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Post by anxiousoctopus on Jan 27, 2023 21:15:03 GMT
I need to report myself for bad behaviour! Last Sunday I got told off by FOH staff for taking a photo during the bows at Newsies. I was very good and immediately put my phone away. However, in my defense M'lord, there were people allover the place taking photos of the bows and also at previous performances I have attended of this show so presumed it was ok. Plus there was no announcement made to say it was forbidden. I guess I was singled out as the usher was standing right next to me so I was an easy target. I do find it odd though as social media for the show (their official Insta and Twitter accounts) are full of peoples photos and videos that they have shared and commented on so they need to decide which side of the fence they want to be on. Stories like this really make me cross because there is really no way to tell which shows allow curtain call photos and videos. Some shows like Six actively encourage it, some shows don’t mind and allow it, and others are extremely strict against it. So a lot of theatre goers assume all shows are okay with it, so getting told off is a shock. I swear sometimes it depends on what ushers are working that night… There should be a sign saying ‘Photos during curtain call are not permitted’ to save people the embarrassment.
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Post by sph on Jan 27, 2023 21:37:57 GMT
The thing is, I've worked at shows where the front of house have been explicitly told by the production that there are to be no photos of the stage pre-show OR of the curtain call, and yet once the show opens, the show's social media accounts start sharing people's photos of those exact things saying "keep 'em coming! We LOVE to see them!"
So it's often the staff being given mixed messages as well as the audiences.
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Post by alece10 on Jan 27, 2023 22:00:28 GMT
This is exactly why I don't think it was fair to single me out. Their social media team are sharing peoples pics and videos several times a day. I've just seen 3 new pics on their Instagram account. I should have spoken to the usher after but I didn't want to make a fuss as, having been an usher for many years, I know how hard their job is. Would have been a damm good picture as well 😀
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Post by Dawnstar on Jan 27, 2023 22:11:07 GMT
I always ask FOH staff in the interval if curtain call photos are allowed if it's a venue whose policy I don't already know. However it's jolly annoying if you're told no & then see other audience members snapping away with impunity & not getting stopped.
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Post by jm25 on Jan 27, 2023 23:23:21 GMT
At the end of the first part of The Lehman Trilogy tonight, some numpty in the audience decided to shout at the actors just as the curtain was starting to go down. “When does the play start? I’ll read it on Wikipedia.”
🙄🙄🙄
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Post by sfsusan on Jan 27, 2023 23:38:57 GMT
A couple of inappropriate bits of shouting back to the actors some numpty in the audience decided to shout at the actors just as the curtain was starting to go down. I hope this doesn't become a 'thing'. Noisy coughing or unwrapping isn't meant to be disruptive. Singing along (even where inappropriate) isn't meant to be disruptive. The only time I've seen this was an obviously disturbed young woman who started screaming at the psychiatrist character and had to be escorted out. (And I hope some sort of help was summoned as the play was clearly real to her.) Shouting at the actors intentionally is just being an a*h*.
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Post by kz on Jan 28, 2023 0:39:33 GMT
I was at Jersey Boys last night too. I was in the circle so couldn't see what was happening but heard the shouting in the stalls. Was good to see the ushers were straight onto it and the cast did well to keep going. I was pleasantly surprised by the behaviour otherwise, having read about over enthusiastic audience members seeing it in London!
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Post by Someone in a tree on Feb 5, 2023 8:10:05 GMT
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Post by Rory on Feb 5, 2023 9:39:10 GMT
This thread recently got a mention in The Times Curtain Call email.
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Post by hadeswasking on Feb 5, 2023 10:00:03 GMT
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Post by richey on Feb 8, 2023 16:51:44 GMT
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Post by Someone in a tree on Feb 8, 2023 18:09:56 GMT
But what are they going to do about it ? At ABBA the ushers patrol the aisles and shine a torch in people's faces - I wish others would follow suit
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Post by hadeswasking on Feb 8, 2023 18:17:15 GMT
But what are they going to do about it ? At ABBA the ushers patrol the aisles and shine a torch in people's faces - I wish others would follow suit Edinburgh Playhouse staff also already doing this. It's the abuse they get afterwards is the problem.
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Post by paulbrownsey on Feb 8, 2023 19:17:19 GMT
But what are they going to do about it ? At ABBA the ushers patrol the aisles and shine a torch in people's faces - I wish others would follow suit Edinburgh Playhouse staff also already doing this. It's the abuse they get afterwards is the problem. They sometimes do it to the wrong person. A few years ago I got a dazzling torch in my eyes when the culprit was using a mobile two or three seats along.
