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Post by A.Ham on Oct 17, 2022 7:56:52 GMT
Michael is quite right. There is usually an interval for anyone desperate enough to look at their phone. It drives me mad when all people do is look at their phone in the theatre. It is rude and shows no respect for the audience and performers. And is very distracting for those sat near them. Ditto smart watches that light up every time they move their arm!
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Post by n1david on Oct 17, 2022 9:19:52 GMT
Ditto smart watches that light up every time they move their arm! As a smartwatch wearer this annoys me too. I try to point out at the interval that their watch has a "Theatre Mode" for a reason!
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Post by n1david on Oct 18, 2022 12:24:45 GMT
As a smartwatch wearer this annoys me too. I try to point out at the interval that their watch has a "Theatre Mode" for a reason! Hang on, hang on, whaaaat... is this true for Fitbits? I've been taking mine off for every show!
Ah sorry, I don't know much about Fitbits. Apple Watch/Pixel Watch/Galaxy Watch all have Theatre Mode. But my 30-second look at a the manual for a random Fitbit Watch (the Versa 3 since that came up first in my search) does show that it has a "Screen Wake" setting that lets you set whether the screen comes up when you move your wrist. Which model do you have?
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Post by ShoreditchTom on Oct 18, 2022 12:38:22 GMT
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Post by inthenose on Oct 18, 2022 12:58:32 GMT
I don’t think it happened.
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Post by Matt on Oct 18, 2022 13:39:17 GMT
I don’t think it happened. It looks like it did.
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Post by inthenose on Oct 18, 2022 13:40:12 GMT
I don’t think it happened. It looks like it did. I stand corrected!
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Post by frappuccino on Oct 18, 2022 13:57:25 GMT
I don’t think it happened. Why did you doubt him? Because previously he said he had a stalker? I remember the board didn't really believe him?
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Post by inthenose on Oct 18, 2022 14:16:40 GMT
Performers and social media aren’t always a great mix. When the same names keep cropping up with, frankly, moans about audience behaviour, stage door etiquette, alleged stalkers etc, I do wonder how prone to exaggeration they are.
It is very coincidental that posts of this kind gain multiple times more “likes, comments and shares” than anything else.
By posting this stuff for clout, it isn’t a huge leap to “beefing up” half-truths, or even invention.
When it’s the same handful of people every single time, it does seem odd.
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Post by marob on Oct 18, 2022 14:37:32 GMT
He is in Jersey Boys though, so probably does have quite a lot to moan about.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Oct 18, 2022 16:28:22 GMT
This stuff happens to everyone in theatre, most performers just don’t talk about it publicly.
Talk to performers or even behind the scenes creatives privately, they all have stalker and bad audience member stories.
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Post by inthenose on Oct 18, 2022 16:41:12 GMT
This stuff happens to everyone in theatre, most performers just don’t talk about it publicly. Talk to performers or even behind the scenes creatives privately, they all have stalker and bad audience member stories. I am a stage manager with West End, tour and rep experience and I know how prone to exaggeration and confabulation the turns can be. So I take everything said with a healthy pinch of salt. Especially when it’s the same people over and over again.
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Post by intoanewlife on Oct 18, 2022 19:03:28 GMT
This stuff happens to everyone in theatre, most performers just don’t talk about it publicly. Talk to performers or even behind the scenes creatives privately, they all have stalker and bad audience member stories. Especially when it’s the same people over and over again. Human Magnet Syndrome. Some people will have to put up with it their entire lives, that's why it always happens to the same person more than once and most people will never experience it.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Oct 18, 2022 20:06:31 GMT
Well known actors aren’t most people, though. If you’re in the public eye then you will have stalkers or at least fans who breach boundaries, it’s almost inevitable.
Some of the most horrifying stalking I’ve witnessed as been directed at playwrights or directors, people you’d never think would be “celeb” enough to be stalked by crazy fans.
Of course attitude differs a lot. Some people in theatre tolerate and seem inured to behaviour most people would consider 999 territory, while others freak out if a fan comes to see the show more than twice.
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Post by sfsusan on Oct 18, 2022 23:17:21 GMT
Not bad behavior, but I've never seen so many people unable to find their seats as at 'Upstart Crow' last night at the Apollo Theatre. There is no Row A, but at least four different parties in the first three rows simply assumed the first row was A and plopped down accordingly. Resulting in much confusion when the actual seat holders looked at the Row markings and found someone in their seats.
