5,058 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Jan 31, 2016 20:05:27 GMT
Just read Confessions of a Box Office Manager on What's On Stage (Boo, hiss, Rottem Tomatos) anyway it is obvious this week it is a member of staff at the Cambridge and this time someone was at the right show, but the wrong city they booked the show from their home in North Carolina for Matilda except they booked for the Shubert Theatre, New York instead of the Cambridge Theatre, London.
Odd mistake to make really and cannot see any of us doing this, but what mistakes have you made in going to the theatre, which cost you.
For me;
i drove over a nail coming home from Joseph on the way back from Bromley, so needed to buy a new tyre.
got myself a ticket in post for driving in a bus lane in Archway after going to theatre in Highgate recently.
Ordered a Cuppacino before the train come in a couple of years back, the train did come in, the coffee didn't, the train closed it's doors in record time, so didn't make it to Candide, well I did but not on time, they don't let late comers come in.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2016 20:27:22 GMT
I laughed long and loud at a hilarious performance by an actor I liked and had come especially to see. I was peeved that no one else was laughing, so I laughed even longer and louder. After a few minutes, it became apparent to me that the character wasn't meant to be funny.
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2,339 posts
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Jan 31, 2016 20:33:51 GMT
Biggest mistake so far was booking all the tickets to the first year of Michael Grandage season. Some shockers to date.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2016 20:35:48 GMT
I don't think I've ever made a mistake that cost me anything. I did once travel some considerable distance to see a show, went to the box office to collect my ticket, and then found out they'd posted it to me. I didn't lose out because they were able to reprint it for me when I said I'd never received it, but I did feel a bit of an idiot when I got home and found the ticket sitting right where it was supposed to be, in my stack of advance-booked tickets.
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617 posts
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Post by loureviews on Jan 31, 2016 20:40:39 GMT
I laughed long and loud at a hilarious performance by an actor I liked and had come especially to see. I was peeved that no one else was laughing, so I laughed even longer and louder. After a few minutes, it became apparent to me that the character wasn't meant to be funny. It wasn't Albert Finney at Manchester in Reflected Glory, was it?! |
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2,041 posts
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Post by 49thand8th on Feb 1, 2016 4:07:39 GMT
Just read Confessions of a Box Office Manager on What's On Stage (Boo, hiss, Rottem Tomatos) anyway it is obvious this week it is a member of staff at the Cambridge and this time someone was at the right show, but the wrong city they booked the show from their home in North Carolina for Matilda except they booked for the Shubert Theatre, New York instead of the Cambridge Theatre, London. Odd mistake to make really and cannot see any of us doing this, but what mistakes have you made in going to the theatre, which cost you. This apparently did happen quite a few times when Spelling Bee first had a sit-down in San Francisco and about halfway through the run, another company opened in Chicago. People were showing up in SF with Chicago tickets and vice versa. I've never done anything quite like this, but once I booked tickets for my roommate and I to see a regional production of (coincidentally) Spelling Bee on a Sunday when it was supposed to be Saturday, and realized this about an hour before the show on Saturday. Luckily, my roommate and I knew two cast members, who straightened it out for us. The theatre wasn't sold out, so we were still able to see the show that Saturday instead. So embarrassing, though! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2016 11:10:55 GMT
I once arrived at a local theatre to see a touring production of Avenue Q, had a drink, got into the auditorium, made my way to our seats.....Some people sat in them. cut to about 5 minutes of us all arguing whilst someone goes to get an usher...I look at the tickets......Oh good god i wanted the ground to open up and swallow me....It was a tuesday evening and the tickets were for a saturday mattinee!!! Luckily the theatre let us stay for the performance Another time at Rocky Horror in birmingham, my car park ticket had blown off of my dashboard resulting in a £60 fine. And as it was a car park where you didn't put your vehicle reg or anything in, i couldn't get out of it  |
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Post by jaqs on Feb 1, 2016 11:38:14 GMT
I went to the Menier a day early for candide, fortunately not a day late. At least it was only over the road from work.
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50 posts
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Post by kjb on Feb 1, 2016 11:54:46 GMT
Not me personally, but I was sat a few rows behind a slight altercation when some seats were double booked. The woman who was sat in the seats first kept saying "My ticket says E15. I am sat in E15. You must have make a mistake" to the other person. An usher came over and politely asked to see her ticket. The woman initially refused, but eventually showed it to her. The usher calmly said "No madam, you paid £15 for your ticket. Your seat is M18" . I snorted with laughter.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2016 12:12:51 GMT
Ooh, I've done similar. I knew which level and row I'd booked so I took a glance at my ticket and went merrily on my way. Then the person who was meant to be in my seat arrived, I looked at the ticket properly, and saw I had looked at the price of the ticket rather than the seat number. I don't think it counts as a proper mistake though, as I got the right date, level, and row, plus I actually took a proper look at my ticket once challenged rather than insisting I couldn't possibly have made a mistake, so it wasn't even a storm in a teacup in the end.
I have seen people at a Daniel Kitson show in the National Theatre assuming that it would be general admission, as is often the way with comedy, but once it was pointed out that they had assigned seat numbers on their tickets, they moved very promptly and graciously. If only people at the cinema could be so polite.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2016 12:48:00 GMT
Not me personally, but I was sat a few rows behind a slight altercation when some seats were double booked. The woman who was sat in the seats first kept saying "My ticket says E15. I am sat in E15. You must have make a mistake" to the other person. An usher came over and politely asked to see her ticket. The woman initially refused, but eventually showed it to her. The usher calmly said "No madam, you paid £15 for your ticket. Your seat is M18" . I snorted with laughter. Why on earth would you refuse to show your ticket to the usher in this situation?? |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2016 14:18:20 GMT
I saw Ronan Keating in 'Once'. It cost me my hearing from sticking hot knitting needles into my ears. Does that count?
