Making the Most of Your Visit to the Theater

A graduate of Northwestern University, Brian Lipschultz is now a trustee and co-CEO of Otto Bremer Trust. When not engaged in his duties with the trust, Brian Lipschultz enjoys attending theater productions. Here are some tips for making the most of a visit to the theater.

1. Look for discounts. Though they can be hard to track down, many theaters offer discount tickets for major productions. Occasionally, these can be found online by using a search engine. You may also be able to get discounted tickets for children or seniors.

2. Listen for the bell. Most theaters will offer some sort of signal that a performance is about to begin. Traditionally, this is a bell that will sound in the auditorium or foyer. Listen out for the bell to avoid being late, especially as some theaters don’t allow entry to latecomers. The flickering of house lights may also signal the beginning of a show.

3. Find the best place to sit. While balcony seats are often seen as the most desirable, the front mezzanine is usually where you will find the best experience. These seats offer a straight-on view while also being close enough to the stage to fall into the auditory sweet spot.

The Hissing Breathing Exercise for Singers

A graduate of Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business, where he was co-valedictorian, Brian Lipschultz serves the Otto Bremer Trust as both trustee and co-CEO. In this role, he helped oversee the Otto Bremer Trust’s record-breaking 2016, during which it made grants and investments of over $47 million to approximately 550 organizations. Aside from his work, Brian Lipschultz is a talented musician and vocalist.

Proper breathing is among the most useful skills that vocalists can develop, and there are a number of techniques you can use to improve yours. One of the most popular is the hissing technique, during which you inhale air for a period of time, usually somewhere between 1 seconds and 6 seconds, before exhaling it with a hissing sound. 

The process is then repeated, often with smaller inhale periods and longer exhales, until you get to a point where you can inhale for 1 second and exhale consistently for 20 seconds.

The key is to ensure the hiss maintains consistency and evenness throughout the exhale, so listen to yourself and keep repeating the technique until you are able to complete it without any changes in volume.