In late June, I attended Tom Stoppard’s play, Leopoldstadt, in New York. During the devastating final scene, a cell phone rang. It had an old fashioned ring tone, like a land line.
It rang a second time. The actor, Brandon Uranowitz (who won the Tony for this role) forged ahead.
It rang a third time. An elderly woman's voice said, "Hello?"
For half a beat, he glanced at the audience and we all held our breath. Then he and the two remaining actors on stage brought us back into the world of 1955 Vienna, and to the heartbreak we knew was inevitable.
The focus and presence it took to redirect our attention was immense.
Later, I reflected on the fact that we have been told for at least 20 years to shut off our phones during a performance and still, people keep them on. Maybe the woman didn’t know how to shut off her phone. Or thought she had. Then a habit built over decades prompted her answer it.
My advice for all theater goers: Give yourself permission to disconnect from the tiny machine that limits what you see. Enter the world that exists only that night in that place with that particular cast and audience. You are a part of the magic. Your phone is not.