ShmoopTube

00:04

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:13

When you go to see a live play, you probably know that that the people on stage are just acting. [Theater curtain opens and cow appears at a barn]

00:18

Or, at least, we hope you know….if you didn't, feel free to pause this video to take in that

00:22

crazy, new information.

00:24

All right, everyone back?

00:26

Well, believe it or not, even if you're just in the audience, it's important for you to act, too.

00:30

Relax, we’re not asking you to jump onstage and deliver a Shakespearean soliloquy. [Boy jumps on stage]

00:34

All we mean is that it's your job to act like the best audience member you possibly can!

00:39

And yes, that unfortunately means leaving your whoopee cushions at home, even if fake [Boy places whoopee-cushion on chair and man sits down]

00:43

farts do make everything better.

00:45

Anyway, we know that being the best audience member ever doesn't exactly come naturally

00:49

to most of us.

00:50

The thing is, sometimes we get bored.

00:52

Other times we might desperately want to text a friend. [Person texting friend]

00:55

Or even kick the back of our friend’s chair just to annoy the heck out of them.

00:58

It can be hard to resist!

01:00

But resist you must.

01:01

You're here to see a production that a lot of people have put a lot of work into, not [Coop discussing the don'ts]

01:06

to kick chairs and stir up trouble.

01:08

And while being the best audience member ever is really its own reward, here are a few more

01:13

reasons why it’s in your best interest to shape up and act cool:

01:16

First, if you're goofing around and causing mayhem, you might end up missing something [Coop hanging by string on stage]

01:20

you would've loved.

01:21

Because sure, not every moment of being an audience member is super exciting, but if

01:25

you're too preoccupied with being bored, you might miss something that actually is super

01:29

exciting.

01:30

And then when everyone is talking about it afterwards, you'll feel left out. [Boy walking alone down a corridor as boy and girl discuss theater]

01:33

Which we all know is the last thing you want.

01:35

Ever heard the saying, “treat others as you want to be treated?”

01:38

Well it certainly applies here.

01:39

Imagine you were up on stage, pouring your little heart out for the world to see. [Girl on stage performing]

01:42

You'd probably feel a little bit bummed out if everyone in the audience was planting whoopee

01:46

cushions and giggling at fart noises instead of appreciating all the hard work you did.

01:50

Those are real people up on stage, so you better respect them.

01:53

Don’t forget that golden rule.

01:55

So now that you know why you should act like the best audience member ever, the question [Coop explaining why you should be best audience member and dino talks about how]

01:59

becomes: how do you do it?

02:00

The first point is obvious – keep watching the play!

02:03

It's not exactly easy to follow the plot if your eyes are glued to the floor, right?

02:06

The second thing you should do?

02:08

Talk.

02:09

Okay, bear with us.

02:10

We mean talk to yourself, in your head.

02:11

Sure it might sound crazy, but asking yourself questions about the play like- “Why did

02:15

she just say that? [Girl asking herself questions]

02:16

Why is he wearing the funny hat?

02:18

Why is there a cow on the stage??” - will help you understand and enjoy it even more.

02:22

Lastly, don't distract those around you.

02:24

Y'know, with kicking, poking, tickling, spitting, whispering, high-fiving, arm-wrestling, thumb-wrestling, [Coop listing distractions]

02:28

normal-wrestling, or anything else.

02:30

Oh, and turn your dang phones off.

02:32

We promise, you can go on Facebook when it's done. [Person turns phone off]

02:35

And hey, maybe you can even update your status about the cool play you just saw!

02:39

…or you could write about putting a whoopee cushion on your sister's chair. Classic. [Boy puts whoopee cushion on sisters chair]

Full Transcript