Broadway Etiquette

By Ari Kellen

Dress well• Avoid sweats, flip

flops, shorts and sneakers!

• You don’t have to dress too well, but try to look ok

Arrive on time

• Nobody likes the person who shows up late!

• Latecomers disrupt the show and distract actors!

• Better yet, arrive early

Use the bathroom before the show starts

!

• Climbing over the people sitting by you in the middle of a show is distracting!

• If you have to use the bathroom, try doing it during a scene change to minimize disruption

Don’t wear too much scents

• If you can smell it, so can everybody else !

• Arrive to a show clean and wear fragrances light

Turn off your ringer

• Ringing phones ruin performances!

• Checking text messages, email or social media is just as bad!

• Wait until intermission if you need to make a call/answer a text

Don’t eat during a show Loudly munching

or unwrapping a candy bar is just as distracting as talking or a cell phone

Don’t talkIf you absolutely have to say something, whisper between scenes

Don’t take photos

• Photo and video recordings aren’t allowed during performances!

• If you’re using one, an usher will come and reprimand you, maybe even kick you out, which is both disruptive and embarrassing

Avoid PDAs

• If you’re on a date, wait until after the show!

• A snuggling couple will distract everybody behind them

ApplaudEven if you didn’t like the show, it’s a sign of respect