The seat farthest from the stage still belongs to someone who came to experience the work.

Price sorts seats, not seriousness. The person at the back paid what they could and came for the same reason as the people at the front, sometimes with more effort, having travelled further or saved longer for the ticket. Performers who play only to the first rows are misreading the room, and so is anyone who assumes attention decreases with distance. The furthest listener is frequently the most attentive one.

When you present anything, aim it at the edge of the room rather than the middle. And if you are the one at the back, take the seat without apology. You came for the work.