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Oct 19, 2022 8:03:53 GMT
Not bad behavior, but I've never seen so many people unable to find their seats as at 'Upstart Crow' last night at the Apollo Theatre. There is no Row A, but at least four different parties in the first three rows simply assumed the first row was A and plopped down accordingly. Resulting in much confusion when the actual seat holders looked at the Row markings and found someone in their seats. If there is no row A surely nobody then wants to come and sit in row A? I'm confused
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Oct 19, 2022 8:12:16 GMT
Not bad behavior, but I've never seen so many people unable to find their seats as at 'Upstart Crow' last night at the Apollo Theatre. There is no Row A, but at least four different parties in the first three rows simply assumed the first row was A and plopped down accordingly. Resulting in much confusion when the actual seat holders looked at the Row markings and found someone in their seats. If there is no row A surely nobody then wants to come and sit in row A? I'm confused Been racking my brains for the last four minutes. It's because people who have row B tickets are really in row C as there is no row A. Causing all kinds of confusion. Am I right?
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Post by dollybm on Oct 19, 2022 8:17:14 GMT
I’ve seen this happen before I think it means that people in say row C assume there’s a row A so sit themselves down in the third row from the front so end up sitting down in row D in reality until people with row D tickets turn up.
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Post by talkingheads on Oct 19, 2022 9:08:32 GMT
I’ve seen this happen before I think it means that people in say row C assume there’s a row A so sit themselves down in the third row from the front so end up sitting down in row D in reality until people with row D tickets turn up. It's apparently easily done. I had the classic of somebody sitting in the front row the other day, another party turned up, of course the original people were front row of the circle not the stalls (not a great reflection on ushering these days that it was missed when letting them in!)
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Post by n1david on Oct 19, 2022 9:29:33 GMT
(not a great reflection on ushering these days that it was missed when letting them in!) I'm not sure what ushers are asked to do these days, this week already I've been told to go down the wrong aisle at the Olivier (I was sitting on the central aisle so not a marginal mistake!) and I've seen an argument between two customers when one of them should have been in the circle (which took two ushers to resolve) I realise things are a bit trickier given the diversity of devices and printouts these days, compared to when everyone had a ticket that looked exactly the same so it was obvious where to look; but given that they are also required to police unruly audiences, maybe it's time to upgrade the role (and yes, I know the answer to that!)
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Post by sfsusan on Oct 19, 2022 10:57:16 GMT
If there is no row A surely nobody then wants to come and sit in row A? I'm confused Sorry, yes, I described it incompletely. dollybm explained it better. People who were in Rows B, C, D, etc. simply counted back on the assumption that the first row they saw was A, when it was really B. And when people were trying to explain this to the folks in the wrong seats, they turned to me for confirmation that "this is really Row D?" Yes, my seat is in Row D. (To give credit to the usher, when I arrived she did tell me D was the 3rd row from the front, so she tried to prevent the confusion.) I just realized that it was the usher at the entrance to the stalls that scanned the ticket rather than at the theater entrance. If the machine could be set to signal the scan is for the wrong section, that might help everyone at least be in the correct area.
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Post by inthenose on Oct 19, 2022 11:15:20 GMT
If there is no row A surely nobody then wants to come and sit in row A? I'm confused Sorry, yes, I described it incompletely. dollybm explained it better. People who were in Rows B, C, D, etc. simply counted back on the assumption that the first row they saw was A, when it was really B. And when people were trying to explain this to the folks in the wrong seats, they turned to me for confirmation that "this is really Row D?" Yes, my seat is in Row D. (To give credit to the usher, when I arrived she did tell me D was the 3rd row from the front, so she tried to prevent the confusion.) I just realized that it was the usher at the entrance to the stalls that scanned the ticket rather than at the theater entrance. If the machine could be set to signal the scan is for the wrong section, that might help everyone at least be in the correct area. What surprises me is when people question it incredulously… and when they do finally get up to move it’s all huffy and they’ve been put out.
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Post by lynette on Oct 19, 2022 13:53:40 GMT
In the past have had Row AA as first row. So Row A second.
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Post by longinthetooth on Oct 19, 2022 15:27:30 GMT
What baffles me is when people end up in completely wrong sections of the theatre. Surely they must know when they book their tickets whether they are in the Stalls, Dress Circle or wherever?
