IN THE PHILIPPINES, the arts are one of the most important treasures our country has to offer, and this includes theatrical plays. There are several plays and musicals that have people lining up at the theater to watch the magnificent stories and acts. This includes “Ang Huling El Bimbo,” “Buruguduystunstugudunstuy,” “Rak of Aegis,” and the recently showing, “One More Chance: The Musical.”
“One More Chance: The Musical” was adapted from the blockbuster film “One More Chance” starring Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz. It tells the story of couple Popoy and Basha, who were together for five years but have broken up after Basha grew tired of the overbearing Popoy. Their story navigates the laws of romance and second chances.
While a lot of fans enjoyed their experience of watching this musical, netizen B Delgado expressed her disappointment in a lengthy post on Facebook. She said she enjoyed Act 1 and congratulated the whole cast and crew for a job well done.
However, the point of her post wasn’t to just praise the people behind the production but to call the attention of the audience and of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) which housed “One More Chance: The Musical” and oversaw the seating and ushering.
What bothered B Delgado was that when Act 2 started, the people sitting in front of her were on their gadgets with their full brightness on. B Delgado claimed that PETA immediately called out other “nobody” viewers when they’re on their phones or being loud, “…but when it’s a celebrity and friends, dedma nalang? They were seated on the house seats so there was an usher beside them.”
Delgado said that PETA and their ushers should extend the same treatment to all their audiences, regardless if they were VIPs or not. Everyone should adhere to theater etiquette.
Commenters shared Delgado’s sentiments and called out PETA for ignoring such lousy behavior in one of their most-watched theatrical plays. PETA has remained silent about the issue despite actively posting about the rerun of the play in collaboration with Metrobank.
This truly shows that there are people who seem to be unaware of theater etiquette. Here’s why it is important that before enjoying theater, one must take time to educate themselves about it.
Theater etiquette
Here are four rules of theater etiquette that a beginner audience should remember:
Don’t be late.
People enjoy watching the play from start to end, soaking up all the details that each character plays, so make sure that you come to the theater before the play starts or at least 30 minutes beforehand. This way, you’ll have time to relax, and you don’t disturb anyone when you come in after the play has started.
Visit the restroom before the performance.
It is important to remember that even if you arrive early to your seats, if you stand up all the time to head for the restroom, it defeats the purpose of you arriving early to avoid disturbing other viewers. Before you go inside the theater, make sure that you have already taken care of your necessities.
Be responsible for your snacks/drinks. Eat before the performance if possible.
Having snacks while watching something seems to elevate the experience, but in a theater where everyone takes their time to absorb the story, it’s better to not bother them with your chewing sounds or a drink possibly spilling.
Turn off all gadgets before and during the performance.
Viewers are very much focused on the play or musical, and since it is a live performance, paying attention is required to enjoy the play. Disruptions or distractions (may it be light or sound) might ruin the experience. It’s disrespectful as it is disturbing.
By remembering these rules of politeness inside the theater, you’ll enjoy plays 10x more as you—and everyone else—get to watch peacefully. By showing respect for others, you’ll all enjoy a night of an artistic portrayal of a story.
