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How long can you look at the picture for? Where the best places for the ballet? Big names from the world of art, including Charlotte Rampling and Richard Eyre, share your tips

What's the best way to enhance your enjoyment of the arts? We've pumped those in the know for their expertise â€" critics, curators, artists, practitioners and professionals â€" and have amassed a haul of useful advice. So if you've ever been curious about the ideal way to see a show, get stuck in â€" and please share your own tips below.

Which are the best seats in the house?

For opera and theatre, in the thick of it: centre of the stalls halfway towards the back, or as close to the orchestra pit as you can. You want to get a panorama of the stage but not be looking down â€" unless it's dance, when sitting towards the middle of the first circle means you can see the patterns and how the whole thing comes together. Alan Davey, chief executive, Arts Council England

What is the optimum way to appreciate architecture?

Walking is the only way. You want a good mix of weather and a day off. Manchester is a great place for this: it can be sunny, but always rains a little bit, so you're forced inside occasionally. You've got to push yourself, break some rules and go to places you're not allowed. You can't appreciate architecture until you've been told off for going to a room you're not supposed to. Tim Abrahams, associate editor, The concept of the journal

Which works withstand repeated viewings?

A great work is more than a one-liner. Personally, I would plump for anything by Cézanne. His composition, the light, the beauty and intelligence â€" he was an extraordinary artist and always pushing the form. Will Gompertz , BBC arts editor

Is it ever OK to heckle at a live performance?

Not unless you enjoy being humiliated in public â€" always remember that, if you heckle, the comedian is the one with the microphone. And if you don't mind being picked on, sit in the front rows. Shappi Khorsandi, comedian

How much should I trust reviews?

The simple answer is that it depends what they're saying and who's saying it. Evelyn Waugh said that reading reviews is "like sitting in a railway carriage and hearing a fellow traveller pointing out objects of interest and getting them all wrong". Mostly true, but some theatre critics do have a gift for describing a performance and giving an account of how the audience responded.

Others, following editorial policy, record merely whether the show is a hit or a miss. Others still are prescriptive: they write about the play or production or performance they would like to have seen, rather than the one they did. In short, they write about themselves rather than the event. If the overwhelming bulk of reviews are bad, it's foolish not to concede that you have a failure â€" but that's not the same as conceding that you've done bad work. Richard Eyre , theatre director

Is there a theater program, all worth the money?

A good program adds to the pleasure of the evening. It should tell you everything you need to know about the background for the game and a writer. Best price in London: National Theatre Program, which pocket encyclopedias and Royal Court are those where the program is play-text. Michael Billington, Guardian theatre critic

Which venues have the best and worst acoustics?

I don't really care about a venue's acoustics; if I wanted a perfect sonic experience, I'd stay at home and listen through my Grado headphones. Live rock isn't about a perfect sonic experience: if a band's powerful enough, they can overcome anything a venue throws at them.

I always thought Alexandra Palace in London had terrible acoustics until I saw Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds there: they sounded magnificent. Likewise, Brixton Academy has swallowed bands that weren't ready to play a venue that size (such as the Strokes); but REM and Coldplay, bands obviously used to playing bigger places, sounded great there. Alexis Petridis, Guardian rock and pop critic

Should I read the caption to an artwork before looking at it â€" or after?

Do both: before, because you get an understanding of where an artist is coming from; and after, because the work can make a more sense. A lot of conceptual art is about the ideas, so it makes sense to get a framework. Ekow Eshun, outgoing artistic director, ICA

Sometimes captions illuminate, but often they are dull, or try to tell you what to think. Generally, I ignore them. Use your eyes. Adrian Searle, Guardian art critic

Artists use titles to encrypt or deceive as much as to assist the audience in reading their work. It depends on the artist.Ryan Gander, artist

How can I get the perfect movie theater?

Select the movie carefully. And make sure you are sitting in folding seats, which cost a bit more. They 'Re definitely worth it. I go a day: you have a movie for themselves. Charlotte Rampling, Actor

What kind of performance shows a trick?

Halfway through the run â€" when the cast is relaxed, but not bored. Not on press nights and not on Saturday nights, when their heads are too caught up with "important people" watching. Midweek matinees and Monday nights are best; the actors are less worried and enjoy it more. Rory Kinnear, actor

Where can I see the most innovative new work?

Try the Kaai or Kunstenfestival in Brussels, Hebbel Theatre in Berlin, PS 122 in New York, FrascatiAmsterdam, BIT in Bergen. In the UK there 'S National Review of live art in Glasgow or the Nuffield Theatrein Lancaster. Tim Etchells, Forced Entertainment theatre troupe

How can I tell if an actor doesn't know his lines?

