If the posted runtime for a 7pm start-time reads, “two hours, with a 15-minute intermission,” do you expect the show to be done by 9pm or 9:15pm?

Exactly! It’s unclear!

What if the posted runtime is, “two hours, including a 15-minute intermission?”

Same problem! It’s confusing!

Well, 59E59 seems to have solved this dilemma, at least by rearranging the phrasing used for Charles Busch’s Ibsen’s Ghost: “two hours, intermission included in runtime.”

So obvious! Yet so clear! Every production should follow suit.

And, while we’re on the subject of runtimes, why do so many seem to be incorrect lately, usually shorter than the actual duration?! I understand that modern audiences prefer brevity when deciding what to see, but listed runtimes aren’t supposed to function as marketing! They serve a practical purpose!

Yes, the fact that theater is live means the runtime won’t be the EXACT same for every performance…but talk to a stage manager, and they’ll tell you that their show ends around the same time, night in and night out.

Which means there’s no excuse for all these incorrect runtimes that are more than a few minutes off.

Seriously, it’s not hard. Ask the stage manager what time the show tends to come down, and post that number as the runtime.

Simple as that.