Why I Love Attending Opening Night
by Angelica Potter, Guest Editorial
One of my favorite things to do as both an audience member and a writer is attend a theatrical performance on opening night. There is something about that particular performance that feels different from any other night in the run.
Over the past few years, I have been fortunate to attend many opening nights, both as an audience member and as a reviewer. Those experiences have shown me what makes that first official performance so exciting.
Nervousness and excitement radiate from the stage throughout the evening. Depending on whether the production has held previews, this may be the first time the cast has performed in front of a full audience. Suddenly, they are hearing real reactions. They may need to pause after a song for applause or wait for laughter to die down before delivering the next line.
They also have to be ready when the audience does not react as expected. A line that made the cast laugh throughout rehearsal may be met with silence. A dramatic moment could be interrupted by coughing, a ringing phone, or someone shifting loudly in their seat. The performers have to stay focused and continue the scene without allowing any of it to throw them off.
Audience reactions matter during every performance, but opening night offers the cast its first real sense of how the show may play. Performers feed off the energy in the room. When an audience is engaged, the cast can feel it, and that response often lifts the performance. There is a visible confidence that begins to settle in when a joke lands, a song earns applause, or the audience becomes completely still during an emotional scene.
A quiet or unresponsive audience can have the opposite effect. Some performers may push too hard in hopes of getting a reaction. Others may begin to retreat because they assume the audience is not enjoying the show. Neither response is especially helpful. One of the challenges of live performance is learning to trust the work, even when the energy in the room is not what you expected.
Another thing that makes opening night exciting is the rawness of the production itself. Unless there have been several previews, the show may not have settled into a comfortable rhythm yet. Anything can happen.
Microphone levels may still need adjustment. Scene changes may not be as smooth as they will become later in the run. Quick changes may not be particularly quick, and dancers may still be adjusting to the spacing around a new set. A cue might arrive late, an actor may enter from the wrong side, or a piece of scenery may refuse to cooperate.
Some people see those possibilities as negatives, especially when reviewing a production. I find them exciting because they are part of live theatre. Nothing will ever happen exactly the same way twice. Even after a show has been running for weeks, there will be small snags, unexpected reactions, and moments that feel different from the night before.
Anyone who wants to see precisely the same performance every time has another option: film. Live theatre comes with higher risks. The audience changes, the energy changes, and the performers never know exactly what may happen.
One sign of a seasoned performer is the ability to handle those surprises without letting the audience know something has gone wrong. If someone misses a cue, another actor may have to improvise a few lines while staying in character. If a prop is missing or a sound cue is late, the cast must adjust and keep moving.
If someone becomes sick or injured during the show, the rest of the company may need to cover an absence or help an understudy find their way through the performance. Those moments teach performers how to stay calm, respond quickly, and support one another in ways a rehearsal room cannot always prepare them for.
As a performer, I know I need to be ready for anything. As an audience member, I enjoy the possibility that every performance will be different. As a reviewer, I understand that mistakes can happen. A strong cast and crew will often cover them so well that most of the audience never notices. When a company is less experienced, those problems may be harder to hide, but they are still part of the reality of live theatre.
Above everything else, my favorite part of attending an opening night is supporting the cast and crew. Sometimes I know someone in the production and am excited to see their work or surprise them afterward. Other times, the show itself is one of my favorites, and I cannot wait to see what a new company has done with it.
A full opening-night audience can be an enormous confidence boost, especially after a difficult tech week. There is nothing quite like hearing enthusiastic applause after weeks of rehearsals, late nights, last-minute changes, and hard work. That response tells the company that the audience was with them and that all the effort was worth it.
If you have never attended an opening night, I highly recommend it. Things may go wrong, or everything may come together beautifully. That uncertainty is part of the experience.
Opening night only happens once. You never know when you may be watching the beginning of a memorable run, a breakout performance, or simply one of those evenings that reminds you why live theatre is so exciting.