Spectators Walk Out of a Show for Many Reasons

[pherank]

Always a fun topic: to walk out or not to walk out?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/29/arts/spectators-walk-out-of-a-show-for-many-reasons.html

'Sex was rarely given as a reason for leaving, although Leah Settle, a homemaker in Little Rock, watched an entire audience vote with its feet in College Station, Tex., when Ryan Gosling’s head nestled between Michelle Williams’s thighs in “Blue Valentine.” “Literally every single person walked out of the theater except my boyfriend and me and one other couple,” Ms. Settle said.

Urbanites who are tempted to scoff at Oklahoma folkways should pause. It was just a few years ago that New York audiences were fleeing the Cort Theater when the projected image of a large penis appeared behind Will Ferrell during “You’re Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush.”'

[California]

A fun article, but I disagree with one statement:

It is particularly bad form to sit through a performance and then dash for the exits before the applause and the curtain calls begin.

I can think of all sorts of legitimate reasons for making a mad dash for the exits as soon as the performance ends -- the last bus/train home, a baby-sitter who has school the next day, a long drive ahead on a work night. That doesn't seem as egregious as leaving during the performance and having to climb over other audience members who might be enjoying the program.

[dirac]

Thanks, pherank. It is a fun topic. I agree that unless you wish for your own reasons to broadcast your displeasure with the performance to everyone, you don't leave a live performance till intermission. I have never committed a Protest Walkout myself, although I did duck out of a Cunningham myself once, I forget which one. My ears were unhappy. (I was on the aisle, too.)

I have heard and read more than one person of a certain age say something along the lines of, "Yes, I walk out. I don't have any more time to waste." I can understand that. After a certain point you know what you like and what you don't, and maybe you don't want to sit through that three-hour "epic" movie or that "experimental" dance or watch another Don Quixote pas de deux.

[kfw]

A fun article, but I disagree with one statement:

It is particularly bad form to sit through a performance and then dash for the exits before the applause and the curtain calls begin.

I can think of all sorts of legitimate reasons for making a mad dash for the exits as soon as the performance ends -- the last bus/train home, a baby-sitter who has school the next day, a long drive ahead on a work night.

Those are all factors that can be considered before one buys a ticket. I have to agree with the writer that leaving immediately is rude to both the performers and to the audience (it breaks the spell), especially for audience members who can't attend frequently, for whom a performance is a truly special occasion. Anyhow, Macaulay has a piece today on a similar topic, The Delayed: To Sit or Not to Sit?

[pherank]

I've never walked out as a 'protest' myself. I tend to feel I should see all of what I freely paid money for - How can one effectively criticize a play that you've seen 5 or 10 minutes of anyway? But then I tend to research things in advance to get a better idea if the piece has something worthwhile about it.

[Helene]

I disagree that it is rude to leave immediately after the curtain drops. Performers say that they can feel the energy from the audience even if they can't see them; that's independent of any appreciation during curtain calls. Even that isn't an obligation. Paying for a ticket and not behaving invasively or rudely during the performance are the only obligations an audience member has, in my opinion.

To me, it is rude to not give people a chance to get up and gather their things so they don't go flying and to trample them to leave immediately after the curtain rises, unless people decide to keep sitting as a protest against someone leaving. (Hmm. I need a flow chart for that.)

[volcanohunter]

I have heard and read more than one person of a certain age say something along the lines of, "Yes, I walk out. I don't have any more time to waste."

When you reach that point you know you're definitely starting to age! Life is short and getting shorter, so I find myself less and less inclined to invest my time in performances that aren't satisfactory.

On extremely rare occasions I have ducked out as soon as the curtain fell, because had I stayed I would have been tempted to boo. Normally, I'm the last person who's still applauding. I'm usually inclined to give people the benefit of the doubt where quick exits are concerned, but I've seen them happen at weekday afternoon concerts, too, when the last bus or train to the suburbs would not have been a factor.

I've been known to leave at intermission, albeit infrequently. (I've also been known to arrive during the intermission, if the first work on a program is of no interest to me.) If I'm very miserable I'll leave during a pause. Once or twice, when I've been completely wretched, I've left even sooner, but whenever possible I choose seats that would allow me to make my exit as unobtrusively as possible, on the aisle, preferably behind the corridor that runs across a given section, especially if it's considerably elevated and I could duck my way to the exit without getting into anyone's sightline. But in my defense I'll say that I choose those seats primarily for the extra leg room and so that I don't have to crawl over other people should I arrive at the last minute, which happens far more often than my premature exits.

[Drew]

I'm an audience member who can't attend frequently, at least not compared to many on this board, and I see the issue differently. I think a lot of people would never be able to attend performances or see what they wish to see if they couldn't at least sometimes leave as soon as the curtain fell--perhaps someone who can't attend very often might be in that position more than others. (If there is one week in the course of a year that I can travel to see a particular performance or performer--well, I can't just pick and choose my dates. Likewise, where I live, if I'm dependent on another person for a ride etc.)

