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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audience | 3/3 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audience | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T15:44:01.750749+00:00 | kb-cron |
Interacting with an "audience friend", a character often designed to be comedic and sympathetic, such as Buttons from "Cinderella". Typical interactions include call and response (e.g. Buttons: "Hiya gang!" Audience: "Hiya Buttons!") Back and forth arguments, usually composed of simple, repetitive phrases (e.g. Character: "No there isn't!" Audience: "Yes there is!") "Ghost gags", where the audience yells loudly to inform the character of imminent danger, usually whilst the character is completely unaware. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) divides the audience into groups assigned to call out the concerns of three components of a character's psyche. In The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a Broadway theatre musical based on Charles Dickens's last, unfinished work, the audience must vote for whom they think the murderer is, as well as the real identity of the detective and the couple who end up together. The 1984 Summer Olympics included card stunts at the Olympic Stadium. Tony n' Tina's Wedding engages the entire audience at once, staging a narrative set during a wedding in which the audience performs the role of "guests". The British panel game QI often allows the audience to try to answer questions. Currently, the audience have won one show, and have come last in another. Magic shows often rely on some audience interaction. Psychological illusionist Derren Brown relies heavily on audience participation in his live shows. During performances of the "Radetzky March", it is traditional for the audience to clap along with the beat of the second (louder) repetitions of the chorus. This is particularly notable at the Neujahrskonzert. Bloggers, YouTubers, and live streamers often allow their viewers moderated or unmoderated comments sections. Some musical groups often heavily incorporate audience participation into their live shows. The superhero-themed comedy rock band The Aquabats typically do so within their theatrical stage shows through such antics as "pool floatie races", where members of the band race across the venue on inflatable rafts via crowd surfing, or providing the audience with projectiles (such as plastic balls or beach balls) to throw at costumed "bad guys" who come out on stage. Koo Koo Kanga Roo, a comedy dance-pop duo, write their music solely for audience participation, utilizing call and response style sing-along songs which are usually accompanied by a simple dance move that the band encourage the audience to follow along with. In their three act rock opera performances, the Protomen include crowd choruses and chants as part of the story.
=== Faux participation ===
The television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 features a man and his robots held as imprisoned audience members and tortured by being forced to view "bad" movies; to retain their sanity, they talk throughout and heckled each one. In a similar vein, the online site Television Without Pity has a stable of reviewers and recappers who speak the lingo of audience members rather than of scholars, and who sometimes act as though they, too, are being tortured.
== References ==
== Further reading == Steinmetz, John (n.d.). How to Enjoy a Live Concert. Naxos. Viagas, Robert (2023). Right This Way: A History of the Audience. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-49306-456-4.