Theatre Board Meet Up 24th June West End Live!!!

I'd volunteer if the date worked for me

I didn't make it yesterday and am one of those who would not want to miss a play or show (as it is I miss things every week because they've ended and I just didn't manage to fit them in, e.g. most recently, Dirty Great Love Story and The Sorrows Of Satan); between matinee and evening would work for me provided there was a long enough gap and I didn't have to travel to/from somewhere too distant - and yesterday the locations of the 2 theatres and the time between performances simply didn't allow it. I'd always prefer somewhere quieter and with seating but as I was mocked for saying so and didn't even go yesterday, it's hardly fair for me to comment!

I'm also keen to see The Wipers Times - though it is visiting Guildford in the autumn - so when and where I actually see it depends on prices and other locations if there are any.

Well, we could arrange a jolly couldn't we?  Would you see it in London?  Over Easter maybe?

Yes and someone could make a sign to put on the table saying "Heartbeat Rod" or any other anagram of Theatreboard that comes to mind!

Well I'm guilty for saying I was going and then cancelling. Unfortunately got called in to work and couldn't get out of it.
I'm furtunate in that I live in London so can go to the theatre when I want and actually never go on a Saturday. Too busy in the west end.
Just a thought for a future meet up. What about a picnic? People can drop in when they can and bring some food. Then you don't have the problem of finding a venue that has space and not too noisy. If people still around later and its starting to get cool we could move indoors.
Nice little park by Embankment tube (can't think what it's called) and central for the west end.
Just a thought

Ooh, I like the idea of a picnic! As long as there's somewhere nearby we could go if the weather is not so good

Embankment Gardens. A lovely spot, especially in the tulip season. However be aware that often the grass is roped off so if that were the case when the meeting was arranged then it would be difficult to find somewhere for a group to sit, as the benches are set quite far apart & it is popular so finding more than one empty bench would probably be tricky.

showgirl I'm another one who wouldn't go to a meeting in a noisy bar, or indeed probably in any bar as I don't drink & dislike the smell of beer, wine, etc.

I think there can be a danger of overthinking these things!

I thought the Understudy worked really well as a venue. Pre-matinee it was quiet (in terms of number of people & volume!). Busy and noisy post-matinee but there's a lot of space outside. Also easy to get to most venues - people were heading off to Southwark, Victoria and the West End.

To be honest I don't think we'll find a venue anywhere that suits everybody! Probably just a case of picking somewhere a few people will turn up to and then other people can join if they can. Suggestion of the main foyer areas at the National might be worth trying. Or for a West End venue - there's the big Wetherspoon's next to the Trafalgar Studios.

Couple of suggestions
- clearly a bit of a problem for people who turned up after the initial group had left. Maybe we should set up a couple of meeting up times, pre and post matinee? I know for the first meet-up some people settled in for the day, but this isn't always going to happen.
- as suggested above, need something bigger than badges! Maybe a couple of people could print off the theatreboard logo to use as a sign.
- people at the meet-up need to post where they are on the forum, and also keep an eye out for lost people posting! Very useful for spotting Anthony in the evening, also not sure we would have spotted Dawnstar without her posts.

For people without an i-phone, it would be helpful if someone would agree in advance to meet and greet at a precise meeting point at a precise time (or perhaps also 15 or 30 minutes later?) Peggs said above that she, like me, had no i-phone. Otherwise, I don't think I'd risk again to attempt to attend on the off-chance of successfully guessing where you all are sitting.

We've not mentioned yet that Bill Patterson was wandering around the Understudy pre-matinee. Was half expecting him to come over and reveal he is Parsley

I love the idea of a picnic! June 10 or 17 may work for me
Embankment Garden is nuce, it has a few shops around, so getting yourself a sandwich and drink won't be any problem.

Prematinee slot worked well for me, I would make it to inbetween one if I hadn't changed the ticket. So I would vote for both slots again
But as much as I enjoyed the meeting I won't miss a theatre slot because of it.

Btw, what do people think of pretheatre drinks on Fridays?