I went to the zoo on Friday. Right in front of the monkey pond there was a sign reminding zoo-goers like me not to throw food to the monkeys.
I went to a sushi restaurant on Saturday. Right in front of the hostess there was an giant aquarium with a sign taped to the glass telling raw fish eaters like me "Please, do not tap on the glass."
I went to a baseball game on Sunday. There were a whole bunch of signs all over the place reminding fans of the fines for jumping on to the field (someone did it anyway).
It is a human being's natural instinct to want to interact . . . especially with things put on display. It's so much of the majority's curiosity that we have to put up signs telling us not to, when it's not appropriate or not safe.
I also went to see a show on Sunday. This show took advantage of our natural curiosity and had actors handing out programs, had the star talking to the audience, and even had a couple of audience members on the stage. And a better time was had by all as a result.
It's simple, and not ground-breaking, but it works every time. Why? Because it's part of who we are.
We want to feed the animals.
So give your audience that chance in whatever way is appropriate for your show. Maybe you can't have audience members on stage. Maybe you can't break the fourth wall.
But there's gotta be something you can do. And you're creative enough to figure it out.
