adults, it would be advisable to say how to leave it correctly. If a person leaves the hall during the action, he thereby demonstrates poor education. Even if the performance is not at all like it, you need to wait for the intermission to leave.
But even when the performance is already over, one should not rush headlong into the wardrobe for clothes. Indeed, often artists come to bow repeatedly, so you need to wait until the curtain is lowered and slowly rush to the exit. If there are good reasons why the viewer needs to leave the theater early, then there is an unwritten rule in this regard. To do this, they watch the last act from the balcony, after which they quietly leave, without disturbing anyone.
Now let's move on to the rules of conduct in the theater for children.
What should a child learn?
Relying on theatrical etiquette for adults, we can recommend the rules of behavior in the theater to children of the 2nd grade. Here are the most basic ones:
- You cannot be late to the theater.
- The mobile phone must be turned off - neither talking on it nor playing games is permissible.
- Pass to your place you need to face the seated people.
- You should sit still in place, do not spin, do not interfere with others, greatly spreading arms or legs.
- During the concert you can’t: play, chew, make noise, chat with neighbors.
- Clap and give flowers only at the end of the performance.
- It is forbidden to run away to the wardrobe ahead of time before the end of the performance or in the buffet before the intermission.