billboyd Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 ROH - Front of House and Box Office staff - ***** Five stars! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Instead of asking people not to take photographs and to turn mobile phones and other electronic devices off perhaps the ROH should say that not only is photography dangerous for the dancers and very annoying to other audience members but that anyone infringing this prohibition will have their phone or other device confiscated and will only have it returned on payment of a fee of £50. While I have seen ROH staff take action over mobile phones and photography it is very hit and miss. It seems to depend on how accessible the offender is;the amount of disruption likely to be caused to other audience members by intervening and which members of staff have been allocated to a particular part of the house for that performance. Some members of staff are more interventionist than others. Although I find these intrusions as annoying as anyone else I find audience members who talk during the performance when music is being played but there is little or no movement on stage equally awful. The worst offenders are people who talk during music such as the dawn chorus section of Daphnis and Chloe when the front cloth is down or the prologue of ENB's Swan Lake.It really has come to something when you have to contemplate the possibility that in the future a company may have to make an announcement similar to that made before MacMillan's Requiem is performed but requesting silence during the performance rather than asking that applause should be confined to the end of the performance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Instead of asking people not to take photographs and to turn mobile phones and other electronic devices off perhaps the ROH should say that not only is photography dangerous for the dancers and very annoying to other audience members but that anyone infringing this prohibition will have their phone or other device confiscated and will only have it returned on payment of a fee of £50. Nice idea, although I suspect there are probably some legal considerations which would prevent it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danyajeffrey Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Have to confess I haven't read through the whole of this thread, so apologies if this has been discussed earlier... Whilst I don't like being disturbed by other audience members during a performance, I do think the audience should be allowed to make a lot of noise during the applause at the end if they like. If the performance has been particularly good I do like a good old cheer along with some enthusiatic clapping. At the ROH I have often been tutted and frowned at for this. Perhaps it's because I got my Bravos and Bravas mixed up with my Bravis, but I do think people should be allowed to express their appreciation loudly at the end if they want. I really don't see how this can be annoying. The performance has finished after all. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunrise Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 (edited) ROH - Front of House and Box Office staff - ***** Five stars! Uh, well I wouldn't necessarily give five myself. The ushers are lovely but I've been afforded somewhat snooty treatment by a few of the managers on occasion, so much that I went out of my way to avoid them when I wanted to speak to someone. Edited October 28, 2014 by Sunrise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunrise Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Instead of asking people not to take photographs and to turn mobile phones and other electronic devices off perhaps the ROH should say that not only is photography dangerous for the dancers and very annoying to other audience members but that anyone infringing this prohibition will have their phone or other device confiscated and will only have it returned on payment of a fee of £50. I'm not sure about the fine, but saying something about the safety of the artists is a good idea, and there may be additional peer pressure from the people surrounding any would-be photographers if they knew there was a risk of injury involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Have to confess I haven't read through the whole of this thread, so apologies if this has been discussed earlier... Whilst I don't like being disturbed by other audience members during a performance, I do think the audience should be allowed to make a lot of noise during the applause at the end if they like. If the performance has been particularly good I do like a good old cheer along with some enthusiatic clapping. At the ROH I have often been tutted and frowned at for this. Perhaps it's because I got my Bravos and Bravas mixed up with my Bravis, but I do think people should be allowed to express their appreciation loudly at the end if they want. I really don't see how this can be annoying. The performance has finished after all. BRAVO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Bravo etc is fine by me at the end of a performance. It's the canine impersonators that get me.Can someone tell me when yelping like a dog became a mark of approval.? It appears to be a means of showing approval increasingly favoured by young Americans. Talking through the overture just because the curtains are closed or during the performance when the front cloth is down is a capital offence in my books.The people who deserve the most excruciating punishment are those who yak through the dawn section of the score of Daphnis and Chloe because there is no one on stage and all you have is the light changing as dawn breaks. I have no idea what they think the chorus is doing in the pit at that point ..The only chance that you have to hear this score in its entirety,apart from a Proms performance,is in the context of a performance of Ashton's ballet. The chorus makes it far too expensive to perform in the concert hall so all most people are likely to have heard is the suite..I want to listen to the music which as far as I am concerned is all part of enjoying the ballet whether or not there is anyone on the stage. I wonder if the management will eventually be reduced to requesting the audience to remain silent until the end of the performance much as they do when they ask the audience to refrain from applause until the end of some of MacMillan's ballet? I don't like ballets, particularly a piece like Serenade,being broken into sections on the basis that whenever a dancer stops moving the audience must applaud... So I I find amusing when the audience is palpably bewildered by a dancer dancing through rather than coming out of character to acknowledge applause. Two current examples of this phenomena are Month in the Country and the brothel scene in Manon. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Floss, you obviously go to the wrong concerts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 I experienced some slightly odd audience behaviour last night. When I arrived, I went to my seat about 15 minutes before curtain up. When I got to my row, it was already nearly full so people had to stand to let me in. During the first interval, I got up and went out to stretch my legs. I returned a good 10 minutes before the performance was about to start. As before, my row was already full, and the people in the aisle seemed to be making a huge palaver about standing up, as if I was being a real nuisance. The same thing happened during the second interval. When I returned, well before the 10 minute bell, the people in the aisle seats glared at me with open hostility. As I started to move along, the woman on the end said loudly, "Last one back AGAIN." To which one of her companions replied, "Terrible, isn't it?" There were other mutterings about how typical it was that people in the middle were "always late back." Two people refused point blank to stand up, and seemed determined to take up as much room as possible as I carefully edged my way past them. To those people I would like to say that during the intervals I do not want to spend the time staring at the fire curtain for half an hour. I am perfectly entitled to get leave the auditorium to get a drink, something to eat, explore the rest of the Opera House, or use the loo. And if I am back in plenty of time, you have no right whatsoever to complain. And think yourself very lucky that I didn't give in to the childish temptation to tread heavily on your feet as I went past. 