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Post by floorshow on Dec 5, 2021 8:28:34 GMT
I've never come across a prompter, but in previews of many shows I've seen creatives with laptops/ipads/phones taking notes during a show. I get it, but surely you would sit at the back and not in a seat amongst the audience? Whatever happened to the Prompter’s Corner? Would be easy to get a privacy screen for a laptop or tablet which would remove all the light issues for surrounding punters. Or they could learn their lines?
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Post by lynette on Dec 5, 2021 11:57:10 GMT
Whatever happened to the Prompter’s Corner? Would be easy to get a privacy screen for a laptop or tablet which would remove all the light issues for surrounding punters. Or they could learn their lines? Or make them up. Lots of fab stories about making up Shakespeare and the rest…over to you guys…
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Post by londonpostie on Dec 5, 2021 18:49:10 GMT
Fwiw, I've been using screens at 8%-15% brightness for 6 weeks. Very doable. Actually a little calming, as well. They'll find it in 'Settings' or just search 'brightness'.
Just checked - it's at 21% now and perfectly fine. Got so used to it. Prefer it now.
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Post by dlevi on Dec 6, 2021 11:48:08 GMT
Am I wrong in thinking this is bad behaviour from the theatre themselves? (..not to mention rude and disrespectful to paying customers) You're not wrong at all. And once you mentioned it to someone in FOH , they should've found you a location where it wouldn't be distracting and/or said: Please comeback later in the run when things will hopefully be running more smoothly. I think you could also probably do that retroactively by sending an e mail to the theatre and say: I spent most of my time irritated by an open laptop and I'd like a ticket to another performance. It's worth a shot.
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Post by longinthetooth on Dec 6, 2021 12:39:52 GMT
When I saw 'Preludes' at the Southwark Playhouse a few years ago, I had about five 'creatives' sitting in the row in front of me. They were taking copious notes, with one of them writing what looked like War & Peace, the amount of writing that was going into his notebook - all beautifully written with a pen with a very bright light on the end of it. I noticed a couple across the aisle complained to an usher during the interval. He explained who they were and what they were doing, the couple stayed put and the 'creatives' carried on writing.
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Post by Forrest on Dec 6, 2021 14:00:18 GMT
May I ask opinions / take temperature on one that I think really falls into this thread? I agree with everyone who suggested you write to the theatre and ask if you could see the play again. Nothing to lose, and - even if they are not receptive to your proposal, it might at least give them something to think about. I've sat next to a girl at the Almeida once, who was taking notes (pen and paper, though). I thought she was a critic/blogger, because it was already later in the run, and it turned out she was working for the theatre, making sure the play remained on track even after press night. She was delightfully unobtrusive while taking notes (I'm guilty of the same, btw, I'll occasionally take a small notebook and a pen with me!), and happy to chat about what she was doing, so it was a pretty neat experience, really. I think a kindly worded complaint might be the way to go. :)
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Dec 6, 2021 20:48:53 GMT
Prompter with laptop has been replaced by prompter with paper script in folder. The power of TheatreBoard!
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Post by longinthetooth on Dec 10, 2021 14:43:25 GMT
The last time I tried to copy something from Twitter it all went horribly wrong, so I'll just retype what Beverley Knight tweeted yesterday:
"OK, if your intention is to come to the theatre, get rat-arsed, make a scene, disrupt the show thus causing a show-stop? My advice is stay your ass at home. People come to the theatre to be entertained, not to endure your foolishness. Done."
What gets into these people - apart from alcohol, obviously?
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Post by stagebyte on Dec 11, 2021 12:16:40 GMT
The last time I tried to copy something from Twitter it all went horribly wrong, so I'll just retype what Beverley Knight tweeted yesterday: "OK, if your intention is to come to the theatre, get rat-arsed, make a scene, disrupt the show thus causing a show-stop? My advice is stay your ass at home. People come to the theatre to be entertained, not to endure your foolishness. Done." What gets into these people - apart from alcohol, obviously? Theatres need to stop serving alcohol at seats. There really is no need to drink your own body weight in alcohol during a hour long act. Punters are also using nursing a plastic glass of warm wine as an excuse to sit there with their masks off. During current restrictions if they banned alcohol o in the auditorium Would be interesting to see if audience behaviour ‘improves’ One positive of masks is it’s more difficult to talk, eat - I bet auditoriums are a lot quieter. The won’t do it though - takes in too much revenue. But at what point should they sit up and take some responsibility for the comfort and safety of the whole auditorium. These idiots destroy an evening out for others some of whom will have saved up for this treat.
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Post by TallPaul on Dec 11, 2021 12:48:02 GMT
Holding a drinks licence not only comes with rights, it also comes with responsibilities, like the responsibility not to serve anybody suspected of being intoxicated.
Perhaps we should all start reporting the incidents we see to the relevant local authority. If theatres started losing their licences, they'd soon start refusing service. I see it all the time in pubs, so I know it happens.