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Post by intoanewlife on Oct 19, 2022 17:33:12 GMT
Well known actors aren’t most people, though. If you’re in the public eye then you will have stalkers or at least fans who breach boundaries, it’s almost inevitable. Some of the most horrifying stalking I’ve witnessed as been directed at playwrights or directors, people you’d never think would be “celeb” enough to be stalked by crazy fans. Of course attitude differs a lot. Some people in theatre tolerate and seem inured to behaviour most people would consider 999 territory, while others freak out if a fan comes to see the show more than twice. It is a highly complex subject and not really one to be had in this thread, but overzealous fans displaying odd behaviours and actual dangerous stalkers are 2 completely different things. Far more 'normal' people attract stalkers than famous people do simply because they are easier targets and more accessible. We are all bread and butter for these parasites. But people displaying the bad behaviors you are talking about are more 'Stans' (over the top fans) than stalkers. Though it would not surprise me if a lot of them are on the start of the Cluster B spectrum these days and are more than likely borderlines with very little impulse control. Actual stalkers are far too clever to act in such ways especially in public, as this would draw attention to themselves and endanger their future plans. Fans in general are looking for some kind of connection with the subject of their fandom. A stalker seeks to own, control and when this fails, destroy the 'object' that they have decided is theirs. A fan will have a reason for being a fan of someone ie they're either attracted to them or admire their talent etc. A stalker will spot a victim, assess them to see if they can manipulated into being 'owned' and their only attraction to them is what that person can do for them and the fact they can be controlled. A fan is overt, they want to be noticed by the person they are a fan of, so they will go see them many times, stage door or hang out by their homes. A stalker is covert and is far more likely to study them, enter into their social life and circles and attach themselves that way. They rarely turn to what we know as 'traditional' stalking until AFTER they've had some kind of a relationship with the person or failed in their quest to attach properly through either friendship, social or romantic relationship. Of course a 'regular' fan too can sometimes over do it. They get caught up in the moment and dim their empathy to sometimes get what they want and display some truly worrying and disturbing behavior. But most can/will be snapped out their delusions quick smart by someone telling them what morons they are being. Stalkers usually always have the more serious Cluster B personality disorders (they're a narcissist or anti-social) and have no empathy to begin with and will not stop until the law is brought in or they find a new obsession. Even then they will still always believe that that person was 'theirs' and in their mind always will be. On the flip side, there is a very big difference between a performer who has an actual stalker and a narcissistic chorus kid who thinks everyone is in love with them and is stalking them because they follow them on social media and go to a few too many shows. If someone ever had an actual stalker, I would assume they would be very hypersensitive to fans in general afterwards, which probably tells you why some people freak out over nothing and others are not phased by the oddest of the odd behaviour. Either way though, all serious claims should be investigated as the rate that personality disorders are increasing because of the effects of social media and societal and political tribalisim (from 3-5% of the population in the 80's to around 35% today) I doubt it will be long before this starts to become an even bigger and more obvious challenge for all of us than it already is.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Oct 19, 2022 21:42:24 GMT
I mean, I agree that it’s complex. But such a clean divide between "fan/stan" (who targets celebs and isn't a danger) and "traditional stalker" (who targets regular people, and is) doesn't match my experiences of having worked in theatre for a few decades, or having famous loved ones.
If someone is breaking into your house, hacking your and others' email and social media, harassing your family, breaking into your parents' homes and workplaces, turning up at your kids' schools (all things I've experience of fans doing), does it matter what motivates them or what category of stalker they are? It's really not uncommon for fans to wage years-long stalking campaigns against celebs, and the behavioural pattern of ownership/control/destroy is common among fans who have fantasised a relationship and feel slighted, for example by a celeb getting married.
Between 20-25% of people who report being stalked to police find that their stalkers are strangers. The (non-famous) women I've known who've been stalked, it's been pretty evenly divided between ex-boyfriends and, like, "some guy I smiled at when I handed him his coffee order and he thought that meant I was in love with him." I guess that's what makes it complex. I wonder how big a part erotomania plays.
Now this part I completely agree with!
