"We want glasses in theatres" - stars and theatre-goers

When I went to see Strictly Ballroom at Christmas, the half-cut ladies in front of me were using plastic glasses. The problem is, they were filling them from a glass wine bottle.

Ban handbags. Or as a minimum handbags with straps. 

And feet. Trip hazards, every one.

Interested to see at the Donmar yesterday they have started using compostable cornstarch cups (like these - www.drinksware.co.uk/products/55/cornstarch-cups/) instead of plastic glasses.

I personally agree that no one needs anything other than a bottle of water should you be that fussy for 60 minutes at a time (considering most acts are roughly 60 mins for act one)

Unfortunately, the vast majority of the public looooove asking "can we take drinks inside?" and the answer in I think every single theatre is "yes but only in plastic! (fake plastic smile here haha)"

Firstly this is always a foolish question because if you couldn't take a drink in then people might be put off buying one and theatres do not want to loose getting any money behind the bar, so I plead with the public to stop asking ushers such an obvious question?

Environmentally I also wish that so many plastic cups weren't used, some theatres have gone down the route of fancy reusable poly-carb wine glasses akin to picnic ones but much fancier. So much fancier that several audience members treat it as a souvenir and try and take them home...! It's not a theme park! You're not paying extra for the glass!!! People already complain about prices for theatre drinks if you charged for how many poly-carbs theatres lose because people either bin them (despite most people actually leaving the rubbish youre meant to bin!) or taking them home then people would complain even more!

I agree that it would be a change of culture - but a necessary one.

I appreciate that theatres need the revenue from bars and the like - but the primary function of the building should still be the stage works of theatre. And when audience behaviour starts impinging on that activity, it is the behaviour that needs to change.

As we can see from the Bad Behaviour thread and this one, there is clearly an issue that needs addressing.

Yes, it will be a painful transition (particularly for ushers dealing with the disgruntled) but unless we tackle the issues surrounding food, drink, mobiles and talking - the theatre-going experience will continue to decline and people will choose not to put up with the antics of their fellow human beings.

Time for a zero tolerance campaign!!

I was working the bar at a show at the end of last year, and one patron had 4 glasses of red before the start of the first act...

I mean clearly you've met some of my former opera patrons...

In somewhat seriousness, drinking 2 glasses of wine over what 3 hours ish, isn't exactly indicative of a drink problem (or if it is my Saturday nights must indicate a need for a trip to The Priory stat), but the fact people kick off if you tell them not to is perhaps. 

Personally I don't have an issue with people being allowed to take drinks in. 90% of audiences are perfectly capable of quietly sipping a pint while watching a show. And smaller theatres particularly heavily rely on bar takings (As well as ice cream etc) and I wouldn't want to knock that just for the one tosser who can't behave. Because likely their a tosser whose not going to behave regardless. 

He came back for more during the interval