Where does the phrase playing to the gallery come from?

From the mid 17th century the highest seating in a theatre was called the gallery, and it was here that the cheapest seats—and the least refined members of the audience—were to be found. This figurative expression dates from the late 19th century.

What does Gallery mean in theater?

balcony
The gallery of a theatre is a form of balcony, an elevated platform generally supported by columns or brackets, which projects from the interior wall of a theatre, in order to accommodate additional audience. It may specifically refer to the highest such platform, and carries the cheapest seats.

What do you mean by gallery it?

a room or building that is used for showing works of art, sometimes so that they can be sold: the National Portrait Gallery.

What does Playto mean?

Definition of play to 1 : to behave or perform in a particular way for (someone or something) in order to get approval or attention He didn’t mean what he was saying. He was just playing to the crowd. He loves publicity and plays to the cameras every chance he gets.

What is the upper gallery in a Theatre called?

Called a gallery or “balcony”, these are the highest seats in the theatre. There are only a few West End theatres that have balcony seats, the Theatre Royal Haymarket and Harold Pinter Theatre being examples.

Where is the gallery in a Theatre?

The second balcony is known as the upper circle and the top level of seating is known as the gallery or the gods.

What does snuffed out mean?

Extinguish, put a sudden end to, as in Three young lives were snuffed out in that automobile accident. This usage alludes to snuff in the sense of “put out a candle by pinching the wick,” an area itself called snuff from the late 1300s on. [

What is play into?

Definition of play into : to help support (something, such as an idea) Her methods play into the stereotype that lawyers are dishonest.

What does to get out of bed on the wrong side mean?

: to be in a bad mood throughout the day Be careful when you talk to the boss. He get out of bed on the wrong side this morning.

What does it mean to perform to the gallery?

To act, behave, or perform in such a way as to receive as much approval from an audience or spectators as one can get, especially the lowest common denominator among them. I wish the band played more of their new material and didn’t just play to the gallery with their greatest hits the whole night.

How do they play to the gallery in movies?

They play to the gallery by tagging cultural landmarks as on James Bond and Elvis Ain’t Dead, but their brass neck, big tunes and warm heart win through. Also, the evidence of other witnesses could be affected by the presence of TV cameras and some might play to the gallery.

What does it mean to play to the gallery in Parliament?

All rights reserved. If someone such as a politician plays to the gallery, they say things to impress the public and make themselves popular, instead of dealing seriously with important matters. Others were reluctant to allow TV cameras into the House of Commons, because they feared that some members would play to the gallery.

Why is the gallery the cheapest place to sit in theaters?

In the British theater the gallery holds the cheapest seats, and by extension, it was assumed that the audience there was the least sophisticated, the lowest common denominator. To court popularity from such patrons was considered demeaning.