Vaudeville and Performing

With Vaudeville on my mind, yesterday in my Christmas fest mass choir rehearsal I couldn't help but think about performing.  Vaudeville performers were so passionate about what they did and everyone was so into it.  Anton and Aspaas always talk about how we as singers need to put passion into our singing.  It has to be more than a note and a word.  We have to translate it into our own lives a so that we can convey a passion to our audience.
Vaudeville performers would also 'get the hook' if they were not pleasing to the audience or if they were not family-friendly (and appropriate) in the later years of Vaudeville.  This is somewhat synonymous with choir here at St. Olaf.  Not that we 'get the hook' persay, but we are expected to have the highest standard of musical quality and integrity and work ethic as possible.  And if we don't, we get yelled at, or, we simply just feel very bad/guilty for not putting in the same amount of work as other musicians.  We of course keep our music appropriate as well.
Lastly, Vaudeville performers made up their own acts, whereas as a singer in Christmas fest we have our 'act" (aka music) handed to us.  This means that as a performer, we have to listen to our director and conform ourselves to sing the pieces the way he or she wants it.  This is different for orchestrating it on our own because this means that we have to listen to our director, our peers, and ourselves.  There is a little less freedom, but there is also a lighter burden because it means we do not have to discipline the group without the help of a leader.