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Post by adrianics on Sept 13, 2016 15:43:10 GMT
I used to stage door, but then I had a few awkward encounters; no one was ever openly rude or aggressive, but I did get blanked a lot and ended up feeling like I was just getting in the way of people trying to go about their business. I remember asking one Spamalot actor for an autograph and he was very polite but clearly in a rush, and as I saw him run off I spent the whole trip home worrying that I'd caused him to miss the last train.
Basically, I decided that actors are probably no more excited at a complete stranger stopping them from getting somewhere than I would be.
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Post by lou105 on Sept 13, 2016 16:16:46 GMT
There was a funny play on TV a couple of years ago about a group of people who waited at stage doors. One of then used to give notes to the actors on their performances and one was a stalker. I forget what it was called but it was very funny and slightly alarming. I remember that. I think it was on Sky Arts. |
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Post by wickedgrin on Sept 13, 2016 16:41:30 GMT
Buying a ticket to see a show does NOT include a personal meet and greet at the stage door. Period.
However, young actors today ( and it does seem to be younger actors )seem to deem it necessary for their careers to promote themselves on social media to the public and I suspect agents, directors and producers to increase their profile and job offers. So in promoting themselves this way they can hardly complain when the stage door is "mobbed" by adoring twitter "fans". To give the issue a Bake Off analogy "you can't have your cake and eat it!"
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Post by kathryn on Sept 13, 2016 17:48:49 GMT
Sorry Monkey! I saw it happen.
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Post by 49thand8th on Sept 13, 2016 17:53:57 GMT
HA. Oh wow.
I remember during the How to Succeed revival, they partially solved this by having ticketholders stand outside one part of the barricade and everybody else on the other.
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Post by kathryn on Sept 13, 2016 17:54:16 GMT
However, young actors today ( and it does seem to be younger actors )seem to deem it necessary for their careers to promote themselves on social media to the public and I suspect agents, directors and producers to increase their profile and job offers. Sadly it's not a case of the actors deeming it necessary, but the agents, directors and producers. I've seen older, established - but not hugely famous - actors join Twitter while saying that they've been made to do it. They're not doing it for fun, or a burning desire to spend their free time interacting with random people on the Internet, but because they have to. Even properly famous actors do it now. It's obviously the new wheeze in media training - the likes of Robert Downey Jr retweets and comments on fan art, which is surely being fed to him by an assistant on a semi-regular basis. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2016 18:33:36 GMT
An interesting take, kathryn, and one I hadn't even considered...
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Post by kathryn on Sept 13, 2016 18:57:14 GMT
I think it's probably due to the financing. If you're trying to persuade investors that a film with such-and-such an actor in it will be popular, it helps if you can point to their millions of Twitter followers and Instagram likes. Especially if said actor is not well known to the financiers but popular with a younger demographic.
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Post by andrew on Sept 13, 2016 22:05:07 GMT
It reminds me of a model I know talking about how the entire industry is obsessed with instagram. Whether or not you get hired for a job depends on how many instagram followers you have because if you're "instagram famous" that brings with it a heap of interest and impressions for the brand that's hiring you.
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Post by longinthetooth on Sept 13, 2016 22:28:27 GMT
I have an acquaintance who is an actor, who said he was told by his management to go on Twitter a few years ago.
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Post by bjorne on Sept 13, 2016 23:17:11 GMT
It's also a matter of age of the people at the stage door. For example at Wicked or the youtube's Carrie Hope Fletcher audience is very young, normally teenagers who shouldn't be encouraged but I can also partially excuse them for their young age (not totally, but I have many considerations about this. Whatever).
The thing that 'scares' me is when the drama is driven by older people that should know how to behave. And I've seen thing that... my god. When you've passed a certain age what is your excuse for a stupid behaviour?
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Post by talkstageytome on Sept 13, 2016 23:33:01 GMT
Yes I must admit that I've seen bad behaviour from young people and older people and it shocks me. Surely people realise how creepy they're being when they start asking actors personal questions and getting all pally with them. And I'll never forget sitting next to a couple of ladies in a day seat queue and overhearing the language they were using to describe some of their favourite male performers. Quite uncomfortable to listen to, so god knows how the actors would feel if they heard it.
I used to like going to the stage door to tell the actors if I enjoyed the show, and get my programme signed. Especially if it was one of my favourite performers. But I stopped because of the exact behaviour others have mentioned on this thread. Watching people push others, tug at actors, get too close physically and in terms of appropriate conversations etc. etc. Plus all of the chumminess on twitter, and constant tweeting too. I still like to tweet actors if I enjoyed their performance, but it's just a simple message, and doesn't read like a tweet to my best friend.
Of course it's nice when performers tweet back or you have a nice moment with your fave performer at the stage door after the show, but I don't understand this need to be at the stage door every day or be tweeting actors 24/7. It's nice that many actors (appear to) embrace the fans at stage door if they have the time, but it's certainly not what they're paid to do, and if they want to leave without stopping they shouldn't have to endure any social media backlash etc.
To me it's just cringy and not the sort of thing I want to be associated with as a fan.
