There really should be a rule

I think that every theater should have a back exit. Otherwise, actors are forced to leave the show through the lobby. And that means said actors are forced to interact with the very people who got up and walked out of the theater every time said actors made an entrance. Or coughed, texted, yawned or had a conversation about hair (yes, ma'am, I heard you) during a very quiet scene.

**I do realize there will probably come a time when it's inappropriate for me to use the anger I have at audience members on my scene partner. That time has probably come and gone several times in my short career thus far. I realize that. I do.**

I am painfully shy after shows (and by "shy" I actually mean "socially awkward" (but thought that there might be an overuse of adverbs in saying "painfully socially awkward" (but now realize this has resulted in having too many parentheticals in one sentence))) , whether it be after having seen a show or having done a show.

After having seen a show, whether it was good or bad, I'm still digesting, processing, emotionally coming down from whatever I have just experienced in the last 1.5 hours, 2 hours, or God forbid, 3 hours. If I have to see anyone having to do with that production, especially if I know them, I flit between autopilot lobby talk ("you looked so beautiful" or "you must've been having so much fun") and being so flustered, that I do something stupid like cutting our conversation short because I had to get a drink of water, which I do because someone might still be watching me, even though I've had to pee since intermission but couldn't because the artistic director of a theater company I had just auditioned for was in line in front of me.

After having done a show, particularly when I'm exiting the theater with a fellow actor, 9 times out of 10, an audience member will congratulate the other performer on a job well done, pause, look at me as if they know me from somewhere, maybe I was their barista this morning and they didn't tip and now they feel awkward?, and continue congratulating the other actor. Sometimes it gets even more fun with the other actor says, "This is Emjoy. She was in it, too." My favorite response after that happened was, "Oh yes. I remember. But YOU (nodding to other actor) were amazing!"

Now, I'm not saying that I need or even want an ego stroke of having someone remember that I was even in the show they just saw. I don't. I really just want to quickly walk to the train, not wait 20 minutes because of construction, and sit in peace without having a creepy man sit in front me, even though the train is empty, and stare at me for the entire duration of the train ride while I pretend to read the program of Irma Vep. Over and over and over.