--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In most audience-participation shows, the…" description: "\"In most audience-participation shows, the participant is so clearly not a part of what's going on that it's the fish-out-of-water aspect that makes it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f9/james-lapine-15216_audience_in-most-audience-participation-shows-the_3202039.jpg" --- # In most audience-participation shows, the participant is… ![“In most audience-participation shows, the participant is so clearly not a part of what's going on that it's the fish-out-of-water aspect that makes it funny.” quote by James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f9/james-lapine-15216_audience_in-most-audience-participation-shows-the_3202039.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f9/james-lapine-15216_audience_in-most-audience-participation-shows-the_3202039.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f9/james-lapine-15216_audience_in-most-audience-participation-shows-the_3202039.jpg) > “In most audience-participation shows, the participant is so clearly not a part of what's going on that it's the fish-out-of-water aspect that makes it funny.” [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humor often arises when an outsider is placed in an unfamiliar setting, highlighting absurdity. **In simple terms:** Fish‑out‑of‑water creates comedy. Key Takeaway Use contrast to reveal humor. Themes humor culture shock observation Mood playful observational Type comedic theatrical When to use this quote - improv shows - travel experiences - team building Key Concepts absurdity social norms Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt out of place? - What makes that situation funny? A Different Perspective Risk alienating insiders; relies on stereotypes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Audience Participation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience-participation/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) ## Related quotes > [Audience participation can often inject a dose of adrenalin into your average dial-tone literary reading, especially if a handful of audience-members are mentally unhinged,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/audience-participation-can-often-inject-a-dose-of-adrenalin-into-your/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [Wrestling, at its core, is all about fan and audience participation and fan interaction live in that Arena. Live in that bingo hall, live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyson-kidd/wrestling-at-its-core-is-all-about-fan-and-audience-participation-and/) [Tyson Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyson-kidd/) > [YouTube has become more mature, both as a platform and as a community. So much content has been added in almost every conceivable category…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ze-frank/youtube-has-become-more-mature-both-as-a-platform-and-as-a-community/) [Ze Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ze-frank/) > [I'm a singer and performer in a hybrid show that's standup, music and audience participation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-alexander/i-m-a-singer-and-performer-in-a-hybrid-show-that-s-standup-music-and/) [Jason Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-alexander/) > [I love panto! I love being on stage live, I love the audience participation and it's so much fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hammond/i-love-panto-i-love-being-on-stage-live-i-love-the-audience/) [Alison Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hammond/) > [“Of course, from one point of view the unhappy events of our own century might be regarded as, say, demonstration ballets on the theme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard-2/of-course-from-one-point-of-view-the-unhappy-events-of-our-own/) [J.G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard-2/) > [I'm like that person who hates going to magic shows - and I love magic, I love wizards - but going to a show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-plaza/i-m-like-that-person-who-hates-going-to-magic-shows-and-i-love-magic/) [Aubrey Plaza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-plaza/) > [There's a lot of audience participation in 'Rock of Ages' and 'Rocky Horror.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-grande/there-s-a-lot-of-audience-participation-in-rock-of-ages-and-rocky/) [Frankie Grande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-grande/) > [Audience participation should extend from on-stage to backstage to under the stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee-roth/audience-participation-should-extend-from-on-stage-to-backstage-to/) [David Lee Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee-roth/) > [Persuasive communication involves enthusiasm, animation, audience participation, authenticity and spontaneity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/persuasive-communication-involves-enthusiasm-animation-audience/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [Clearly, you can't believe everything you read in the press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/clearly-you-can-t-believe-everything-you-read-in-the-press/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [Before it can be solved, a problem must be clearly defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/before-it-can-be-solved-a-problem-must-be-clearly-defined/) [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) > [“Joe!” he groaned, attempting to speak clearly. “Joe! Good ol’ Joe!” “Captain, you’re drunk!” Lofflin said, stating the obvious while trying to keep his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-engela/joe-he-groaned-attempting-to-speak-clearly-joe-good-ol-joe-captain/) [Christina Engela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-engela/) > [“to communicate clearly enough so that there’s no room for interpretation, but also humbly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-malone-scott/to-communicate-clearly-enough-so-that-there-s-no-room-for/) [Kim Malone Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-malone-scott/) > [Clearly, I'm way older than everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/clearly-i-m-way-older-than-everyone/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) ## More by James Lapine > [I am an off-Broadway, nonprofit kind of guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-am-an-off-broadway-nonprofit-kind-of-guy/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [Most musicals are real crowd pleasers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/most-musicals-are-real-crowd-pleasers/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [Fairy tales, which teach a moral lesson, are about ourselves. Myth deals with forces greater than ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/fairy-tales-which-teach-a-moral-lesson-are-about-ourselves-myth-deals/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I really enjoyed writing the adaptation of 'Into The Woods.' I thought it was wonderful to not be the director, frankly. I really enjoyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-really-enjoyed-writing-the-adaptation-of-into-the-woods-i-thought/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I'm a hippie child of the '60s. What drives me crazy about mass media entertainment is that it's so often devoid of any ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-m-a-hippie-child-of-the-60s-what-drives-me-crazy-about-mass-media/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I'm a very laid-back person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-m-a-very-laid-back-person/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I'm never so into the three-act movie thing. I know that's the form that people talk about, but it seems to me, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-m-never-so-into-the-three-act-movie-thing-i-know-that-s-the-form/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I just don't really think of career. I've never been driven by career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-just-don-t-really-think-of-career-i-ve-never-been-driven-by-career/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [Good musicals, a strange world, seem so easy. People say, 'Ohhh, it's magic.' Nothing's magic. A thing doesn't jell. Adapt. Change the rhythm. Shorten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/good-musicals-a-strange-world-seem-so-easy-people-say-ohhh-it-s-magic/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I did 'Impromptu,' which was a thrill and a horror all at once - my first movie and having to do it in Paris,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-did-impromptu-which-was-a-thrill-and-a-horror-all-at-once-my-first/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I designed a theater magazine that was full of plays and essays about the theater, and then I worked at a theater school. By…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-designed-a-theater-magazine-that-was-full-of-plays-and-essays-about/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I love the visual aspect of the theater. But I like what people have to say, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-love-the-visual-aspect-of-the-theater-but-i-like-what-people-have/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I've grown more and more appreciative of good writing, and I now really hope I can become a better and better writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-ve-grown-more-and-more-appreciative-of-good-writing-and-i-now/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [If you're like me and nosy, you're always eavesdropping on other people's conversations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/if-you-re-like-me-and-nosy-you-re-always-eavesdropping-on-other/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [The music is the emotional substance of the show; the book just sets it up. Nobody goes to a musical to hear the book.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/the-music-is-the-emotional-substance-of-the-show-the-book-just-sets/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) [Explore all 43 James Lapine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In most audience-participation shows, the participant is so clearly not a part of what's going on that it's the fish-out-of-water aspect that makes it funny.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Lapine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/in-most-audience-participation-shows-the-participant-is-so-clearly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/in-most-audience-participation-shows-the-participant-is-so-clearly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f9/james-lapine-15216_audience_in-most-audience-participation-shows-the_3202039.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f9/james-lapine-15216_audience_in-most-audience-participation-shows-the_3202039.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f9/james-lapine-15216_audience_in-most-audience-participation-shows-the_3202039.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In most audience-participation shows, the participant is so clearly not a part of what's going on that it's…” — James Lapine", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "James Lapine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In most audience-participation shows, the participant...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/in-most-audience-participation-shows-the-participant-is-so-clearly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/in-most-audience-participation-shows-the-participant-is-so-clearly/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```