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Post by bjorne on Sept 14, 2016 0:09:17 GMT
Yes I must admit that I've seen bad behaviour from young people and older people and it shocks me. Surely people realise how creepy they're being when they start asking actors personal questions and getting all pally with them. And I'll never forget sitting next to a couple of ladies in a day seat queue and overhearing the language they were using to describe some of their favourite male performers. Quite uncomfortable to listen to, so god knows how the actors would feel if they heard it. Happened to me at a stage door a couple of years ago. I still thank all the gods I know that even if the understand it quite well, english is not my daughters first language. Can't this people just try to control themselves when there are children around? And what if a friend or a family member of the actor is around? Having two girls means that me and my husband stage door quite often because the kids want to meet the actors they like and get a photo and well, it's normally not harmful and they love it so we won't say no after a mattinee. But every time it's a long hoping that nothing too bad would happens. One time is the guy who push them away at wicked, the other time is the ladies commenting actors' butts, the other time again is the rude girl gang (ahah) screaming out loud that make my younger cry. Thank goodness we also had many very nice experiences too with kind people (most of the time when we are with the girls, to be fair). But sometimes I just wonder if some people were raise into a barn (cit.) |
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Post by Musicality21 on Sept 14, 2016 6:06:40 GMT
Not exactly at the stage door but I accidentally met Michael Ball who was walking down towards Dress Circle in London at the same time we were. There was a huge group of his fans waiting for him who obviously knew he was going to be there and he stopped under his choice for a minute to talk to us (thanks to who I was with saying quite loudly 'look, it's Michael Ball!). The looks and the tutting we got from the women waiting seriously put me off meeting anyone ever again! If looks could kill...
Going to the stage door is definitely not for me. I'd probably clamp up completely and not be able to say anything. I'd rather just say something on twitter if I thought a performance was good.
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Post by ctas on Sept 14, 2016 6:22:31 GMT
I go to stage door sometimes, depending on how much I liked the performance. One actor I saw deal with dramas remarkably well was Gemma Arterton, she told the autograph hunter crowd (you know, haven't seen the show but turned up with their binders of glossy press stills to hawk on eBay) that she was going to sign for people who'd seen the show first and foremost. Then when someone presented her with a paparazzi bikini shot she tore it in two, put it in her bag and told them that was "disgusting" and went to chat to her fans a little more. What a pro at dealing with awkward situations!
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Post by lou105 on Sept 14, 2016 7:35:49 GMT
Yes I must admit that I've seen bad behaviour from young people and older people and it shocks me. Surely people realise how creepy they're being when they start asking actors personal questions and getting all pally with them. And I'll never forget sitting next to a couple of ladies in a day seat queue and overhearing the language they were using to describe some of their favourite male performers. Quite uncomfortable to listen to, so god knows how the actors would feel if they heard it. Happened to me at a stage door a couple of years ago. I still thank all the gods I know that even if the understand it quite well, english is not my daughters first language. Can't this people just try to control themselves when there are children around? And what if a friend or a family member of the actor is around? Having two girls means that me and my husband stage door quite often because the kids want to meet the actors they like and get a photo and well, it's normally not harmful and they love it so we won't say no after a mattinee. But every time it's a long hoping that nothing too bad would happens. One time is the guy who push them away at wicked, the other time is the ladies commenting actors' butts, the other time again is the rude girl gang (ahah) screaming out loud that make my younger cry. Thank goodness we also had many very nice experiences too with kind people (most of the time when we are with the girls, to be fair). But sometimes I just wonder if some people were raise into a barn (cit.) I also had some experience of taking young relatives to Wicked stage door and usually people were good about letting little ones stand forward and so on. The scariest time by far was when an established performer was playing Fiyero, and some of his older fans had a real sense of entitlement which came up against with the established Wicked fans' sense of ownership of the show..Not the performers' faults at all but there was almost a battle to breathe the same air as the cast. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 14, 2016 11:12:13 GMT
The whole thing sounds absolutely hideous.
