what do you call the sound before a stage play starts that tells everyone to sit down and be ready?

Answer 1

I work for a major theatre company -the melodic tones sounded in the lobby areas to indicate 10 and 5 minutes till curtain are the chimes.

Answer 2

Pre-show music usually happens before a play or musical. They will play this music while people enter and sit. Then they will lower the lights, fade the music and start the show.

I think what you are refering to is the intermission. This where people are able to go out into the lobby or outside the theatre in the middle of the show between act breaks. In massive theatres, they sometimes blink the lights or ring bells to let the audience know that the intermission is over. I haven't ever known this situation to have a name...so I guess it would be called 'intermission return'....

Answer 3

In some Theatres, a bell is rung and an announcement is made. These are FOH Calls (Front of House). For example - if the play is due to begin at 7.30 p.m., At 7.25, three bells would be rung and then followed by the announcement along the lines of: "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Will you please take your seats, this evenings performance of (XXX) will begin in three minutes".
Sometimes there are no facilities to make an announcement, so I personally just call it 'Bar Bells' as people are usually gathered in the bar for a pre-show drink if they haven't already sat in their seats.

Answer 4

It can be done with music, which makes it an overture. Or it can be an announcement, which usually takes the form of a safety announcement. I can't remember what it's called. I know that a curtain call (as someone else suggested) is at the end of a show.

Answer 5

This is usually accomplished by a loudspeaker announcement or the slow dimming of the house lights

Answer 6

sometimes it is called an overture.

and by the way, a curtain call comes at the very end of the show.

Answer 7

The orchestra

Answer 8

I'm almost sure that it's called a "Curtain Call".