Since 2011, I’ve been performing professionally off and on. That experience, combined with the many times I’ve been in the audience watching other performers, has taught me a lot about how to be a good audience member. There are many dos and don’ts to keep in mind during a performance that can mean the difference between everyone having a good time and one or more individuals feeling upset.
Unfortunately, being a performer doesn’t automatically guarantee one will also be a good audience member. Some of the worst audience members I’ve had have been fellow performers. My biggest frustrations have come from those who seem to be constantly stuck in performance mode, even when someone else is performing. That’s why it’s so incredibly refreshing when most or all audience members know how to act during a performance.
Interestingly, being a good audience member is extremely similar to being a good conversation partner. As such, these tips will work well in either scenario; mass adoption of them would result in much better conversations everywhere. While I don’t know if anyone will get to the level of listening that my dog Sawyer achieved, I still have hope that at least some humans can become better listeners than they currently are. Without further ado, here are my recommendations.
- Let the performer run the show. George Carlin once said that some audience members in his shows seem to think their name is on the ticket. Since it’s not your show, step back and don’t try to steal the spotlight from the performer. Only speak up if the performer requests it.
- Enjoy the mystery. While it may be tempting to speculate as to where you think the performance is going, don’t speak such speculations out loud, either to another audience member or to the performer. You’ll find out where the performance is going by simply watching it. Even if you’re right in your guesses, it’s better to respect everyone there by quietly sitting back and enjoying the ride.
- Keep criticisms and instructions to yourself. Few things frustrate me more than when someone tells me how to do something or how they think it could be done better in the middle of my performance. Sometimes this happens one-on-one, and other times it happens in front of one or more audience members. Whatever the intentions of the person who does this, I wish they’d refrain from doing this altogether, or at least wait until after the performance to talk with me about this in private.
- Make the performer’s job as easy as possible. Performing is hard enough in ideal conditions and even harder in hostile conditions. That’s why it’s important to not mess up the performer, whether by heckling, intentionally mishandling any equipment the performer gives you, lying, or anything else along those lines. You wouldn’t appreciate someone trying to mess you up at your job, so don’t mess up the performer at his job.
- Applaud only successes. For some reason, the following happens a lot in juggling performances: the show is going well, then the juggler suddenly drops, and the audience applauds. I don’t get it. Why applaud mistakes? Instead, sit tight and wait until the performer succeeds before applauding.