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Post by bengal73 on Sept 14, 2016 17:03:50 GMT
I dont really agree with the original comment that people dont stage door as it were for music concerts. After 30 years of attending concerts i can safely say there has always been at least a small group at stage door and sometimes huge numbers. I think its correct that the situation is much more visible with social media allowing people to comment positively or negatively and get the word out to thousands of people instantly
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Post by shady23 on Sept 14, 2016 18:49:53 GMT
Happened to me at a stage door a couple of years ago. I still thank all the gods I know that even if the understand it quite well, english is not my daughters first language. Can't this people just try to control themselves when there are children around? And what if a friend or a family member of the actor is around? Having two girls means that me and my husband stage door quite often because the kids want to meet the actors they like and get a photo and well, it's normally not harmful and they love it so we won't say no after a mattinee. But every time it's a long hoping that nothing too bad would happens. One time is the guy who push them away at wicked, the other time is the ladies commenting actors' butts, the other time again is the rude girl gang (ahah) screaming out loud that make my younger cry. Thank goodness we also had many very nice experiences too with kind people (most of the time when we are with the girls, to be fair). But sometimes I just wonder if some people were raise into a barn (cit.) I also had some experience of taking young relatives to Wicked stage door and usually people were good about letting little ones stand forward and so on. The scariest time by far was when an established performer was playing Fiyero, and some of his older fans had a real sense of entitlement which came up against with the established Wicked fans' sense of ownership of the show..Not the performers' faults at all but there was almost a battle to breathe the same air as the cast. Lee Mead? His fans are much older and are a crazy bunch. No wonder he started leaving by alternative exits! |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2016 10:04:08 GMT
I also had some experience of taking young relatives to Wicked stage door and usually people were good about letting little ones stand forward and so on. The scariest time by far was when an established performer was playing Fiyero, and some of his older fans had a real sense of entitlement which came up against with the established Wicked fans' sense of ownership of the show..Not the performers' faults at all but there was almost a battle to breathe the same air as the cast. Lee Mead? His fans are much older and are a crazy bunch. No wonder he started leaving by alternative exits! I assumed Matt Willis when I read it, although either would make sense. |
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Post by Nelly on Sept 15, 2016 11:04:04 GMT
I haven't read through the thread so don't know if anything like this has been brought up yet. When I used to work at the Victoria Palace on Billy Elliot, every time one of the Billy's left the cast they threw a party for him in one of the theatre bars. Cast,crew,foh etc were invited. Now I'm sure a lot of you are aware of the certain following that show had. Well these 'fans' used to wait outside the theatre until sometimes 1am so they could say goodbye etc to the child that was leaving the cast. Most odd and disturbing if you ask me.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2016 12:07:28 GMT
I haven't read through the thread so don't know if anything like this has been brought up yet. When I used to work at the Victoria Palace on Billy Elliot, every time one of the Billy's left the cast they threw a party for him in one of the theatre bars. Cast,crew,foh etc were invited. Now I'm sure a lot of you are aware of the certain following that show had. Well these 'fans' used to wait outside the theatre until sometimes 1am so they could say goodbye etc to the child that was leaving the cast. Most odd and disturbing if you ask me. Hi Nelly. Yes, it has actually, but in another thread a while back now. Eeek! |
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Post by westendcub on Sept 15, 2016 12:17:50 GMT
I've told the story before, I'm sure, but the one time I met someone I was a fan of, I froze and mispronounced my name so the person had to double check with me what I'd said. Since then I don't try to meet people and just thank the ones I've really liked on Twitter. I don't even know why, but Ruthie Henhsall - I just completely lost it. I didn't make any sense, my voice wasn't working. I said something really stupid. I've met people I liked much more, but Ruthie Henshall just did me in. She was nice but I felt so embarrassed immediately after. Why Ruthie? What about her? I'll never know. I'll never try it again, oh no, not with Ruthie. Lin Manuel Miranda seems like he has it pretty rough generally at stage doors, if youtube videos are to be believed. He is amazing though, I'd probably throw myself at him too. I've had drinks completely randomly with her now ex-husband! He was playing 'Roger' in 'Rent' (must have been 2006 on Broadway) and after the show we decided to nip in the bar that was just near the theater (think it was called 'Thirty Two Bar'). We noticed some giggly types on a table ('Rentheads') and went to order our drinks, well it turns out a lot of the 'Rent' cast were in. It was quite limited for tables so we ended up on a table next to them and just got chatting and well then joined them for a few hours drinking! I forget his name but he was lovely, I remember him telling me that had meet via 'Peggy Sue got Married' show. It was funny because the table with the giggly girls just stared at us the whole time and then eventually left, it can be interesting seeing on the other side so to speak. |
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Post by adrianics on Sept 15, 2016 13:16:34 GMT
I haven't read through the thread so don't know if anything like this has been brought up yet. When I used to work at the Victoria Palace on Billy Elliot, every time one of the Billy's left the cast they threw a party for him in one of the theatre bars. Cast,crew,foh etc were invited. Now I'm sure a lot of you are aware of the certain following that show had. Well these 'fans' used to wait outside the theatre until sometimes 1am so they could say goodbye etc to the child that was leaving the cast. Most odd and disturbing if you ask me. Oh *Christ*. Wasn't there security to escort those perverts away? |
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Post by Nelly on Sept 15, 2016 13:50:37 GMT
I haven't read through the thread so don't know if anything like this has been brought up yet. When I used to work at the Victoria Palace on Billy Elliot, every time one of the Billy's left the cast they threw a party for him in one of the theatre bars. Cast,crew,foh etc were invited. Now I'm sure a lot of you are aware of the certain following that show had. Well these 'fans' used to wait outside the theatre until sometimes 1am so they could say goodbye etc to the child that was leaving the cast. Most odd and disturbing if you ask me. Oh *Christ*. Wasn't there security to escort those perverts away? Sadly not as they weren't actually doing anything 'wrong' enough to warrant them being moved away/on. This is why the rule about not giving out child performer schedules existed on the show as. They had ways to try and get the schedule which is why it changed regularly. |
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