As Beetlejuice was summoned to Columbia from the underworld, excited fans saw the notorious ghost and his antics at the Koger Center for the Arts. The performing arts center has been the proud host of Broadway in Columbia for decades, drawing in new patrons and seasoned audience members alike with their variety of touring productions. The 2025-2026 season of the Koger Center's Broadway in Columbia includes Mrs. Doubtfire, The Music Man, Chicago, Wicked, Beetlejuice and Clue: Live on Stage. Clue: Live on Stage will run June 6 through 7.
With five musicals and one play, the lineup has aroused excitement, each show filling the performance hall with emotion, drama and song. This excitement comes with challenges, however, as new attendees may not be aware of the standards of theatre etiquette. These expectations are essential in ensuring a joyful experience for all: performers, spectators, ushers, and employees alike.
“Theater etiquette is very important just so everyone can enjoy the performance and just get what they want out of it and make sure there’s no disturbances,” Morgan Walker, an usher at the Koger Center, said.
So, to help out theater novices and those who need a refresher in respectful behaviors, here is a list of the 4 most important etiquette expectations to remember:
1. No Phones
To quote Beetlejuice in his opening song "The Whole 'Being Dead' Thing," “And if I hear your cellphone ringing, I’ll kill you myself.” While the situation is not nearly as dire as the infamous ghoul suggests, he makes a good point about the importance of staying off of the phone during performances. Many shows come with an early warning not to record due to copyright and legal issues, as well as to respect the actors on stage. Violation of this rule can easily get one kicked out or banned from a theater.
“That’s a part of our job is we go inside – and we typically have the usher inside always – and we look for those cameras because you’re stealing the work from the performers, the performances," Walker said. "When that happens, we go up and we tell them to delete it, if they don’t cooperate, we tell them to leave."
Phone usage also makes the experience unpleasant for those in the surrounding area. Just like at the movie theater, bright lights from phone screens are incredibly distracting (no matter how dim the screen is) and answering calls or texts causes an even larger disturbance. Not only is it frustrating to the other audience members, but it can also disturb technicians, according to Koger front of house supervisor Spade Kambak.
“As a lighting designer, having extra lights on from the audience takes away from the whole effort that that lighting designer put in," Kambak said.
2. Musicals are not sing-a-longs
Even though people want to believe they are Elphaba, channeling their inner Cynthia Erivo or Idina Menzel when they sing along to Wicked's "Defying Gravity", it is a role much better suited for the actor on the stage. There is nothing wrong with tapping a foot along with the beat to a favorite song, but singing is a big “no-no” at most productions. It hinders the audience’s ability to focus and takes away from the hard work the singers put into their performance, sometimes even distracting the performers on stage.
However, there are some performances where singing is welcomed and encouraged, such as the end of “Six: The Musical”, which came to the Koger Center in 2025. This goes along with the lively, concert atmosphere of the show, but is also a special case that cannot be applied to most productions.
3. Stay in your seat
With the Koger Center boasting 2,256 seats, it is important to stay in one place during showtime to avoid inconveniencing other patrons. There are many cases where leaving is acceptable, such as needing to urgently use the restroom or to answer important messages, but constant movement in the auditorium can prove distracting as people shift and stand mid-show. Excessive movement can cause people to get as frustrated as Madeline Kahn’s Mrs. White in Clue (1985), who felt “flames, flames on the side of [her] face.”
4. Save conversations for later
Digital conversations are not the only ones that take away from the production – talking to a neighbor can be equally disturbing. A quiet comment here and there is harmless, but conversations in the theater hall ruin the immersive environment that actors, designers, directors, musicians and technicians all work hard to create.
“People say comments here and there, but sometimes people have full-on conversations, speaking loudly and just not respecting the people around you or the performers,” Walker said.
If a conversation must be had, it is important to step outside or wait for intermission. Otherwise, talking can wait for after the production. Then you can “cheep cheep cheep, talk a lot” all you want, as The Music Man suggests.
BONUS: Applaud the performers!
Most importantly, it is essential that all of the hardworking people that put years into their craft get recognized, so make sure to stay for final bows. This is the time to be loud! Clap, stand, cheer, and show love to everyone involved in bringing these shows to life. Bringing Broadway to Columbia takes countless hours of work and immeasurable amounts of care. Attending a show, whether it is a student-run production or a traveling Broadway tour, is a great opportunity to support the arts and appreciate the effort put into these productions.
