A Good Audience, A Good Night

Posted by Rob Riley (Tom in The Crowd You’re In With)

There are two types of audiences an actor dreads on opening night: number one, the glazed-eyed judgmental types, who perhaps both absorb and exude the blasé temperament of the critics scattered throughout the house, and number two, the yelping over-enthusiasts who feel duty-bound to show their love and support for the friends or relations in the cast who provided them with free tickets to a show they’d otherwise been unable to afford—or summon up the desire—to see.

In short, the ideal opening night audience is a normal audience, people who love theater and are interested in the intellectual and aesthetic stimulation it offers. And that's what we got last night on our opening: a crowd that was with us, but not making things too easy for us, who were there to enjoy the show and to participate by bringing their own life experiences and intelligence to the table. A good night.