And on a completely different note...the university where I work lets staff take classes for free, as long as the classes don’t conflict with their work. So this summer I’m taking a theater appreciation class. I’ve always enjoyed going to the theater, so I thought it would be nice to learn a bit more about it, even if it is an intro level class with a bunch of undergrads.
Anyway, last night the entire class went to a play. The instructor was not there, as he had already seen the play. There was one scene in the play where one of the main characters kisses another man in a club. There is about a 2 minute flirtation scene between the two men. From the back of the theater, there was a loud outburst of laughter when the two men kissed. This was not mean to be a funny scene. Throughout the rest of the scene, there were very loud groans of disgust when the two men interacted. I was in the front of the theater, and the (very distinctly frat boy) laughter was coming from the back. True, it was a small theater, but I could still hear him loud and clear. I am absolutely positive that it was someone in the class who was making all the noise. I am sure I can’t be the only one who was offended.
So now I’m unsure of what to do. Part of me wants to tell the professor, because it was incredibly disrespectful to the actors and audience. If this class is about theater appreciation, this kid needs to learn how to behave in a theater. The other part of me feels like I’d be an immature tattle tale if I made a big deal about it. My next class isn’t until Monday, so I suppose I have time to think about it.
1 comment:
I HATE that frat-boy tendency to make the biggest deal out of such things. My theory is that they're the most freaked out by homosexuality during that time when they're the most curious about it as well.
Since you can't identify the guilty party, you're actually in a better position to give general feedback to the instructor. I say email them and share your experience, highlighting that it may be helpful at a future class to discuss proper modes of theater appreciation. I think that as long as you keep it very general and constructive, you're doing everyone a favor.
Good luck, though. It can feel rather icky to be the grown-up in a situation like that.
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