ABSTRACT

Theater scholars Marvin Carlson and Susan Bennett consider Hans Robert Jauss, theories about the reader-text relationship in their analyses of the audience-show relationship. The lobby is clearly primarily a functional space, but occasionally musicals have used it to immerse audiences in the world of the show. Producers and creative teams behind Broadway musicals use their understanding of theatre expectations to market the show. Ultimately, any preshow sidewalk experience, whether it involves reading quotes, looking at photographs, admiring a giant prop, pressing a button on the facade, or watching a mini-concert with favorite stars, establishes an early, intimate connection between show and audience. Just as Hamilton played with audience-performer boundaries during the preshow sidewalk experience, some shows play with those boundaries during the preshow auditorium experience. All of the influences comprise the audience’s off-site “training” and become part of their horizon of expectations going into the show.