The lights go out, birds begin to tweet, and the
houselights slowly brighten.
Silence falls upon the audience as the
houselights dim.
As the
houselights dimmed for a brief preset, an eerie soundscape composed by Adam Cork played as Jude Law sat behind a dark gauze that filled the proscenium.
I won't give away the plot but I can tell you he still dies in the end." Speaking of politics, he said: "Up here in the North we have a minister for the environment who has just banned a TV advert advocation energy conservation by switching off
houselights. So we appear to have a minister for the environment who doesn't want us to know about good energy practice.
It was built on the site of the old Dingle Picturedrome and opened in March, 1937, with what was said to be the first cinema in Britain to have the Gaumont "projectomatic" system, which automatically changed the reels during projection of films, as well as controlling the
houselights and stage curtains.
Even before the
houselights have dimmed, a chorus of offstage jeering and chanting suggests a lawless mob.
In urban Cape Town, theatregoing is commodified by managements to smooth the visitors' path into the theatre with safe parking, restaurants, bars and bookshops to allow for browsing and anticipation, and reception of the play is moulded at arm's length by third parties through pre-publicity, posters, programme blurbs, the lowered
houselights in the theatre, as well as the reviewing press, all of which target the individual theatre attendee sitting quietly in the darkened auditorium.
She draped the stage in black curtains and dimmed the
houselights (not common practices at the time) so that she could emerge from pure blackness into her fiery apparitions.
The
houselights have come up and they won't give you your money back.
The pellet feeder light was lit with every pellet delivery, and the
houselights remained on throughout the session.
Once an audience member buys his or her ticket, other factors come into play before the
houselights dim.
Then someone's father prances about a bit dressed as a king, the spell is broken, the
houselights rise and the dancers realise everyone went home half hour ago.