Opera and Theatre Etiquette

Still another little blunder illustrated here is the program on the edge of the box. If this program fluttered to the stage during the performance it would spoil the presentation, and would be unkind and inconsiderate toward the players.

Do not make the mistake of retaining an impression of the picture shown here as the correct way for men and women to appear in the theatre or opera box. Several blunders are illustrated.

There is the matter of dress, for instance. Three people in the party are in full evening dress; the man using the opera glasses is in his business suit. And the same man is still further illustrating his lack of good taste by studying the people in the audience through his glasses.

Assuming that the four people have come to the theatre together, they are incorrectly seated. The two seats in front should be occupied by the women, while the men should be seated where the women now are. No well-bred man ever sits with his back to a woman in his party, nor does he sit with his legs conspicuously crossed and his hands in his pockets as does the man in our picture above.

Still another little blunder illustrated here is the program on the edge of the box. If this program fluttered to the stage during the performance it would spoil the presentation, and would be unkind and inconsiderate toward the players. If it fell directly on the audience below, it would annoy someone and disturb the people around. The correct place for the program is in one's lap. — From Lillian Eichler’s “Etiquette Problems in Pictures,” 1922

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