Etiquette of moving to an empty seat ..

Ummm, I don't see the difference myself. Moving into an empty seat that you didn't pay for is the same thing, whether it's the one next to you or diving into an empty seat somewhere else in the theatre.

Sometimes I like to give Joe Public what they want.

Premium seating darling. 

V.I.P.

Any actors on this thread? What do you prefer, a yawning gap in the stalls or occupied seats? When it's a show that's had a lukewarm reception and the place is sparsely occupied I'd have thought those on stage would be glad to see some enthusiastic faces in the good seats.

I've noticed that many of the theatres I visit regularly now drip-release seats, so the seats at the front, those most visible to the actors, should always, in theory, be occupied.

This is the Stephen Joseph Theatre's approach:

I've moved seats at the Old Vic before. In the packed upper circle the side slips were deserted and I like as few people around me as possible because I'm anti-social and people get on my nerves easily. Granted I was actually moving into a worse seat than the one I had but the usher was fine with it.

When you get on the train to find the reservations aren’t working, so you settle yourself into any old seat. Then someone comes along with their ticket and says “I’m terribly sorry I think you’re in my seat”

and you look down the carriage....

Why do you doubt my comment about actors? I've often sat in theatres seeing marmite shows, especially previews, where many haven't returned at half time and I sit there wondering how bad the actors must feel when all the faces disappear. Similarly, travelling from Liverpool I have to book theatre trips well in advance to get cheap rail fares, weeks before reviews come out, and find myself sitting in a theatre seeing a production that looked good on paper but got bad reviews and the theatre is only half full or worse. I detest Giles Coren but do know what he means about theatre making him anxious for the actors, though sensitivity to others' feelings isn't something I've ever credited Coren with - I even get worried when there's an onstage costume change in case a zip sticks or a sleeve is inside out. 

If my seat is a bit crap because it's a sold out show (travelling, Sat Mats are my only do-able date but these sell out fast to members), I ask at the box office if there have been any last minute returns and sometimes get lucky. These are the SAME PRICE as the one I had. I always book stalls or front circle: I've learned that if I'm going to shell out £50 travelling and take a day out of my life I'm not going to go so far to see a show from behind a pillar or the top of a favourite actor's head.

Special mention to the Soho Theatre, where the ushers went unbidden to all the people in the slips and moved them to unfilled stalls seats. They actually got the best seats in the house (and no, I didn't move to one). Great for the audience and nice for the actors who don't have two empty benches in their eyeline (I spoke to the actors in the bar afterwards and they commented about a woman who left 20 mins before the end - they thought she'd been offended by the content: I told them it was because she was unwell, which was true - she was sick in the bogs and upset about missing the end.)

Btw, I never sit in unoccupied front seats because sometimes an actor uses them during a show or a celeb is ushered in at the last minute. But I will shift sideways to an empty seat at the Almeida or Donmar if (sod's law) the person in front is tall. I'm not. 

My first thought was "Wow, that's taking couch-potatoism to an extreme".