To throw pennies on the stage.

[dzmitry]

I met phrase "to throw pennies on the stage". I wonder what the phrase means. Do the people like what is taking place on the stage or vice versa?

The context is next:

So I stood there, stark naked, in full view of the audience, and the Mayor, completely surrounded by chaos. There was anarchy in the stalls, as pupils started cheering, the girls whistled and pennies were thrown on the stage.

(It is a tapescript from "Cutting Edge. Student's book")

Thank you

[rewboss]

An Australian friend of mine told me that in that country, pennies are thrown on stage to insult a bad live act. (In other countries, people used to throw rotten fruit.)

He told me the story of a relative of his who was on stage doing standup, when someone threw a penny on the stage. He walked to the front of the stage, knelt down, and beckoned to his wife who was sitting in the front row. She leant over, and he whispered something into her ear. He then stood up and said, "My wife's just told me that if I keep this up, we'll have collected enough money to pay our rent by the end of the evening."

[dzmitry]

rewboss, thank you for the answer and the story