Early film exhibition spaces were usually loud and noisy. Loudspeakers and barkers would solicit patrons into the theater, where audiences would frequently talk or even yell during films and participate in “sing-alongs” during intermissions. To enhance films with sound effects and narration, movie theaters would often hire lecturers, stage actors, pianists or organists, small ensembles, and, later, full orchestras to perform in tandem with the film in the pit or on a stage below the movie screen.