And if suspected common assault, or worse, is being committed, the police need to be informed. No more just moving the victim(s) to a different seat.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 11, 2021 18:15:54 GMT
At A Chorus Line at the Curve today some right numpty took a babe in arms. I didn’t see it, they were behind me but I know it was a baby because it cried very loudly on and off for the first half an hour of the show.
Then, about an hour in, a little old woman on the front row just got up out of her seat and moved to the end of the row. I thought she was leaving but no she just stood at the side of the stage in clear view of the cast and the entire audience. God knows what she was up to, I thought she was going to try and climb up onto the stage or something. Silly old bat 😡
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Post by sph on Dec 12, 2021 4:45:26 GMT
At A Chorus Line at the Curve today some right numpty took a babe in arms. I didn’t see it, they were behind me but I know it was a baby because it cried very loudly on and off for the first half an hour of the show. This seems to happen surprisingly often in theatres. I believe it goes against the license of most theatres to allow a child under 3 in. A few slip through the net as the front of house staff are not aware of this. On the other hand, there is an onus on the parent to not be so completely, incomprehensibly stupid as to bring an infant to a theatre, especially to a show which is not appropriate for them.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 12, 2021 9:28:31 GMT
It certainly shows little regard for the rest of the audience. I don’t know if they left or were asked to leave but thank god they did.
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Post by ceebee on Dec 12, 2021 10:54:36 GMT
Something that is really starting to do my head in: people taking photos or even filming mid-show using their phones. Somebody was actually doing this on stage at the Old Vic recently. On-stage premium seat, right by the actors, and they were filming (until an usher had a word). In Cinderella yesterday, somebody was trying to film "Buns N Roses". In "Come From Away" last week, somebody was sitting through most of the second half (most notably "Me and the Sky") scrolling on their phone, sharing the occasional screen with her partner. I actually left my seat to get an usher - it was that or lean across two people to snatch her phone and throw it on the floor.
Is it me? Whatever happened to respect for the performers and fellow audience members? And some of the raucous behaviour at other shows such as "Only Fools and Horses" makes me feel like some of British society is revelling in a self-elected downgrade in manners.
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Post by sfsusan on Dec 12, 2021 19:01:38 GMT
Something that is really starting to do my head in: people taking photos or even filming mid-show using their phones. makes me feel like some of British society is revelling in a self-elected downgrade in manners. Not just the British. I was in Paris at the ballet tonight and saw the same. The gentleman next to me had to lean forward and ask the woman in front of me to tell her husband to stop filming... with the flash!
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Dec 12, 2021 21:07:42 GMT
Something that is really starting to do my head in: people taking photos or even filming mid-show using their phones. makes me feel like some of British society is revelling in a self-elected downgrade in manners. Not just the British. I was in Paris at the ballet tonight and saw the same. The gentleman next to me had to lean forward and ask the woman in front of me to tell her husband to stop filming... with the flash! Sacre bleu
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Post by craig on Dec 13, 2021 15:39:15 GMT
Is it me? Whatever happened to respect for the performers and fellow audience members? And some of the raucous behaviour at other shows such as "Only Fools and Horses" makes me feel like some of British society is revelling in a self-elected downgrade in manners. Couldn't agree more. I work in a customer facing environment and, whilst most people are nice, there is definitely a degradation of manners and respect going on in society right now.
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Post by sph on Dec 13, 2021 15:44:39 GMT
Is it me? Whatever happened to respect for the performers and fellow audience members? And some of the raucous behaviour at other shows such as "Only Fools and Horses" makes me feel like some of British society is revelling in a self-elected downgrade in manners. Couldn't agree more. I work in a customer facing environment and, whilst most people are nice, there is definitely a degradation of manners and respect going on in society right now. Maybe 18 months of being at home and having everything delivered to their door has really made people so entitled they no longer think they have to make any effort to be human in a face-to-face setting.
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Post by hannechalk on Dec 13, 2021 16:33:18 GMT
Bad behaviour before a show - your friend falling asleep at home in Manchester, therefore completely missing your night at panto in New Brighton. 😂
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Post by adrianics on Dec 14, 2021 20:36:23 GMT
The wife and I had an impromptu long weekend in London over the last few days and went to see the Comedy Store Players on Sunday night.
Fantastic show, dangerously close to being ruined by an extraordinarily drunk woman and her friend, who was getting progressively more and more anxious at her behaviour. They were sat right in the very front row, mere feet from the stage and performers. The drunk woman started with annoying, rhythmic swaying and fidgeting and had soon progressed to full-on talking at normal conversational volume. Several people told her to be quiet, but she objected to the same from the woman sat next to them, who was much more assertive. The discussion starts to become more and more heated to the point that I can't hear what's happening on stage, several people are getting involved and Rachel Parris, one of the performers, was looking towards the commotion and appeared to be weighing up stopping the show. Eventually the friend, looking on the verge of a panic attack, dragged the drunk woman out and the show continued without incident.
