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Post by Backdrifter on Jul 21, 2017 7:24:55 GMT
I promise to everyone this will be my final comment on this thing. Honest!
Man 1 was position 1 in the queue. He was apparently not going to the play, just holding that spot for his friend, Man 2, who arrived at a time when there were now about 15 people queueing. So, had Man 2 not got his friend to do that, and assuming Man 2 arrived at his "preferred" time, he'd have been about 15th/16th, Man 1 would never have been part of the equation, Person 2 in the queue would have always been Person 1, etc.
Anyway I'm now at the same point infofreako reached (which I'm sure probably everyone has long passed as well!) of wanting this to end, so my apologies to all.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2017 8:03:24 GMT
Just to confirm what Viserys said above the first 'Dayseats' were indeed the Rent lotto/dayseat queue and were very much designed to allow all fans (considering the young demographic of the show) to afford Broadway tickets. The producers said (I have the actual quote at home but paraphrasing) we want the people who the show is about to be able to see the show. Many other shows quickly saw that allowing young people (as it has always been predominantly younger audiences who make up the queue because it's the only way they CAN afford it and/or being College students or whatever have time to as well)and it has always been considered a means of accessibility. Indeed theatres today use it as a selling point about their show being 'affordable' and 'accesible'. I'm not getting back into the rights and wrongs of paying someone- I gave my opinion earlier. But Dayseats happen to be a quirk of both my research and day job knowledge so I thought I'd share  |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2017 8:35:41 GMT
Ryan, it is the school summer hols - you have a good little business proposition there. Go for it. I'm going to call the business Jafar because: "If you want a day seat but can't be arsed to queue, call us and we'll get a lad in!" |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2017 8:58:52 GMT
Ryan, it is the school summer hols - you have a good little business proposition there. Go for it. I'm going to call the business Jafar because: "If you want a day seat but can't be arsed to queue, call us and we'll get a lad in!" hahaha Ryan I love you. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2017 11:10:04 GMT
^still and all, though, TAXI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 21, 2017 16:52:00 GMT
Yes it would be lovely to suppose that dayseats are gratefully queued for by Pot Noodle eating students and theatre loving OAP's in their twighlight years who haven't had the lights on for three weeks in order to save up the twenty quid.
When from what I've seen on this very forum it's a group of very savvy, avid theatre-goers, bombing around London's dayseat queues, snapping up tix so they can see two or three productions a week.
The very concept is hugely discriminatory and from what's described above regarding Rent a million miles away from its well intentioned origins.
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Post by infofreako on Jul 21, 2017 17:37:22 GMT
Yes it would be lovely to suppose that dayseats are gratefully queued for by Pot Noodle eating students and theatre loving OAP's in their twighlight years who haven't had the lights on for three weeks in order to save up the twenty quid. When from what I've seen on this very forum it's a group of very savvy, avid theatre-goers, bombing around London's dayseat queues, snapping up tix so they can see two or three productions a week. The very concept is hugely discriminatory and from what's described above regarding Rent a million miles away from its well intentioned origins. Well I genuinely use them as it tends to be the only way I can afford theatre, and often even then its a struggle. If only i could afford to stretch that to 2 or 3 productions a week or even a month. I appreciate your analysis isnt a catch all though. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2017 17:47:01 GMT
Just for clarity I was just backing up the above post about the origins. I'm not stupid/naive enough to think that's exactly how they're used.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 21, 2017 17:50:59 GMT
Yes it would be lovely to suppose that dayseats are gratefully queued for by Pot Noodle eating students and theatre loving OAP's in their twighlight years who haven't had the lights on for three weeks in order to save up the twenty quid. When from what I've seen on this very forum it's a group of very savvy, avid theatre-goers, bombing around London's dayseat queues, snapping up tix so they can see two or three productions a week. The very concept is hugely discriminatory and from what's described above regarding Rent a million miles away from its well intentioned origins. Well I genuinely use them as it tends to be the only way I can afford theatre, and often even then its a struggle. If only i could afford to stretch that to 2 or 3 productions a week or even a month.I appreciate your analysis isnt a catch all though. Likewise! But I'm one of the many mugs paying full whack for planned ahead London tickets and full whack when productions tour so that west end Wayne's and Wendy's can take advantage of all those tasty discounts that I'm subsidising. Not resentful. No no noooooooooo! |
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Post by infofreako on Jul 21, 2017 18:09:04 GMT
Full price i should be so lucky
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2017 18:12:59 GMT
Full price i should be so lucky Ditto. |
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Post by kathryn on Jul 21, 2017 18:22:57 GMT
Yes it would be lovely to suppose that dayseats are gratefully queued for by Pot Noodle eating students and theatre loving OAP's in their twighlight years who haven't had the lights on for three weeks in order to save up the twenty quid. When from what I've seen on this very forum it's a group of very savvy, avid theatre-goers, bombing around London's dayseat queues, snapping up tix so they can see two or three productions a week. The very concept is hugely discriminatory and from what's described above regarding Rent a million miles away from its well intentioned origins. It's exactly the same thing that happened with Donmar Front Row - savvy avid theatregoers snapped those tickets up too! It's because the barrier isn't just about money, it's about knowledge and (to some extent) motivation. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 21, 2017 18:35:09 GMT
Full price i should be so lucky Well, it's either that or don't see anything in Manchester. No discounts, except the ATG first night offers and an occasional one from ManchedterTheatres for stuff that's selling slow. And booking for London when you can only get there for a Friday or Saturday night doesn't throw many bargains up. |
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Post by showgirl on Jul 21, 2017 18:36:15 GMT
Knowledge and motivation indeed, as Kathryn suggests, and probably other factors besides those. In our defence, aren't we the year-round supporters who keep attending through thick and thin, battling all sorts of obstacles, and who demonstrate an interest in plays/shows/productions long before their arrival - often from another continent - and after their departure? Maybe those who visit once or twice a year for special occasions can afford higher prices, but if we regulars paid full price we'd only manage a few visits before we exhausted our annual budget.
