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Good Morning Whilst panto-style behaviour is to be expected in a theatre near you at the moment, what about the rest of the time? Because a survey this week revealed that two thirds of theatregoers experienced disruption due to an increasing list of bad behaviours. We all know what they might be including noisy eating & drinking, obstructing other people’s view, singing along, heckling. loud talking and the ubiquitous use of mobile phones. These are just some of the annoying habits audiences face after taking their seats. During a recent visit to South Africa, I went to hear Verdi’s Requiem performed at the Stellenbosch concert hall. The deeply spiritual performance was spoilt only by a member of the audience in the row in front of me recording nearly all the event on her mobile phone. I felt the constant disruption to be just rude. But, being a visitor, I thought better of making a fuss. People largely go to live performances not only to be entertained but also to be challenged and provoked. As a former chaplain to what was then called the Actor’s Church Union, I’m a passionate believer in the power of theatre to transcend what is routine and predictable and to take an audience to another place. The synergy between audience and performer is always unique. I’ve seen the same play multiple times. On each occasion it feels fresh and new. For me, that’s where the overlap between theatre and Christian worship is at its most profound. It doesn’t matter how many times you attend an act of worship – [9 Lessons and Carols service or a beautiful candlelit Midnight Mass for example] for every liturgical spiritual experience is different. The synergy between those re-enacting the liturgy and the congregation is often deeply moving as it was at Stellenbosch. The hope is surely that individuals leave a venue transformed in spirit and renewed in hope. The writer Laura Collins Hughes observed how “the secular can also be spiritual, the habit of worship transferred into the habit of theatregoing.” But as audience behaviours change, and not always for the better, there’s a real danger that the enjoyment of the majority can be ruined by those oblivious to those around them. Indeed, respect for others is the beginning and the end of any shared enjoyment and experience. Then we can be transported together to a mystical place where new truths are discovered with our phones undoubtedly turned off.