A Student’s Guide to Performances at The Shakespeare Tavern

Soon you will be experiencing the exciting world of Shakespeare at The Shakespeare Tavern®. The Atlanta Shakespeare Company (ASC) will take you into a world where pretty girls, handsome guys, exciting sword fights, unforgettable romance, murder plots, wars, and fantastical creatures exist. Shakespeare’s stories will spring to life as the tales move off the page and onto the stage. “Why is this important?” you may ask. The answer is simple. The stage is the only place where the magic of Shakespeare’s world can be fully experienced. Simply put, Shakespeare wrote plays, not books, and his plays were written to be performed and not just read.

The only way to ensure that you fully experience the wonder of The Shakespeare Tavern® is by your helping us with the following:

Please remember that you are attending a live show, not a movie. Unlike a movie theater, in a live theater the audience can influence what type of performance the actors will give. No two performances are the same because no two audiences are the same. Simply put, audiences that show respect for the actors by being the best audience they can be will be rewarded with a more exciting performance. You set the standard for the show you will see.

Matinee Guidelines

HA HA! or Shhhhhh?

The actors like to hear you laugh at the funny parts (Yes, Shakespeare can be really funny!). We want you to feel comfortable laughing out loud or applauding the actors when it’s appropriate. However, The Shakespeare Tavern® was built so that a whisper could be heard from anywhere in the theater. This means that everyone on stage and in the audience can hear you if you talk during the performance, so please save your conversations for intermission or after the show.

Off with Your Head! Errrr … I Mean Your Cell Phone:

Cell phones, pagers, and beeping watches must be turned off during the show. It is rude and distracting to the actors and fellow audience members to have the play interrupted by a ringing cell phone, beeping pager or a singing watch. So, just turn them off. Also, walkmans, cameras, Game Boys and smoking are not permitted in The Shakespeare Tavern®. In addition, some electronic devices interfere with our stage management headsets, so any text messaging or cell phone/cameras that are used by students during a show will be confiscated and a teacher will need to get it from house management before you leave!

Stay Together

You are on a field trip to The Shakespeare Tavern®, and only The Shakespeare Tavern®. This means that students must stay in the building once they have arrived and before re-boarding their buses. After your group has arrived, there is no re-admittance into The Shakespeare Tavern®.

Restrooms

If possible, please wait until intermission to use the restrooms in the lobby. It’s distracting to everyone if audience members come in and out of the theater while the play is going on. It is important to note that anyone who leaves the theater while the play is on will miss a portion of the play. If it’s possible, you will be re-seated later at an appropriate time by ASC staff however please be aware that you may have to wait until intermission before you may re-enter the theater.

Lunches

Lunches may be eaten at intermission. For your convenience, box lunches are available. We don’t have a special custodial staff like movie theaters do, so please help us keep The Tavern clean by placing your trash in the garbage cans located in the theater or in the lobby.

Thank you for helping us give you the best show possible. See you soon!

This document is a digital version of our flyer: Off the Page and Onto the Stage! (Student_matinee_guide_09.pdf  Downloadable Version)

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Note: ASC reserves the right to dismiss any student or school that causes damage to ASC property, endangers the safety of an actor by throwing objects at the stage, or due to any grossly disruptive behavior.