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Post by viserys on Jul 21, 2017 18:47:07 GMT
I didn't mean to imply that everyone who's now dayseating is oh so deserving, but there's still (at least for me) a difference in whether you make the effort to queue for 2-3 hours in the morning to snap up a bargain ticket or if you are rich enough to pay someone to do it for you which implies that you'd definitely have enough money to buy a full-price ticket.
I'm also one of the out-of-towners (well out-of-countriers) who are often forced to pay full price because I can't dayseat most of the time AND spend a lot of money on train tickets and hotels. However, I do try to arrange my trips so that I'll see cheaper fringe shows on the day of arrival and one of the Saturday shows, giving me the opportunity to dayseat (sometimes) for the other Saturday show and if I've come on Thursday on Friday. But it's rare - I've paid full price in advance for all the shows I'm seeing in September and October now.
I always take comfort in the thought that three shows in London equal one show in Germany... and on the other side... that the difference in rent costs means I could go to London every month and still have money to spare by staying put on this side of the channel...
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 21, 2017 20:26:13 GMT
Knowledge and motivation indeed, as Kathryn suggests, and probably other factors besides those. In our defence, aren't we the year-round supporters who keep attending through thick and thin, battling all sorts of obstacles, and who demonstrate an interest in plays/shows/productions long before their arrival - often from another continent - and after their departure? Maybe those who visit once or twice a year for special occasions can afford higher prices, but if we regulars paid full price we'd only manage a few visits before we exhausted our annual budget. That's quite dismissive. We're PAYING higher prices. That doesn't mean we can AFFORD them. Im not taking anything away from your very noble "I'm putting my bum on a seat that would otherwise be empty" philosophy, but if you paid £15 for that seat you're not contributing to the arts, you're just taking advantage of it. And good luck to you, I'd be doing the same if I could. |
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Post by longinthetooth on Jul 21, 2017 20:33:56 GMT
I have dayseated precisely once. It was because I had reason to be in London at silly o'clock and was a spur of the moment decision. The queue comprised Japanese tourists and moi. I remember thinking what on earth am I doing here? But, I got the front row seat I wanted - and that was the point, to get front row, not the fact that it was cheap.
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Post by kathryn on Jul 21, 2017 21:13:29 GMT
First time I dayseated it was because the show was sold out other than dayseats, and when I got to the box office they offered me a couple of returns, so I very happily paid full-price.
(It was Donmar Othello, the returns were central stalls, I still can't quite believe I got that lucky.)
Actually, I'd say quite often when we dayseat it's because tickets are otherwise sold-out. We've definitely done it less in recent years because we've gotten more savvy at booking the moment tickets go on sale.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 21, 2017 22:07:08 GMT
Just ban it and put the seats on sale, on line, on the morning of the performance. That way everyone who can get to the perf has a chance to buy a ticket instead of the privileged few who can get to the theatre in the morning.
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Post by kathryn on Jul 21, 2017 23:05:56 GMT
Ah, but then the theatre wouldn't get the benefit of a long and buzzy queue outside their doors in the morning, making people think there's something exciting going on.
(I went to a gallery the weekend before last that was clearly keeping a 1-2 hour queue going at all times just to look exciting. I managed to get in by hopping online and getting an 'advance' ticket for that afternoon, having been told they sell out weeks in advance. Once inside it was obvious the building was big enough to absorb to 50 or so people in the queue with no-one even noticing - there was no indication that they were counting people *leaving* the gallery, either. I bet they were just letting x number of people in every y minutes, to keep the queue that long.)
