Bad Behaviour at a Show

There is a certain irony in someone filming a live performance complaining about theatre etiquette.

I stage doored a lot in my past but as I've not been back to see a show since the Pandemic began I've not done it since. I've heard that some theatres have a sign up saying performers won't be signing/doing selfies or it may be an order from the show's producers not to stop due to the Pandemic.

Some companies may leave it up to the actors choice as I saw a video of Donnie Osmond greeting his fans outside the Palladium during his panto run but I know others who weren't stopping at all.

Bizarely last week I heard about a performer who said he couldn't sign autographs due to the protocols but then stopped to have unmaxed selfies with his arms around people. This person has over the years been very much a stop and do a quick signing rather than messing with selfies guy so he has changed his behaviour somewhat unless Producers had told him not to sign but not mentioned selfies.

I've been spotting a few photos taken from the audience of Prima Facie, whilst the show is happening, on Twitter. They didn't look like photos taken on the sly either; they looked like the phone had been held up in order to take the picture, like you see at a concert. The theatre have had to put a notice out to remind people not to film or take photos. Also seeing reports of people leaving before the end in order to be early at stage door.

This is an excellent idea and sounds like a great announcement. Unfortunately you have to kidnap most producers nowadays, tie them to a chair and belt them with a wet mop until they agree to a pre-show announcement.

Hope you enjoyed the show and the SD! Any good?

As with everything in society now, COVID is the best excuse going to not have to do something you don't want to do, and can be applied as and when desired. And no one can really complain, as it's not seen as good form. 

Great excuse for any actor/performer!

My umpteenth Play That Goes Wrong but I had a really nice evening. I haven't seen it for over 2 years because of covid & it's always nice seeing a new cast. Also it was nice just having a few little chats with people I'm slightly acquainted with but haven't met for ages: one of the box office staff beforehand, one of the producers in the interval, the understudy & his family afterwards.

I've said this very same thing about people on public transport since restrictions have lifted. I wasn't able to WFH so still commuted most days & public transport was so chilled during that time & now everyone has flooded back, it's like people have gotten too used to being shut up indoors & have forgotten how to act in public & act like they're sat in their living room! 

Or maybe people always acted that way but I was too desensitised to it all as a jaded commuter!

Nothing wrong with doing that Dawn, it's a personal choice and if you'd seen one of the Producers who said it would be fine then I don't see any issue at all. It would be the Producers who make the decision in effect as they are funding the show and if they request their cast not to stop at SD to sign do selfies then that decision has to be respected. No-one would stop a cast member meeting friends or family which is different from just randoms frm the audience or they meet away from SD to keep it clear. There could be a request from the theatre owners to producers to ask cast not to sign /stop with fans but signs put up saying "No autographs/selfies" I'd expect to only be at producers discrection. 


If no rule is in place then it is up to individual performers some may be okay to do it some may not and this could change across the run. Emma Corrin in week 1 may be more up for meeting fans to say in last week of run or she limits it to a quick once around the barrier and not takes up too much of her time. 

A bit longwinded but an interesting post addressing audience behaviour from an artist's viewpoint
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Last night was the first time I'd been to see a Theatre show since March 2020. I chose a play I hadn't seen before Catch Me If You Can at Alex Theatre Birmingham. Booked a seat a bit away from others wore my mask all the way through. Anyway within the first half of the show I counted phones going off about 3 times including one which must have rung out ten times before it was switched off.

Why can phones not be put on mute, keep them in view so you can see if they are flashing even if you want to.