When does excitement become a distraction? ASFA weighs proper audience etiquette

Jaela Ellis and Joshua Rauterkus star in a scene from "Flyin' West," a play performed last fall by the Theatre Arts department. Issues of audience etiquette that arose during this and several other FOCUS schedule events have raised questions among ASFA students and faculty, with ASFA administration speaking to homerooms about behavior during performances.

Feral shouts, clenched fists swinging at the open air between seats and stage. Cues and actors’ lines are drowned out by the noise bubbling from the house. The emotion surging through the Dorothy Jemison Day Theater on Oct. 14th, 2022, is more than just tangible, it’s alive. But is this reaction considered proper etiquette for a performance?

“I would’ve felt more pressure if the audience was quieter,” says Ash Smith, a Theatre Arts senior who played Ms. Leah in Flyin’ West, when asked how she handled the passionate response to the show’s Oct. 14th FOCUS day performance.

Ash claims that with the noise and uproar of the crowd came an energy that only made her and her fellow actors more excited to show them the next scene.

“Flyin’ West had a lot of plot twists that got the reactions,” Ash tells the Star.

Reactions boomed through the theater during the performances of Three Sisters and, in particular, Flyin' West. The audience hooted and cheered after the delivery of line after line, while others used the chaos as a chance to use their phones and electronics. Some reported that an entire laptop was pulled out by an audience member mid-performance. In the end, the show’s response shook not only the DJD, but ASFA administration as well.

At the beginning of February, all grade-level homerooms were visited by Dr. Brad Hill, director of curriculum and instruction, for a discussion on audience behavior during FOCUS day performances.

In the meeting, Dr. Hill outlined the do’s and don’ts of student audience etiquette, highlighting the importance of respect towards performers and the discouragement of any action that may draw attention away from those on stage and towards a member of the audience. This includes behavior like excessive or premature cheering or applause, bringing in hydroflasks and metal water bottles, and use of any electronics during the show.

Like a large part of the student body, Ash has mixed feelings, but can see both sides of the conflict.

“It’s hard to say…but I’d say overall [a reactive crowd] is less helpful,” she tells the Star.

It appears that the ASFA student body, priding itself on passion and encouragement for other departments during FOCUS days, now must find the solid medium between a supportive audience and one that brings more harm to the performance than good.