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7,183 posts
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Post by Jon on Feb 1, 2016 14:31:00 GMT
I get wrong date and time but wrong city or country?! I thought people getting their theatres confused was bad.
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471 posts
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Post by mistressjojo on Feb 2, 2016 4:52:20 GMT
I once organised a group of friends to see a local comedian. I knew it would be popular & sell quickly, so a week before I offered to get the tickets for everyone as soon as they went on sale.
So right on the stroke of 9am I was on the site grabbing up 10 great tickets, congratulating myself on how well I'd done.
Then realising I'd forgotten to include a ticket for myself.
Luckily once I rang the venue and explained, they were able to get me a seat, albeit in the row behind my friends (after they had stopped laughing that is)
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97 posts
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Post by aksis on Feb 2, 2016 7:23:25 GMT
I always feel sorry for those people that happily sit on their stalls row 7 seats only to find out they are supposed to be in the circle. Always imagine them just finishing the conversation how great the seats are for the price they paid when I show up with my ticket.
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26 posts
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Post by Adara on Feb 3, 2016 8:44:34 GMT
I got the year wrong once.
Was buying advance (way advance) tickets for Phantom of the Opera when it opened on Broadway. They had a long enough booking period that you COULD get the year wrong, and when I ordered my tickets over the phone, I failed to specify.
The rep confirmed the tickets before I hung up, and I duly wrote down the year she said. About a half hour later, I realized the mistake. Rang up customer service immediately and discovered that, yes, "non-refundable, non-exchangeable" tickets ARE changeable if your story sufficiently cracks up the person on the other end.
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Post by Mr Wallacio on Feb 7, 2016 12:54:16 GMT
The only time theatre has cost me was when I inadvertently got excited about a show and double booked myself when I already had tickets to something else. One was Gypsy in Chichester with Imelda, the other was an amateur production of Sister Act. Can you guess which tickets I ditched?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2016 14:22:31 GMT
The only time theatre has cost me was when I inadvertently got excited about a show and double booked myself when I already had tickets to something else. I've done that, but it was quite deliberate. I had a ticket to see something in London on a Saturday but then I went to see Babes In Arms in Cardiff two days before and loved it so much I decided to return to see the final performance on the Saturday and to hell with the ticket I already had. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2016 14:58:45 GMT
Last year I bought tickets for the Judas Kiss after deliberating between two dates. Managed to buy for one date and write the other date on the calendar, then totally ignore the date on the actual tickets.
Showed tickets at theatre and settled down in our nice stalls seats ready to enjoy the play when two very nice polite ladies apologetically told us we were sitting in their seats. Only on seeing their tickets did the penny drop that we were a week late. Cue many apologies and a retreat from the stalls. Luckily we were early so nobody else was disturbed.
I went to the box office to see if I could buy a couple of cheaper seats but the assistant noticed we had just come out of the theatre. With much embarrassment I told him about being a week late and was just trying to buy some more tickets, but he was very kind and found two comparable value tickets in the dress circle which he let us have for free.
I can guarantee that this will never happen again - every ticket is scrutinised like my life depends on it now!
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185 posts
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Post by boybooshka on Feb 8, 2016 10:12:40 GMT
Personally the only mistake like that I can remember making is going to palace theatre in Manchester instead of the Opera house to watch Beauty and the Beast, only discovering the mistake when they couldn't find my tickets in the collects.
As a House manager at a music venue I do however have to deal with mistakes like these all the time. Wrong day, wrong show, wrong time, wrong seat etc etc. I recently struggled to find seating information on the ticket of a latecomer I was dealing with, searching and searching to the cusp of thinking I was going mad, I then looked at the artists name and venue and realised they where in the wrong venue, lol. I've also had people complain that we were selling the wrong programmes, the truth being they were actually at the wrong show.
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26 posts
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Post by Adara on Feb 8, 2016 19:22:54 GMT
Fun Home plays at the Circle in the Square theatre, which is kind of inside the Gershwin, where Wicked is playing.
When buying a ticket at the Fun Home box office -- which is in an area covered in Fun Home posters and Fun Home signs and Fun Home merchandise -- I was reminded by the box office that this was a ticket for Fun Home and asked if this was really the show I intended to see.
I assume this was because too many people thought they were buying Wicked tickets.
(During the show, I idly wondered how far into the show these idiots got before they realized they weren't watching Wicked.)
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2016 16:51:57 GMT
Does anybody know who this box office manager is?? I love the blogs they do every month for WOS, would love to see it be done every 2 weeks!
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163 posts
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Post by Scots UK Theatre on May 17, 2016 19:22:35 GMT
I was wondering is it the same box office manager every week. A couple of the stories have been about big show's and others about a show that's dying a death. Seems like different theatres to me.
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7,183 posts
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Post by Jon on May 17, 2016 19:26:57 GMT
I was wondering is it the same box office manager every week. A couple of the stories have been about big show's and others about a show that's dying a death. Seems like different theatres to me. It wouldn't be surprise me if it was different people under the guise of one box office manager but saying that it could be someone who worked at the Wyndham's because they have a big hit in American Buffalo but a massive flop with The Mentalists last year so it's plausible. |
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163 posts
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Post by Scots UK Theatre on May 17, 2016 19:47:27 GMT
Yeah. The one about the show currently in New York & London doesn't tie up though with the stories of shows struggling. I think it's deffo more than one.
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