Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

It?s tough to keep up all of those New Year?s resolutions, but I have a few that you can use as a reward for hanging in there. While you keep up with commitments to stay healthy, treat yourself to nights out as often as possible. What better place to indulge than decadent but non-fattening theatre? Follow these theatrical resolutions to get out to a show and make your experience there even more rewarding.

Don?t just say you?ll go. Really go out there and rediscover live theatre and performing arts. This is often the hardest hurdle, especially when the television is so conveniently located in our living rooms. But so are the munchies, so get away from the fridge and get into the audience. You?ll feel the energy that makes live performances so much more dynamic than clicking through hundreds of channels of nothing on the tube. To get over the motivation hurdle, it helps to make theatre dates a regular outing with friends or to subscribe to a company?s whole season.

Try something new. Maybe you?ve been going to see the same kind of shows or performances at the same theatre over and over. If your interest is waning being stuck in an artistic rut, or even if it?s not, expand your horizons. You could discover a funky-cool performance space like La Val?s Subterranean or an original work at Solano Rep. I love Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals and William Shakespeare classics, too, but variety is the spice of life. Support those small, original, unique shows or you may lose the opportunity.

Bring a friend. It?s great fun to share an evening of theatre with a friend, especially if you go out after the show and talk. You?ll not only do your pal a favor, but you?ll also be doing the theatre a good turn. With school budgets that leave little room for arts programs, our youth aren?t building the performing arts into their cultural experience. The result is dwindling audiences, so bringing young friends and introducing them to the wonder of theatre is even better!

Honor the audience. There are no pause or rewind buttons on live performances. If you miss the moment, it?s gone, so please don?t disturb your fellow audience members by showing up late, talking aloud, or singing along. Historically, everything from insults to vegetables may have been hurled at live performers, but such antics have thankfully gone the way of chamber pots and biannual baths.

Get involved. If you?ve loved and loyally attended live theatre for years, maybe there?s even more you can do. Volunteer to work as an usher, help with set construction, or stuff envelopes. If you don?t have time to volunteer, make a valuable contribution by providing feedback or input to the theatre companies you support. Or perhaps you could get more involved on a much more personal level. Buy and read a show?s script in advance. Pick up a biography of the playwright at the library. Or even read the Cliff?s Notes and think about the essay questions. The more you learn, the greater your experience.

Have fun. Embrace the vibrant energy that emanates from the people who gather on stage and off to make theatre art come alive. It?s exhilarating! Even the greatest of tragedies can be fun in the sense that there is freedom in giving yourself over to such raw emotion. Don?t forget that while the show must go on, it wouldn?t have a reason to without you. It?s pretty fun to feel that special.

One resolution that?s always easy to keep: be yourself. Whether you prefer to cruise in comfy jeans or get dolled up in your finest, there?s a seat in the theatre waiting for you!

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