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Post by cavocado on Feb 8, 2023 20:46:05 GMT
Edinburgh Playhouse staff also already doing this. It's the abuse they get afterwards is the problem. They sometimes do it to the wrong person. A few years ago I got a dazzling torch in my eyes when the culprit was using a mobile two or three seats along. I was at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse the other day and there was a moment of complete darkness at the end of the interval. That turned out to be a great way to shame those who were still busy on their phones, as all the audience could see was 3 or 4 audience members' faces lit up by their phones.
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Post by londonmzfitz on Feb 9, 2023 12:01:52 GMT
Not something I've encountered before .. Phantom on Tuesday evening, I'd pounced on a single Stalls - B21 seat, lovely central view. Couple next to me to the left, woman next to me, bloke the other side of her. Lots of wine and whispering, him with his arm around her, her with her head on his chest. Which must have become uncomfortable as she shuffled her bum across her seat and onto mine. We are now bum cheek to bum cheek.
I moved my coat. Carefully ensuring my hand didn't come into contact with the other party.
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Post by distantcousin on Feb 9, 2023 12:49:36 GMT
The Edinburgh situation is due to be discussed on Jeremy Vine Show on Radio 2 between now and 2pm
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Post by distantcousin on Feb 9, 2023 12:52:31 GMT
I still think a lot of this comes down to a generation of audiences now that that have not been taught any kind of behaviour or etiquette around going to see THEATRE. They perhaps see it in the same vein as gigs and arena concerts.
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Post by stagebyte on Feb 9, 2023 14:44:42 GMT
I’ll start by saying no staff member deserves this abuse. Theatres however need to bear some responsibility. Stop selling alcohol and anything in packaging to seats. While cinemas have surround sound to muffle people chowing down like a cart horse on a carrot and audio describing each line to their pissed up partner theatres aren’t equipped to do this. They need to bring back the pre show announcement re phones and talking. Explicit messaging explaining consequences. If people look drunk on the way in they should be refused admission. Ejecting people at the interval is too late when an entire act has been ruined for an audience. Ticket prices are not cheap. I go to listen to the actors and I don’t care if those around me think I’m ‘ruining the fun’ (actual quote from a woman at Kinky Boots a few years back) because I objected to them passing a bottle of Prosecco back and forth to the people either side of me and singing along to songs. The theatre staff offered to move me. I was quite happy in my carefully selected seat thanks . A warning to the hen do - but no offer to move the disrupters? I welcome the announcement from Edinburgh but don’t feel other theatres are on the same page. It’s all about the dollar raised from the bar. I’ve decided to become a serial complainer in 2023 with emails demanding refunds at theatres where they don’t squash this sort of behaviour as it occurs. My time and money is just as precious as these entitled idiots. Theatres need to be proactive to stop these behaviours. If the theatre doesn’t take steps to tackle before the shows then they can expect an email if it’s not dealt with immediately. I feel if more people did this then something might be done. I really want to take my mum to see Jersey Boys as she loves the music but won’t spend the money as this show has such a bad reputation. Ditto the usual suspects Grease, Dirty Dancing, Mamma Mia are off the list. 2023 the year of The Karen is here and I’m unapologetic.
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Post by sph on Feb 10, 2023 20:06:40 GMT
It's so hard to get pre-show announcements though as producers hate them.
I also think that the standards of British customer service in general places the expectation on staff to tiptoe around difficult customers. In New York an usher will give you a full-on bollocking. The British are often too reserved to say "NO" to a customer.
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Post by fiyero on Feb 10, 2023 21:13:47 GMT
It's so hard to get pre-show announcements though as producers hate them. I hear this a lot and kind of get it but by the time you’ve heard it they’ve got your money. Not sure there are that many people petty enough to avoid shows from a producer that does announcements (as I’d imagine the petty among us would either appreciate the message or ignore it anyway rather than being in the mid ground who would be convinced by an announcement). Anyway not sure how to fix it as the troublemakers won’t read signs or pay attention to announcements anyway. Capital punishment?
