A night at the theater

Most evening shows start at 7:30 or 8 p.m.; weekend matinees start at 1 or 2 p.m. The lobby opens well before, with a bar for a drink before the show and at intermission.

A play or musical usually lasts two to three hours with an intermission of fifteen to twenty minutes; some plays run straight through.

On Broadway you get a Playbill, the program magazine; elsewhere the theater hands out its own program with the cast and the story.

Broadway means the big theaters of New York's theater district around Times Square. A hit show there often goes on a national tour, stopping in each city for a week or a few.

In Minneapolis the tours play the Orpheum on Hennepin Avenue in Hennepin Arts' Broadway on Hennepin series; in St. Paul, the Ordway has a Broadway series too.

Regional theaters make productions of their own. The Guthrie, which won the Tony Award for regional theater in 1982, plays classics, musicals and new plays on three stages.

Plays run from Shakespeare to new writing: at the Guthrie, at Park Square and the History Theatre in St. Paul, and at Penumbra, founded in 1976 by Lou Bellamy.

Musicals come on tour from Broadway and are made here too: Theater Latté Da plays music theater at the Ritz in Northeast Minneapolis, and the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres have served dinner with a musical since 1968.

For comedy, the Brave New Workshop has played sketch comedy and improv in Minneapolis since 1958, and comedy clubs bring stand-ups on tour.

Buy from the theater's box office, its own website or the ticket seller it links to. Resale sites often charge more than face value and add their own fees.

Young people pay less: the Guthrie's 30 Below program sells people aged 16 to 30 tickets at rush prices on the day of the show. Ask other theaters about student prices and rush tickets too.

Some Broadway tours hold a lottery for a few cheap seats at each performance; Hamilton's tours have sold lottery seats for $10. In New York, the TodayTix app has rush tickets and lotteries, and the TKTS booth in Times Square sells same-day seats for less.

The Children's Theatre Company, next to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, makes theater for young audiences and families on two stages; it won the Tony Award for regional theater in 2003.

Check each show's age advice before you book. Weekend matinees are made for families, and at the Orpheum, State and Pantages every person needs a ticket, children included.

American theaters have wheelchair spaces with a seat for a companion, as the Americans with Disabilities Act requires. Book these through the box office.

The Guthrie, the Children's Theatre Company and the Broadway on Hennepin series schedule ASL-interpreted and audio-described performances. The Guthrie also has open-captioned and relaxed performances, and the Children's Theatre Company sensory-friendly ones.

There is no dress code; most people wear what they would wear to a nice dinner, and jeans are fine. Opening nights and galas are a little dressier.

Switch your phone off, not just to silent: a lit screen in a dark theater distracts everyone. Latecomers are seated at a suitable break, which can be intermission.

At the end, expect a standing ovation. American audiences stand up for many shows, especially the big musicals.

In Minneapolis, the Orpheum, State and Pantages are on Hennepin Avenue downtown and the Guthrie is on the Mississippi riverfront. In St. Paul, the Ordway is on Rice Park downtown.

Downtown parking ramps fill up before big shows, so allow time to park.