In fact, like others who have posted, I almost always applaud until the very end--and I agree that it's more gracious to performers (and to other audience members one might have to slip past) than rushing out. But I'm still inclined to try to be understanding of people who leave for their reasons which might not be what I would consider the best. A handful of times in the past decade, I have left as soon as the curtain fell -- once after a matinee, so I could get to the airport on time, once after an evening performance when I was alone in an unfamiliar city and wanted to beat the rush for cabs, once when I became ill during the last act. I'm sure someone can explain to me in each case how I could have handled the situation differently, but I'm also pretty sure I was doing my best ...

[kfw]

A fun article, but I disagree with one statement:

It is particularly bad form to sit through a performance and then dash for the exits before the applause and the curtain calls begin.

I can think of all sorts of legitimate reasons for making a mad dash for the exits as soon as the performance ends -- the last bus/train home, a baby-sitter who has school the next day, a long drive ahead on a work night.

Those are all factors that can be considered before one buys a ticket. I have to agree with the writer that leaving immediately is rude to both the performers and to the audience (it breaks the spell), especially for audience members who can't attend frequently, for whom a performance is a truly special occasion.

I'm an audience member who can't attend frequently, at least not compared to many on this board, and I see the issue differently. I think a lot of people would never be able to attend peformances or see what they wish to see if they couldn't at least sometimes leave as soon as the curtain fell--perhaps someone who can't attend very often might be in that position more than others. (If there is one week in the course of a year that I can travel to see a particular performance or performer--well, I can't just pick and choose my dates. Likewise, where I live, if I'm dependent on another person for a ride etc.)

In fact, like others who have posted, I almost always applaud until the very end--and I agree that it's more gracious to performers (and to other audience members one might have to slip past) than rushing out. But I'm still inclined to try to be understanding of people who leave for their reasons which might not be what I would consider the best. A handful of times in the past decade, I have left as soon as the curtain fell -- once after a matinee, so I could get to the airport on time, once after an evening performance when I was alone in an unfamiliar city and wanted to beat the rush for cabs, once when I became ill during the last act. I'm sure someone can explain to me in each case how I could have handled the situation differently, but I'm also pretty sure I was doing my best ...

Well, you folks are right, and thank you for setting me straight on that.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

I have no qualms about ditching a performance that's not worth my time. I don't care how much I paid for my ticket, sunk costs are sunk costs -- no need to compound the injury by squandering precious minutes I'll never get back.

I do always wait for an intermission unless I'm on the aisle and can get to a door without disrupting everyone else.

[dirac]

A fun article, but I disagree with one statement:

It is particularly bad form to sit through a performance and then dash for the exits before the applause and the curtain calls begin.

I can think of all sorts of legitimate reasons for making a mad dash for the exits as soon as the performance ends -- the last bus/train home, a baby-sitter who has school the next day, a long drive ahead on a work night.

Those are all factors that can be considered before one buys a ticket. I have to agree with the writer that leaving immediately is rude to both the performers and to the audience (it breaks the spell), especially for audience members who can't attend frequently, for whom a performance is a truly special occasion. Anyhow, Macaulay has a piece today on a similar topic, The Delayed: To Sit or Not to Sit?

As others have pointed out, people often have good or "good" reasons to leave immediately. I've done so myself. However, when I leave early, I am depending on others to stay and applaud - in effect, to do my job as an appreciative audience member for me. So maybe it is worth remembering that leaving too quickly is, if not outright rudeness, less than ideal, even if it is sometimes necessary.

Perhaps there's a tipping point? When it's relatively few people, not a problem. But I have been to (good) performances where it seemed like a lot of people were rumbling toward the exits early, and it does put a damper on things, no question.

[JMcN]

In my near 40 years as a regular theatre goes I have walked out of plays only 3 times because we were not enjoying but always in the interval. We had to leave a performance of Blood Brothers early because the interval over-ran (which was explained over the PA because the queue was too long in the ladies!) but there was a place that we knew we could discretely slip out to catch the last train home.

Ken Dodd, a well known British entertainer, notoriously over-runs - quite often finishing around 0100!! He calls after people if they are leaving!

[SandyMcKean]

I am always amazed that folks have such confidence that they can determine what is good or bad, or even what they "like" or "don't like", based on how they are perceiving at that moment. Few seem to acknowledge that perhaps it is they that are the problem. Perhaps it is they who need to have their eyes opened.