Copious sweating, stuttering and uncertainty. It's like being on a plane when the pilots aren't sure what they're doing. It's not always that actors don't know the lines, more a momentary lapse in concentration. Lyn Gardner, Guardian theatre critic

What should I wear to the opera?

Halfway between what you'd wear for the ballet and what you'd wear to a black tie party. If the ballet is a pale cashmere sweater and sparkly skirt, and black tie is a strapless LBD, the opera is perhaps a slinky but not skintight silk dress. You should have something of the night about you, but not in a sleazy way. For men? You can't go wrong with a dark, slim suit. Jess Cartner-Morley, Guardian fashion editor

Do critics ever consider the value for money a show offers?

Number Based on this you would say that five o'clock epic that 's really scary to be more important than Samuel Beckett' Breath Which lasts 30 seconds. Someone may be aware, when considering something in the West End, that people will be asked to pay £ 50 or more, but in general critique Don 't account for it at all. Lyn Gardner

 Is it worth buying tickets for preview performances?

If it's the easiest way of getting tickets, it's well worth it. It's great to see something before reviewers, so you can judge for yourself. Alan Davie

Not the first one. It's going to be shaky and awkward. Roy Williams, Playwright

What's the best way to enjoy an exhibition?

Rain is always useful; it's the perfect weather for introspection. And mid-afternoon, midweek â€" when it's always nice and quiet. Jennifer Higgie, co-editor, Frieze magazine

Is there a way to buy a ticket to a sold-out show?

Yes. Shows sell out months in advance and people change their mind. Be flexible, always call the box office, and go for the returns. In plenty of West End theatres, if you arrive an hour before curtain-up, you can get house seats at a fraction of the normal price. Tania Harrison, arts curator, Latitude festival

Whether to take children to the theater?

Children enjoy the attendant things with theatre: the ice-cream, lights going down, the magic of it. Any good production can make that come alive and it's probably more important to see how their tastes develop. The worst way is to force it, and insist they see Shakespeare, or enjoy Tennessee Williams. Children don't have to buy into the hegemony of what is good. Rory Kinnear

Where can I find the next big thing in pop?

The weekly indie club White Heat in London's Soho has uncovered its fair share of alternative stars: Klaxons, the Horrors and Bloc Party all played there before they had record deals. Krissi Murison, editor, NME

What 'S a better place for culture, filled with holiday?

London, Paris and New York remain amazing places to visit for sheer complexity and intensity. Rio de Janeiro has one of the most dynamic art scenes in the world, as do Mumbai, Dehli, Beijing, Shanghai, Beirut, Cairo and Tel Aviv. Besides the great European capitals, Glasgow, Oslo and Stockholm offer a true polyphony. Hans Ulrich Obrist, Curator, Serpentine Gallery, London

Should I research an artist or play before seeing their show?

Never read the play first if it's new, and always see the work before getting the context. Try to find out what it means to you first before reading up on it. Judith Knight, Director ArtsAdmin

Where can I spot the art stars of tomorrow?

Simple: go to art-school degree shows. Both the BA and MA ones at St Martin's, Wimbledon, Chelsea and Glasgow will be packed with dealers, but you get a good sense of what's happening in art and which trends are emerging. Ekow Eshun

How long should I spend looking at a single painting?

There is no "should" about it. Look for as long as you like. Sometimes a glance is sufficient, an hour not long enough. One might return to works over years, or even decades, and they will continue to offer new insights. The work itself might not change, but you do. Adrian Searle

Some works might seem off-putting or even dull, but with persistence you might find them profoundly satisfying. Go to a museum to learn, not to consume. Jonathan Jones , Guardian art critic

Do any arts venue cafes or restaurants offer decent food?

Theatre and museum restaurants rarely offer good value, but some do have other attractions. The Whistler murals at Tate Britain's dining room are an attraction, and the wines there are famously impressive. Tate Modern's seventh-floor dining room has impressive City views. And the Wallace Collection's restauranthas a fantastic atrium. But it always ends up thinking: if only the food lived up to the surroundings. Richard Harden, co-editor of Harden's London Restaurants

Should I attempt to see an artist's entire oeuvre?

It 's impossible to see everything, but you can often make full use of the artist through an artistic work, or by examining one aspect of this artist. I 've always been a dream to see all of Vermeer. There are only slightly more than 70 papers and an exhibition of all of them will be unusual, a real epiphany. Hans Ulrich Obrist

Which museum has the best gift shop?

The Baltic's gift shop is probably the best shop in Newcastle or Gateshead, let alone the best art or museum store. The Tate and V&A also do it well. The National Gallery offers print-on-demand reproductionsfor every shot in a building on the canvas: plus posters and greeting cards to all popular. Peter Tullin, co-founder of culturelabel.com

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