Claques

Claques are organized groups of people whose function is to applaud a performance and shape its reception. Members are typically paid to attend a show and to respond with applause, cheers, and calls for encores at prearranged moments, sometimes creating the impression of broad popular support. The term claque refers to both the audience as a whole and to the individual performers known as claquers or claqueurs who carried out the task. The practice aims to influence other spectators, critics, and sometimes the performers themselves by generating an early wave of enthusiasm.

Claques originated in European theatres in the 18th and 19th centuries and were most strongly associated with Parisian opera houses and Italian theatres, though variations occurred elsewhere. They could be organized by theatre management, impresarios, or independent agents; the members might work in shifts and frequent different venues. The presence of claquers could be discreet or overt, with attempts to hide the arrangement from the general audience, or to present paid applause as spontaneous fan enthusiasm. The economic model relied on tickets and fees rather than genuine demand.

Critics and historians view the claqué system as an early form of manipulation of public opinion and a source of deception in the performing arts. In many places it was regulated or curtailed as theatre practices evolved and as journalistic reviews gained influence. Today the phenomenon is discussed mainly as a historical cautionary example and, in some modern contexts, as an analog to paid endorsements or astroturfing in entertainment.