For example, I go to most of the MET Opera HD b'casts at my local theater. This year the Met performed Shostakovich's "The Nose". I disliked it for the first 30 minutes. I discovered after the performance that most of the audience there that day didn't like it. Some audience members even walked out (albeit there were no live performers). In time, I started the "hear" what Shostakovich was trying to "say". I started to tune into it. By half way thru the opera, I was loving it. I had changed, not "The Nose"....and I changed for the better. As it turned out, "The Nose" was the MET presentation I most enjoyed during the entire HD season of 10 operas. Had I walked out after 30 minutes, as others did, I would not have learned; I would not have changed; I would not have increased my life's orbit.

I thank Shostakovich for creating such a masterpiece; and I thank myself for allowing myself to look to see why it was that what others (i.e., the Met's staff, management, singers, and director) consider a great work of art I'm not "getting". The job is not for the world to change to agree with me; but rather for me to open up my ears to hear what others have heard. Far from forcing myself to suffer thru something I am not liking, instead it became an opportunity for me to enlarge the world of what I like.

[volcanohunter]

Surely all spectators, regardless of whether they are very experienced theater-goers or novices, are entitled to their own opinions and perceptions, and I don't see why any of them should be miserable at the theater or concert hall. Not all art is great, and sometimes a bad pianist is just a bad pianist.

For my part I'll add that when I've abandoned performances, it generally wasn't because I'd been challenged excessively. On the contrary, what ticks me off to the point of leaving is usually a cutesy-pie production that hits me over the head with a sledgehammer and treats the audience like bunch of idiots.

[kfw]

Perhaps there's a tipping point? When it's relatively few people, not a problem. But I have been to (good) performances where it seemed like a lot of people were rumbling toward the exits early, and it does put a damper on things, no question.

It does for me, especially nowadays, when the cellphones and I-Pads get put away only as the performance is beginning, and get brought out the moment intermission begins. I wouldn't say audience members are exactly obliged to "Be Here Now" when the lights are up, but when people come together for something special and focus on that thing together, it makes it more special. Likewise, when they don't, they can detract from the special occasion. For me, at least. The last time I tried going to rock concert every fourth person was on some sort ot electronic device _during_ the performance.

Sandy, I'm glad you learned to like "The Nose." I heard two Met performances and loved each one, but when I finally watched the opera, the visuals were so busy, that they gave me sensory overload. But I stayed or rather, I sat in front of the television, for the whole performance.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

I think it’s important to make a distinction between works that are legitimately provocative — that are challenging in their materials, their form, or their subject matter — and those that are at best ill-conceived, ill-wrought, or badly performed and at worst merely trade on shock value. The former have a more just claim on our time, attention, and patience than the latter. That being said, it’s the theater, not a sacred duty: no one is under any obligation to stay if they would prefer not to, masterpiece or no.

Years ago I went to a noted pianist’s Carnegie Hall performance of works by Beethoven and Schoenberg. In an unusual move, he’d programmed all of the Schoenberg before intermission and all of the Beethoven after. It was interesting to note that a significant portion of the audience left at intermission: either they’d come for the Schoenberg (yay!) or they just didn’t like his playing. (I’m guessing the former. This particular pianist is highly regarded as an exponent of 20^th century composers, and justly so: under his hands, the Schoenberg works gleamed like jewels.) I stayed, but wish I’d left — his way with Beethoven was like fingernails on a chalkboard. I think the sonata in question would have been better served had I listened someone else’s recording of it through my tinny little earbuds on the subway ride home.

[Bored_on_Wall_Street]

you don't leave a live performance till intermission.

I think that's the basic rule. I have left many shows of bands early, but in a theatre context, even if i'm on the aisle, i dont want my exit to block the show for other folks who paid for it, even if my blockage is very temporary. For example, my gf and I saw NCoB's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland on Saturday night in NYC. We aren't big Wheeldon fans, but we went out of curiousity and to support a company we know well from a lot of time spent in Toronto. We found the first act a chore, and chesire cat puppet aside, the second act was equally unappealing. But even being on the aisle, we couldn't bring ourselves to bounce until second intermission.

[Amour]

A fun article, but I disagree with one statement:

It is particularly bad form to sit through a performance and then dash for the exits before the applause and the curtain calls begin.

I can think of all sorts of legitimate reasons for making a mad dash for the exits as soon as the performance ends -- the last bus/train home, a baby-sitter who has school the next day, a long drive ahead on a work night. That doesn't seem as egregious as leaving during the performance and having to climb over other audience members who might be enjoying the program.

I have to say I agree with California. Rushing towards the exit is a phenomena I mainly see on weekdays when many audience members have work or other obligations early the next day. Moving curtain times to 7:30 (NYCB and ABT) at least Monday through Thursday has been a step in the right direction. For myself, I have, in the past mainly only gone to see shows Friday or Saturday. However, recently, this has been too limiting so my husband and I will see weekday performances but have to leave shortly after applause begins due to his work the next day. I'm sure the performers recognize this and it is only a problem with full length ballets ((an ABT spring season problem).