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Post by sph on Oct 19, 2022 23:40:15 GMT
What baffles me is when people end up in completely wrong sections of the theatre. Surely they must know when they book their tickets whether they are in the Stalls, Dress Circle or wherever? I can honestly tell you from when I used to work in theatres that the general public are often spectacularly, PAINFULLY clueless when they go to the theatre. You can tell them EVERYTHING they need to know: seat, level, bars, toilets, EVERYTHING and they will still go the wrong way and end up in the balcony when they should be in the stalls. Of course then there's the classics: The man desperately looking for his seat and is angry when you can't tell him where it is. He doesn't remember and when asked for his ticket, of course, his wife has them. Then there's those who you find wandering around the bar and when you ask them where they're sitting they confidently tell you "Les Mis". At least they're in the right building, there are those who genuinely try to enter the wrong building for the wrong show, big flashing signs on the side displaying the title be damned! I once gave an old woman directions to her seat. I informed her that she was in row L, a few feet away (I even pointed) and informed her that should she need them, there are toilets and a bar at the back. A few minutes later she comes back FURIOUS ranting and raving about me sending her to the back of the auditorium when her seat was in the middle. There's really no helping some people. And then there's those who arrive at the theatre before the member of their party who has their tickets and cannot for the LIFE of them imagine why they can't just go in without tickets and wait for their party to arrive. We often did what we could accommodating them in the foyer, but then they'd want full access to bars/toilets everything. Oh and yes, there are those who intentionally arrive late to "skip the adverts". Yes. That has happened. I could go on and on and on, but of course the person is always so insistent that it is the staff member's fault.
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Post by longtimelurker on Oct 20, 2022 1:59:15 GMT
What baffles me is when people end up in completely wrong sections of the theatre. Surely they must know when they book their tickets whether they are in the Stalls, Dress Circle or wherever? Never mind the wrong section....one poor lady at 'The Upstart Crow' on Saturday found herself in the wrong theatre. She was supposed to be at the Lyric to see 'Get up, stand up'. Cue a very entertaining discussion with people sitting in 'her' seat and much hilarity when the penny dropped! How does that even happen with all the ticket scanning nowadays?
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Post by Dave B on Oct 20, 2022 8:01:28 GMT
What baffles me is when people end up in completely wrong sections of the theatre. Surely they must know when they book their tickets whether they are in the Stalls, Dress Circle or wherever?
I know it's second nature to many of us but I can assure you there are plenty of people who simply don't know which circle is which. And actually when I say many of us, I still have to check circle sometimes depending on which theatre. Is it Royal then Dress or Dress then Royal and what about Grand and Balcony etc etc?
Then you also have people who book ahead, we often have tickets for 6-9 months ahead. I only recently started putting the specific seats I booked in my spreadsheet as I wasn't keeping track anymore.
After that you have places like Bridge or Barbican which spring to mind, very clear instructions on which door to use to help get people to their seats - those instructions don't always follow through secondary ticketing sites. Our Totoro tickets this week had words to the effect to make sure we use the right door for entry ... guess what wasn't mentioned on the tickets or the accompanying email? Yup, no door details.
Finally, in my case I can think of once where I've sat in the wrong seats in the wrong area. Back when PWC tickets were way more popular at Old Vic (ie pre Covid), we had 'our' seats picked out and they'd normally last long enough in the usual pre-sales that I would be reasonably sure of being able to book them. So we almost went there on autopilot, turns out on that particular occasion I had been early enough to get 'our' seats but in the Dress rather than Bayliss (another name for another circle!) and so we moved down a level.
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Post by alece10 on Oct 20, 2022 11:14:17 GMT
Quite an amusing bad behaviour from last night's production of Marvelous @sohoplace. A middle aged couple sitting in the stalls in the section next to me being very affectionate towards each other. The man constantly whispering into the ear of the woman then some serious groping and kissing going on. You could see people next to them and behind were getting rather annoyed as these people really needed to "get a room". Someone must have said something as during the interval an usher and FOH manager came over and spoke to them. At the start of the 2nd act I noticed that the people who had been sitting next to them had moved. However, the words of advice from FOH staff obviously had no effect as they carried on the same. Towards the end of the play "Real Neil" is talking about looking after exotic birds and looks straight at this couple whilst saying the line "and a couple of love birds". The cast could obviously see what had been going on. Most of the audience wouldn't have picked up on it but those of us who were sitting near knew exactly what he meant and we all looked at each other and had a good giggle. Needless to say the comment went right over the couples head.
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