Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Completely understand invited dress being banned from talking about it but impossible to enforce once paying audiences start seeing it. The best they can hope for is something along the line of the mousetrap where audiences keep some of the bigger spoilers secret. Also with the script being published, by the end of the summer then bigger story will be pretty common knowledge

They are understandably being vigilant about cameras/phones as they don't want any videos/pictures being leaked or any spoilers .. And that's as it should be. Audiences have no respect today so I'm glad they are clamping down on the use of phones etc in there.

But security checks won't stop that unless they take people's phones away. It also won't stop people talking.

Considering how many people will be tourists there is high possibility people will have cameras on them, and again unless they confiscate them I'm not sure how the checks will help. If anything they need more staff in the auditorium to keep an eye on audience during the show

If there's a strong security presence checking bags (they'll be checking for professional recording equipment and cameras I expect, remember the photographs from Equus being published in newspapers?), then people will be less inclined to risk breaking the rules by whipping out their phone at a key moment. Plus in this situation, the fuss really is ALL ABOUT the show itself and not the cast at least, so the audience is going to be full of people who want to watch nothing more than to experience this story for themselves, rather than get excited about being in the same place as a famous person. Much more likely to be keen watchers, much less likely to be there for just the one person and disruptive about it.

Also, the script is being published at the end of July - the day after press night in fact - so it sounds like they're making a thoroughly solid effort to ensure that the preview period at least remains spoiler-free. I'm going in early July, be interesting to see how it all works out and if I do get to walk into the theatre unspoiled in four weeks time.

That reminds me of when I went along to one of the technical (read: dress) rehearsals for the London 2012 Opening Ceremony - there the video walls were plastered with "#SaveTheSurprise" and things did stay remarkably silent. Considering that was with two audiences of around 70k, I doubt they'll have problems keeping this quiet until the first public preview begins.

This isn't a photo I took but a quick google rendered this: 

At 17:00 today they released 8 of the Friday Forty seats for the 11th & 14th... at Band A pricing. Not sure if that many were already returned or there was a glitch? I have noticed that tickets will remain in your basket untimed, until you remove them.

The only time I've regreted working on a show was getting a call at half 5 on the night of the second dress and told I could have a ticket if I wanted. Sadly I was already at work and couldn't go. Wasn't that bothered till I watched the ceremony on the TV, I so wish I had been able to take them up on the offer.

Yeah I can imagine - I saw the second dress, the two days between then and the proper opening ceremony were very strange. Knowing how good it all looked but not being able to tell, etc. I was very tempted to pay for some of the remaining £2012 tickets on the day itself. Part of me still kinda regrets not doing that!

That still stands out for me as the greatest sequence of the whole games, it was so beautifully put together. I'm very jealous, I bet it was interesting to put together.

Was in the Opening Ceremony audience and it was amazing. Especially remember the industrial revolution and Dizzee Rascal and Tim Berners Lee and the Arctic Monkeys and Doreen Lawrence and Shami Chakrabarti and Kenneth Branagh and Bond and HM Queen. And the bullet train (by UK standards) from Kings Cross (?) to Stratford.

For the opening ceremony, or for the Cursed Child? It's a little late for the former, and I think people who don't want to be spoiled would probably stay out of this thread once performances begin, plus I have faith in early audience members at least being good at secrets (though less faith in us lot being proficient at spoiler tags). So I'd vote "not really necessary", though won't kick up a stink if I'm outvoted.