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Post by Dr Tom on Feb 10, 2023 22:18:29 GMT
I also think that the standards of British customer service in general places the expectation on staff to tiptoe around difficult customers. In New York an usher will give you a full-on bollocking. The British are often too reserved to say "NO" to a customer. I am reminded that I was at the penultimate performance of Get Up Stand Up. Front row, outside aisle seat. During the interval, the guy in the centre got out his large camera and placed it on his lap (only four seats across due to the layout and the central extended stage). When the second half started, the usher spotted this and she then tried various ways to get his attention, including motioning and shining a torch. It was rather distracting. The guy somehow did not notice any of this. At the same time, I had no idea what to do. I knew exactly who this person was (an actor in a show I'd seen many times) and also that he was the lead's boyfriend (I didn't know that before the show, but it was announced in conversation loudly enough that the first few rows would know). What is the protocol? Do I tell the usher so she moves away? Would that make any difference? The usher gave up in the end and so Ivano's final moments as Bob Marley are captured for all time. This probably isn't bad behaviour but I'm just reminded of the story. New York last year, I remember security arriving with an usher to remove a couple during the interval of Company as one of them had pulled down his mask. A very different response. Maybe we need that here?
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Post by stagebyte on Feb 10, 2023 22:26:53 GMT
I also think that the standards of British customer service in general places the expectation on staff to tiptoe around difficult customers. In New York an usher will give you a full-on bollocking. The British are often too reserved to say "NO" to a customer. I am reminded that I was at the penultimate performance of Get Up Stand Up. Front row, outside aisle seat. During the interval, the guy in the centre got out his large camera and placed it on his lap (only four seats across due to the layout and the central extended stage). When the second half started, the usher spotted this and she then tried various ways to get his attention, including motioning and shining a torch. It was rather distracting. The guy somehow did not notice any of this. At the same time, I had no idea what to do. I knew exactly who this person was (an actor in a show I'd seen many times) and also that he was the lead's boyfriend (I didn't know that before the show, but it was announced in conversation loudly enough that the first few rows would know). What is the protocol? Do I tell the usher so she moves away? Would that make any difference? The usher gave up in the end and so Ivano's final moments as Bob Marley are captured for all time. This probably isn't bad behaviour but I'm just reminded of the story. New York last year, I remember security arriving with an usher to remove a couple during the interval of Company as one of them had pulled down his mask. A very different response. Maybe we need that here? The Ivano story is bad behaviour and I’m pretty sure as an actor this person knew it wasnt allowed, with or without an usher shining a torch in his face. But whatever, HE was determined to get a memory at all costs and did it. Ditto the actors online condoning bootlegs until someone sends them a clip with them in it and suddenly there’s a repost and ‘I’m not condoning bootlegs but...’ Everyone who behaves like this in a theatre, sings along, eats that McDonald’s, talks over dialogue, takes that video is entitled, doesn’t care about anyone else’s enjoyment and deserves to get in the bin frankly. As for the producer’s ‘not liking’ the pre show announcement they need to bring it back. While I applaud the Scottish theatre, any show who puts out a statement about bad behaviour won’t be getting my money. Who wants to spend on that? The more people complain online, the less audience they will have, the show will close. It’s the producer’s responsibility to sort it out. It’s becoming untenable at some shows. It’s not a young person’s issue, it’s a people issue. If as someone says above, people don’t know the etiquette they need a firm reminder. The filming at the end thing needs to stop. ‘Good publicity’ (is a blurred partial video with the obligatory standing ovation blocking the view good publicity?) confusing or enabling to those who live with their phone in their hands and towards the end of a show disruptive as people reach for their phones to try and sort them in time. It’s just a mess driven by £££ signs and theatres need to get a grip.
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Post by longinthetooth on Feb 11, 2023 15:57:05 GMT
I'm reminded of the Palladium's Pantoland (aka the Donny Osmond Show). When Donny entered and sang his first number, a woman in the front row defied all the efforts of the FOH staff to stop filming. As Donny worked his way across the stage, he saw her, stopped in front of her, waved and said 'hi there' - thus condoning her filming and giving her a virtually personalised video. What can you do?
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Post by sfsusan on Feb 11, 2023 22:05:46 GMT
a generation of audiences now that have not been taught any kind of behaviour or etiquette... It's not just theater, and I'm not sure it's generational. Part of the blame should probably go to the "be yourself" messaging that somehow has been interpreted as "nobody else matters". As a woman raised in the 1950s, I was basically programmed to not impose on others. While this can also be carried to a fault (one doesn't always have to put oneself last), it does give a grounding in being aware of others.
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