Let The Audience Clap
There was a trend in our activity at one point where shows were all through-composed and never stopped. I see the artistry in this, but I’m glad we’ve moved on. I think we need to let the audience clap. This is especially true for high school performers.
This concept is another that I found when reading the wonderful book Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday In The Park With George by James Lapine. I found this behind-the-scenes account of the creation of a Broadway musical to be fascinating and inspiring. I bookmarked many pages and have already recorded a podcast discussion about the many lessons in this book for all of us in the marching arts.
The book shares many stories from putting the show together, and Lapine shares the advice that many very smart people gave them as the show was being created. At one point, the star of the show Mandy Patinkin had a big musical number and then the show just moved on without stopping. A successful Broadway producer made the suggestion that they add a break there to let the audience clap. Lapine said the advice was this:
An audience needs to be able to show its appreciation. It helps validate their enjoyment and encourage anyone on the fence to get on board.
Not only did the star need to feel appreciated, but the audience needs to get to show that appreciation. Even Broadway stars are vulnerable (see the last blog post) and their performances are improved with some applause and encouragement. The audience also needs to have this release.
I love attending the theater and I like to react if something thrills or moves me. Having space for this makes me comfortable to show how I’m feeling. And as our quote mentions, some in the audience who are not sure what they think may be caught up in the energy and excitement and come to enjoy the show more.
One performance in particular comes to mind for me. I was fortunate enough to see Bette Midler in “Hello, Dolly!” in 2017 and it was one of my favorite theatrical experiences of all time. Everyone was very excited to be there and clapped enthusiastically for moments when beautiful costumes appeared, much less for the stellar performances. This show has traditionally introduced the star by having them ride in on a wagon with newspapers covering the faces. When the third newspaper dropped and Bette was sitting there smiling at us, the audience leapt to its feet as one and cheered for minutes on end! I’ve never felt so much loves from an audience!
Let the audience love your students’ performance. They work very hard so build in moments where they can stop (and catch their breath) and the audience can reward them. The audience will like being a part of the show and getting to show their support, and your students will know their efforts are being appreciated. Take a look at your show from this perspective and see if you need to “stop the show” another time or two to accomplish this.
I recommend you read this book! Putting It Together – James Lapine
Tim Hinton
September 5, 2021