I've read so many stories in the last couple of weeks about the increase of bad behaviour, particularly around drunkenness. In addition to Drifters Girl, a Lucy Spraggan concert last week had to be paused so that a number of drunken patrons who had started a fistfight having being told by Spraggan to stop talking, and she's consequently cancelled the remainder of her tour. It truly, truly baffles me that people would just throw money down the drain by buying tickets to a show then proceeding to get so drunk that at best they don't remember the experience afterwards and at worst get thrown out and put on a list. The wife and I love a sesh and I'm a very social drinker but it horrifies me the idea that I would drink so much that I'd cause commotion in public and embarrass myself in such a way.
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Post by sfsusan on Dec 14, 2021 22:22:23 GMT
it horrifies me the idea that I would drink so much that I'd cause commotion in public and embarrass myself in such a way. I agree completely, but I'm not sure a lot of people today understand the concept of "embarrassing themselves".
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Post by richey on Dec 14, 2021 23:06:10 GMT
In relation to the increasing drunkenness at shows, I've been to two concerts in two weeks at the Manchester Arena, both of which had enormous queues for the bars which blocked any flow of the crowds and prevented any social distancing, and a constant stream of people going to the bars through the show, thereby interrupting my view. When I wrote and complained I got a cut and paste reply basically saying like it or lump it. That's the last time I'll be going there...
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Post by alece10 on Dec 15, 2021 13:14:25 GMT
I have been to very few arena concerts but at the ones I have been to there is a constant flow of people going to and from the bar to get drinks. I found it very annoying as your view constantly gets blocked or you have to keep standing upto let them go past. I have now found this trend has started in theatres. I don't know if people are used to doing it at arenas and feel it's acceptable in the theatre. Tends to be at the more "popular" shows. But why are the theatre bars selling drinks during the show. Surely they should close when curtain goes up and open again for the interval.
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Post by craig on Dec 15, 2021 14:28:33 GMT
I have been to very few arena concerts but at the ones I have been to there is a constant flow of people going to and from the bar to get drinks. I found it very annoying as your view constantly gets blocked or you have to keep standing upto let them go past. I have now found this trend has started in theatres. I don't know if people are used to doing it at arenas and feel it's acceptable in the theatre. Tends to be at the more "popular" shows. But why are the theatre bars selling drinks during the show. Surely they should close when curtain goes up and open again for the interval. I thought theatre bars WERE closed during the performance!? I have to say I haven't noticed people getting up at the theatre very often at all, but I do tend to naturally avoid the sort of shows that would attract that crowd, for the most part.
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Post by alece10 on Dec 15, 2021 14:43:05 GMT
I have been to very few arena concerts but at the ones I have been to there is a constant flow of people going to and from the bar to get drinks. I found it very annoying as your view constantly gets blocked or you have to keep standing upto let them go past. I have now found this trend has started in theatres. I don't know if people are used to doing it at arenas and feel it's acceptable in the theatre. Tends to be at the more "popular" shows. But why are the theatre bars selling drinks during the show. Surely they should close when curtain goes up and open again for the interval. I thought theatre bars WERE closed during the performance!? I have to say I haven't noticed people getting up at the theatre very often at all, but I do tend to naturally avoid the sort of shows that would attract that crowd, for the most part. You would think they would be closed. But Frozen a few weeks ago the same man got up 3 times during the show and each time came back with drinks.
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Post by craig on Dec 15, 2021 15:01:06 GMT
You would think they would be closed. But Frozen a few weeks ago the same man got up 3 times during the show and each time came back with drinks. Ugh! I want to see Frozen but it's stuff like this that puts me off. We saw Aladdin a couple of years ago and the crowd was just awful. Munching away on sweets, rustling wrappers, screaming kids, talking loudly, bright phone screens etc. The big commercial shows should do a "No arseholes" performance once a week.
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Post by alece10 on Dec 15, 2021 15:25:39 GMT
You would think they would be closed. But Frozen a few weeks ago the same man got up 3 times during the show and each time came back with drinks. Ugh! I want to see Frozen but it's stuff like this that puts me off. We saw Aladdin a couple of years ago and the crowd was just awful. Munching away on sweets, rustling wrappers, screaming kids, talking loudly, bright phone screens etc. The big commercial shows should do a "No arseholes" performance once a week. With Frozen you just have to grin and bear it and let it go over your head. Its a kids show so there will be lots of little princesses (and a few Queens!) And it's a bit noisy. But it's such a great show so do go.
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Post by sph on Dec 15, 2021 23:32:34 GMT
I do want to see Frozen, but I just know it's going to be a West End Show with a panto audience...
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Dec 16, 2021 10:25:34 GMT
I do want to see Frozen, but I just know it's going to be a West End Show with a panto audience... Will Frozen be better after Christmas period?
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 16, 2021 10:40:44 GMT
In relation to the increasing drunkenness at shows, I've been to two concerts in two weeks at the Manchester Arena, both of which had enormous queues for the bars which blocked any flow of the crowds and prevented any social distancing, and a constant stream of people going to the bars through the show, thereby interrupting my view. When I wrote and complained I got a cut and paste reply basically saying like it or lump it. That's the last time I'll be going there... It’s a horrible venue anyway. Sucks the joy out of any live performance. And how someone hasn’t been killed or badly injured from falling down those ridiculous steps that go all the way down to the floor level with no handrails defies belief.
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