Proper Etiquette for Watching a Play: Romeo & Juliet - Shakespeare 4 Kidz

We watched Romeo and Juliet 4 Kidz and it was an awesome first time experience for three of us. It was a girly date for the three of us, Kylie, Mommy and Tita Ayish. The blog is titled: Proper Etiquette for Watching a Play instead of a "review" because as first timers, we learned a lot about how to practice etiquettes while watching a play.

1. Wear Proper Attire. As much as our little girl and her aunt think that we were overdressed, I insist that we wore dresses. It's not everyday that we watch a play. Majority of the people in the auditorium were in dresses alright, but others are simply in their jeans and tees. I think that is rude. Yes, we should wear comfortable clothes but at the very least neat and presentable clothing. The tickets for the show are not cheap (well, at least for us) and a little courtesy in the attire won't hurt. But then again, maybe I was just looking for an opportunity to wear my maternity dress - little (big!) black dress.

2. Be on Time. We were on time, the play did not start though as indicated in the tickets.  The timings in the tickets are nowhere near accurate. It stated 6PM-9PM when in fact, it started 6:30PM and ended at 8:15PM. Not good. Is it the play or is it Qatar, who knows.

3. Don't take pictures. We only took photos in the reception area. The rest though didn't follow this as much as we did.

4. Don't snack in the theatre/ auditorium. But at the very least, bring a light snack which can be eaten quickly in the reception area during intermission. Otherwise, growling stomachs will disturb the play. We did bring the Philippines National Light Snack - aka- SKY FLAKES. And since bottles of water were provided in the lobby, presto! Quick dinner.

5. Do not leave the theatre until show is over or during intermission. Simply put, DO NOT drink water too much even if is free flowing!

6. Laughing out loud or giggling politely is very much okay. As long as there are others laughing and giggling with you. Otherwise, audience will all look at you. Which was what exactly happened with our little princess. She was completely awed by Mercutio and was giggling so much. She just love someone getting stabbed to death - oh boy!

7. Applaud when appropriate. Which is normally after the song, NOT when you find the actor so adoringly cute (because there will always be drop dead gorgeous actor on stage --oh yeah!)

8. Do NOT disturb others. Let them enjoy the play as much as you would want to enjoy it yourselves. And not disturbing others include turning off your mobile phones!

9. Read about the show before hand. This we did. We found book for our five year old,Romeo and Juliet : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series), and even a iPad application so she knows the characters and main story of the play. Otherwise, it would be Q&A session during the play instead of her giggling and not disturbing others.

10. ENJOY! Most importantly, watch, relax, enjoy. Whether you understand the characters or the plot, interpret it as much as you want for yourself. Well, we may not have followed the first 9 etiquettes I have listed above, but we certainly enjoyed the moments with Romeo and Juliet 4 Kidz.

It was a wonderful date night with the girls and we hope that get to watch more plays. Let's see how many more Shakespeare stories Katara would bring to Doha. Heard that the this one was brought by Qatar Foundation for their students. Awesome, right. Good thing they opened this particular play to public even for just one show.

Overall, the show is good. And Kylie (and Mommy and Tita Ayish!) sure loved every minute of it.


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