Born and raised in San Francisco, I worked for a prominent concert producer while in college and am well-versed in theater etiquette from ballet and opera to heavy metal concerts. I’ve noticed over the past couple years a serious decline in theater behavior, be it audibly talking throughout the show, fiddling with cellophane snack packets throughout an aria or munching on popcorn during an intimate candlelit quartet performance.
What are you thinking, San Diegans? While the prices of tickets rise, audience behavior is getting worse and worse. If residents want to continue enjoying cultural events in America’s Finest City, perhaps we can step up to the plate and pay attention to what’s becoming the lost art of theater etiquette.
We haven’t raised the bar, it’s been there all the time. However, current theater-goers appear to have forgotten how to play nicely in the sandbox.
— Karen J. Blevins, San Carlos