Arts correspondent Charlotte Higgins is keeping a weblog about the ups and downs of life as a regular arts-goer - the bits that the critics don't discuss.

Nobody ever admits to dropping off during a performance, do they? Well I am about to. Though I've managed to stay wide awake for absolute marathons (nine-and-a-half hours of Henry VI the other weekend; I didn't fall asleep once when I listened to 16 hours of Wagner in one day for an article), I have been guilty, on occasion, of "resting the eyes", as one music critic friend puts it.

Despite the fact that some of the first things I ever saw at the theatre were in Stratford-upon-Avon, I've always hated the town.

Charlotte Higgins on why the Royal Shakespare Company's new temporary stage works.

At classical music concerts, there is almost nothing more aggravating than hearing a superb performance of, say, a Sibelius symphony with a crackling, climactic ending, only for some idiot to start applauding before the final note has died away.

I've just been in Rome, attending a couple of classical concerts in the fabulous new Santa Cecilia concert hall. But I had to readjust my reponse levels: the performances were fantastic, brilliant, but not SO life-changing that I had the urge to keep clapping for more than 10 minutes at the end of each evening.

Once again I've been irritated by the absurdity of booking fees, writes Charlotte Higgins.

Charlotte Higgins navigates the minefield of booking fees for the performing arts.

When is a child too small to be in the audience, asks Charlotte Higgins.

Seeing an attractive art exhibition at an airport sets Charlotte Higgins wondering what other mundane public space would benefit from a bit of cultural diversion.

Sweet harmony ... the Faenol festival in Wales
I've had my first mass outdoor festival experience; and no, it wasn't the Big Chill or Bestival, it was baritone Bryn Terfel's Faenol festival in his native north Wales.

Is it ever acceptable to walk out of a show, wonders Charlotte Higgins.

What's wrong with a smoking ban, asks Charlotte Higgins.

When is a child too young to be in the audience? We all know that arts organisations are always trying to attract a young audience, but, for a Beethoven symphony, isn't six months pushing it a bit?

Surely all the fuss about the smoking ban on-stage at Edinburgh whipped up by Mel Smith and co has a whiff of the absurd about it?

Finally I did it: I walked out of a show. At an interval, mind - not while stuff was actually happening on stage. I felt very, very bad. Very bad indeed. I think it's incredibly bad form not to stay the course. But, I admit, I also felt lightheaded, joyful, and ready to reclaim the evening that had been in such serious danger of being becoming incredibly depressing.

Carlos Acosta's gracious and modest behaviour at the end of the show he wrote and danced the lead role in was an object lesson in winning over an audience, Charlotte Higgins writes.

It seems weirder than ever to me that symphony orchestras wear 19th-century outfits to perform to 21st-century audiences. What are we, the punters, supposed to make of this off-putting fancy-dress parade?