Is there a limit to goofing off on stage?
Yes. Absolutely.
… well, no one should ever make a point to goof off, but many performers do. I was doing a show (Cinderella) recently where a cast member mad ethe choice to deliver a line in an awkwardly funny way. It got all fo us to break onstage. I held it together quite well - I don’t know how cause t was really funny. It caused the next several lines (delivered by other Cinderella and the Stepmother) to be completely out of character. They were laughing!
In film, the director would just say “cut,” but this is live theatre. We had to go on with the show. No ability to edit with the audience right there. It would have been a great blooper. This is not film, so it is kind of pointless to compare.
Since this was a kids show, we had autographs afterwards. It sucked to have people ask us what was so funny. I felt completely unprofessional. Yes, I may have held myself together pretty well, but I do not cover a whole cast. … and it takes only one person to bring down a show. This may be a strong opinion, but I truly believe it.
Obviously, I am not in favor of making choices to cause people to lose focus on stage. I like to stay in the scene. Isn’t the show fun enough? Why else would I be here? I don’t come to do a show to find ways to mess around. There is no need. I already love what I do, so why mess with it?
