One of the most common questions asked at the box office is “Where is the best place to sit?”. It’s a difficult question to answer because, like anchovies and art, the answer is quite personal.

Let’s take the front row, for example. I know a couple of people that think this is the best place to sit. One of the box office staff once said, “Yeah! In the front row your face will definitely get rocked!”. I’m not sure that’s exactly how I’d put it, but she’s right, in the front row you’re completely enveloped in what’s happening on stage. But the danger of sitting in the front row is that you can be too close to see everything happen, kind of like watching a tennis game where you can either watch the ball or you can watch one of the players, but you can’t see it all at the same time. You also run the risk of being spit on by the actors (they tend to salivate while projecting their voices, especially when it’s a particularly heated moment in the play).

So let’s move back a little, say to the 7th row. This is almost mid-way back in the Mainstage at the Armory. This seems to be the most popular place to sit but in my opinion it’s still too close to the stage. Plus, despite the fact that the seats are staggered and I’m 5 foot 9, inevitably the tallest man in the Guinness Book of World Records sits in front of me and I spend the entire time trying to look around them. I feel trapped in the middle of the theater, most of intermission is spent exiting the theater and by the time I get my intermission drink it’s time to go in again and “dang!” I still need to use the restroom (btw, I recommend PRE-ordering your drink for intermission the next time you come to a show - then it’s ready for you and you don’t have to wait in line - sweet!).

Now let’s move to my favorite seat, the back row near the aisle. I can slip in at the last moment, I can exit the theater quickly and I can see and hear everything absolutely perfectly. The back of the theater also has a steeper incline so I never have any heads in my way and the only person who might spit on me is me when I laugh too hard. I also enjoy watching everyone else watch the play. I like to watch the couple in the 5th row sharing a smile, the father quietly explaining to his daughter what just happened on stage and the grandpa who’s so full from dinner he fell asleep during the first act. These moments reaffirm my belief that live theater is as reliant on the audience as it is the actors and directors.

I guess the point is that there is no “best seat”. Some like to sit over a vent because they get too hot where for others it dries their eyes out. Some like the aisles for the legroom and easy access while other like to be nestled in the middle of everyone else. Some like to have “their face rocked” and others, like me, prefer to sit in back and take everything in.