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Audience and decorum

There are, it is often said, such things as discipline and decorum for actors on stage.

Are there similar prescriptions for an audience? Be part of the audience of any artistic performance in an auditorium in the capital city and you might be tempted to say ‘no.’ The staging of the play ‘Chhayamukhi’ on April 11 a s part of a drama-music festival organised by Swaralaya is a case in point. The play was staged at the Nishagandhi open air auditorium that was given a temporary roof for the show. Even though an announcement was made before the play began that mobile phones must be switched off, there were many in the audience who did not heed this request. The result?

The beep of incoming messages and the trilling of incoming calls right through the two-hour play.

That was not all. Many people had brought their little children along — some even had infants with them — to the performance. Predictably, many among these ‘captive audience’ bawled their heads off during the play.

You cannot take mobile phones into certain venues. Would there now be ‘mobile phones and children not allowed’ notices in front of auditoriums soon?

G. Mahadevan

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