As for walking out early, it is rare that I do but I have on occasion left at intermission when a performance seems hopeless beyond repair. Two examples that spring to mind are both Wheeldon full length ballets (Cinderella and Alice) which are very "Disney" ,rely heavily on sets and costumes and not very interesting (IMO) choreographically. I also left at the second intermission of the Osipova/Vasiliev Solo for Two in London last month. The first two pieces were awful and though I'd heard the third was the best, by that time I was in no mood to see if that was true. I think it is perfectly acceptable to leave at an intermission. You've paid your money (the performer has it) but to feel like you are paying to be punished, no thank you! Leaving during the performance is more tricky; if you are in an aisle seat and won't disrupt others,fine, but otherwise sit it out til the intermission is my philosophy.

Just as an aside, it was interesting at the ROH to see Fateyev make a mad dash for the exits (before the lights even came up) during the nights with more than one ballet. I've seen Peter Martins do the same at NYCB. But ADs usually have either aisle seats or 1or2 seats in from the aisle, so they don't disrupt anyone.

[Bored_on_Wall_Street]

not behaving invasively or rudely during the performance are the only obligations an audience member has.

This should be printed on every ticket for every type of theatre event, if only to remind the audience they have some sort of obligation to be quiet, and not be noticed. I think I skew towards the younger range of posters here, but it seems to me that this is a rule that is getting increasingly ignored, by young and old alike.

[sandik]

Just as an aside, it was interesting at the ROH to see Fateyev make a mad dash for the exits (before the lights even came up) during the nights with more than one ballet. I've seen Peter Martins do the same at NYCB. But ADs usually have either aisle seats or 1or2 seats in from the aisle, so they don't disrupt anyone.

ADs at Pacific Northwest Ballet have generally sat on the aisle, and usually stand as the lights go off to head backstage. I've noticed when they passed by, if I'm in the vicinity, but it's not disruptive.

[Bored_on_Wall_Street]

I have to say I agree with California. Rushing towards the exit is a phenomena I mainly see on weekdays when many audience members have work or other obligations early the next day. Moving curtain times to 7:30 (NYCB and ABT) at least Monday through Thursday has been a step in the right direction. For myself, I have, in the past mainly only gone to see shows Friday or Saturday. However, recently, this has been too limiting so my husband and I will see weekday performances but have to leave shortly after applause begins due to his work the next day. I'm sure the performers recognize this and it is only a problem with full length ballets ((an ABT spring season problem).

As for walking out early, it is rare that I do but I have on occasion left at intermission when a performance seems hopeless beyond repair. Two examples that spring to mind are both Wheeldon full length ballets (Cinderella and Alice) which are very "Disney" ,rely heavily on sets and costumes and not very interesting (IMO) choreographically. I also left at the second intermission of the Osipova/Vasiliev Solo for Two in London last month. The first two pieces were awful and though I'd heard the third was the best, by that time I was in no mood to see if that was true. I think it is perfectly acceptable to leave at an intermission. You've paid your money (the performer has it) but to feel like you are paying to be punished, no thank you! Leaving during the performance is more tricky; if you are in an aisle seat and won't disrupt others,fine, but otherwise sit it out til the intermission is my philosophy.

Just as an aside, it was interesting at the ROH to see Fateyev make a mad dash for the exits (before the lights even came up) during the nights with more than one ballet. I've seen Peter Martins do the same at NYCB. But ADs usually have either aisle seats or 1or2 seats in from the aisle, so they don't disrupt anyone.

I've seen Boal make a few, non-disruptive dashes like that at PNB. But non-disruption is the key!

And i applaud your foresight on fleeing from Cinderella. My gf and I decided to stay after act 1 solely on the basis of the amazing craftsmanship behind the tree-to-carriage transformation. And, while I liked Cinderella more than Alice, I struggle to remember anything after the end of act 1 except for the cinderella and the prince wandering around the stage during the last minutes, during which even Prokofiev's difficult music suggests somethig transformative should be happening...

[abatt]

Just as an aside, it was interesting at the ROH to see Fateyev make a mad dash for the exits (before the lights even came up) during the nights with more than one ballet. I've seen Peter Martins do the same at NYCB. But ADs usually have either aisle seats or 1or2 seats in from the aisle, so they don't disrupt anyone.

I've seen Artistic Directors do this numerous times at many different companies and venues. Kevin McKenzie darts out of his box at the Met as soon as the lights go down. I've also seen this type of thing when the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky have visited the Kennedy Center. If they stick around, people who know who they are will stop them and try to engage them in a conversation. I think they immediately go backstage and don't want any interference from the public.