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Post by Backdrifter on Jul 21, 2017 23:26:32 GMT
Ah, but then the theatre wouldn't get the benefit of a long and buzzy queue outside their doors in the morning, making people think there's something exciting going on. (I went to a gallery the weekend before last that was clearly keeping a 1-2 hour queue going at all times just to look exciting. I managed to get in by hopping online and getting an 'advance' ticket for that afternoon, having been told they sell out weeks in advance. Once inside it was obvious the building was big enough to absorb to 50 or so people in the queue with no-one even noticing - there was no indication that they were counting people *leaving* the gallery, either. I bet they were just letting x number of people in every y minutes, to keep the queue that long.) Ultimately, whoever's in the queue for whatever reasons, this is one of the things I like best about it. I never tire of seeing a load of people that enthused and motivated, the attention it gets from passersby and that extra bit of spark it gives London theatre. Queues. About 2 years ago I saw a very long one in Southwark leading into an anonymous-looking building. It was almost entirely composed of serious glum-looking men. I was curious so asked one what it was for. A slight look of panic crossed his face and he looked away, acting like I wasn't there. So I asked someone else and this bloke looked no less happy at the possibility of having to engage with someone, but mumbled something. I had to say 'pardon?' which prompted a third bloke to mutter "launch of new i-phone." I don't know if that meant it was one of those things where a man in a t-shirt and radio-mic strides up and down gesturing. I've often noticed a long queue leading into a skateboard shop in Soho; Peter Street perhaps? There's been a few times when having stood in a West End dayseat queue I've then gone to get some breakfast and ended up in the Breakfast Club queue. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 21, 2017 23:39:28 GMT
Ah, but then the theatre wouldn't get the benefit of a long and buzzy queue outside their doors in the morning, making people think there's something exciting going on. (I went to a gallery the weekend before last that was clearly keeping a 1-2 hour queue going at all times just to look exciting. I managed to get in by hopping online and getting an 'advance' ticket for that afternoon, having been told they sell out weeks in advance. Once inside it was obvious the building was big enough to absorb to 50 or so people in the queue with no-one even noticing - there was no indication that they were counting people *leaving* the gallery, either. I bet they were just letting x number of people in every y minutes, to keep the queue that long.) Ultimately, whoever's in the queue for whatever reasons, this is one of the things I like best about it. I never tire of seeing a load of people that enthused and motivated, the attention it gets from passersby and that extra bit of spark it gives London theatre.Queues. About 2 years ago I saw a very long one in Southwark leading into an anonymous-looking building. It was almost entirely composed of serious glum-looking men. I was curious so asked one what it was for. A slight look of panic crossed his face and he looked away, acting like I wasn't there. So I asked someone else and this bloke looked no less happy at the possibility of having to engage with someone, but mumbled something. I had to say 'pardon?' which prompted a third bloke to mutter "launch of new i-phone." I don't know if that meant it was one of those things where a man in a t-shirt and radio-mic strides up and down gesturing. I've often noticed a long queue leading into a skateboard shop in Soho; Peter Street perhaps? There's been a few times when having stood in a West End dayseat queue I've then gone to get some breakfast and ended up in the Breakfast Club queue. You jest, surely? 99.9999999% of the passing public are more concerned with getting their skinny lattes than wondering about a small bunch of glum looking saddos queuing outside a box office at 8 o'clock in the morning. |
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Post by Backdrifter on Jul 21, 2017 23:41:48 GMT
I didn't claim it was a big spark.
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Post by showgirl on Jul 22, 2017 4:28:39 GMT
Just ban it and put the seats on sale, on line, on the morning of the performance. That way everyone who can get to the perf has a chance to buy a ticket instead of the privileged few who can get to the theatre in the morning. This might be fairer, up to a point, but what about those without internet access? And it still wouldn't stop some people outsourcing the booking work to others. I do see your point about being unable to dayseat for performances you have to travel a long distance to but I certainly don't regard it as a privilege; quite the opposite, hence I rarely resort to it. I also take Kathryn's point about the theatre wanting the publicity created by the queue; it's the same with Todaytix which doubtless wants as many people as possible to enter its blasted lotteries, though the vast majority will be disappointed. I honestly don't know what the answer is; maybe having a range of options to book on the day would be best, so no-one is disenfranchised for reasons of cost, distance, etc. But how many theatres would want a system that complicated? |
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 22, 2017 23:27:35 GMT
Just ban it and put the seats on sale, on line, on the morning of the performance. That way everyone who can get to the perf has a chance to buy a ticket instead of the privileged few who can get to the theatre in the morning. The Royal Opera House did that a year or two ago, though it's Friday afternoons rather than morning of. Since then I have had no luck in getting any day seats! They sell out pretty much instantly. At least with the physical queuing method if you're desparate enough to turn up at the crack of dawn then you're guaranteed a ticket. And I don't live in London so it's not as if day seating is easy for me, 5.25am train to arrive 7am, so I only do it rarely when I am desparate to see something otherwise sold out. |
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