noun /ˈɔːdiəns/
a) Hearing; the condition or state of hearing or listening.
When he had ended all his sayinges in the audience of the people, he entred into Capernaum.
b) A group of people within hearing; specifically a group of people listening to a performance, speech etc.; the crowd seeing a stage performance.
We joined the audience just as the lights went down.
See Also: audition
Wikipedia foundation.