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 And if I am back in plenty of time, you have no right whatsoever to complain. They have no right to complain provided you are back before the house lights are dimmed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 12, 2014 Author Share Posted November 12, 2014 Many years ago, a friend and I had independently booked to see something in Nottingham. There is no central aisle and she was in the middle of the row. We met in the first interval and she said that the people in her row had not been happy with her leaving the row but we arranged to meet again in the second interval. I was a bit concerned when she did not turn up but assumed she was stuck in a queue for the ladies. When she appeared at the end of the performance she was in a terrible state and thought she was having a heart attack. The theatre staff rang for an ambulance. Fortunately it turned out to be a bad panic attack caused by the fact that the people on her row made it impossible for her to get out in the second interval. Absolutely disgraceful. I wish you had succumbed to temptation Fonty! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 That is absolutely shocking, Janet. What a dreadful thing to happen. What on earth was the matter with those people? It never occurred to me at the time, but when I told Mr Font he remarked that it probably would not have happened if he had been with me. I wonder if this is true? I hope not, but you never know. I do go to the theatre a lot with someone who has a bad leg, and tries to get the aisle seat if he can. Because it is a bit of a struggle for him to get up and down, during the intervals he always stands to let people out, and then remains standing until everyone has come back. As he says, no point in sitting when there are empty seats in the row. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 Fonty, it is probably the same little gaggle of "ladies" that were at the end of my row a couple of weeks ago. I also got the" last one in " comment as I went to my seat. In response I smiled as sweetly as I could and said "someone has to be the last one".At the interval they made it clear that they did not want to move to let me out. I got up. I excused myself and said that I had people to meet and that I did not want to tread on their toes and then I left the row.Surprisingly two of them moved the third was reluctant to move. I may have trodden on her toes as I went out but I tried very hard not to do so. I do not think that I could have done anything more. I did not get any comments when I returned to my seat and they made some effort to move. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 The kind of attitude experienced by Fonty is, alas all too common at the ROH. It is understandable that some people find it difficult to stand up but the attitude problem is inexcusable. The only justifiable causes for complaint are against those who walk right through a row because they simply want to reach the other side and those, as mentioned above, who disturb everyone just as the curtain is going up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coated Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 I'm extremely impressed that you resisted standing on their toes, Fonty. It's ridiculous behaviour from those ladies. When that happens to me next (I suspect a lot of us have been there) I'll try out FLOSS's approach. Sounds like a good solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambros1a Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 I went to see the San Francisco ballet in Paris this summer (Théâtre du Châtelet). It seemed to be the custom not to stand up to let you in to your seat. They didn't seem to mind you climbing over them!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm365 Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 I agree with the comment by capybara about those who march through an occupied row to reach a seat on the other side of the ROH amphi - I sometimes think no one bothers to read their tickets, which clearly state whether one enters stage right or left for certain numbers, or to check which way the numbers run. And those who do make a mistake never seem to think of going out and across via the foyer to the correct entry. However, I also think that the ushers sometimes don't help - do they actually check the numbers on the ticket and advise newbies where their seats are, not just where the rows are. But I can't see any point in being cross about people who want to leave their seats in the interval - there are many reasons why people might need to get out for a few minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Some people have particular health problems so may HAVE to go to the loo in the interval etc! I like having an end of the row seat partly because if need be you get that little bit of extra leg room but also because it's much easier to get up,out of the way when people want to leave their seats. Also these days I always go to the main cloakroom so my coat and any extra baggage is safely stored away. I think sometimes in the winter if you've got all your paraphernalia around you it does get awkward to have to keep standing up but I think you do have to just smile and bear it when you're feeling in a less empathetic mood than usual!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane S Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 I don't think 'need' has anything to do with it - it is perfectly normal and accepted that many (most?) people leave their seats in the interval and if others don't like standing up to let you through, it's their problem not yours. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 I see part of the problem as one of theatre design. A center aisle is a good idea. And more space between rows is another. Good sight lines yet another. After a long history - thousands of years - of theatre design we still can't seem to get it right. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 So agree with all this re the ROH amphi. But I have just treated myself to a v posh seat in the grand tier no less ( a special occasion for me.) To my personal amusement the bad behaviour was just the same - only....somehow more so. The woman jangling throughout the performance was jangling the chain of her chanel handbag....people were unwrapping sweets and talking during the musical opening of a piece etc as per usual. To my astonishment, a woman behind me took her shoes off (fair enough in itself)- and put her stockinged feet up on the seat back in front of her! I turned round to get a faceful of foot! I also notice that the people in these seats clap a LOT less than the amphi people. Back to the amphi for me... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 I couldn't agree more. On a recent visit to the ROH while attempting to be seated in the stalls circle, when I arrived at the area where my seat was, I found a couple of ladies already seated there, so I said 'excuse me ' which was ignored altogether. I repeated it and again, and was ignored.again even though it was very obvious they knew they heard me. So on my third attempt I blatantly said 'can I sit down please ?,' to which the older women with her back to me slightly turned so I could squeeze past. Luckily I am very slim, otherwise I think at that stage I may have not been able to sit down without an usherette intervening, How ridiculous is that ? Throughout the performance the lady next me, who was with the lady who ignored my very polite request, then made a really big point of turning her back to me, unless watching the ballet, to make the point that I was not welcome. These women were very much into their middle ages, and frankly I was bemused by the attitude problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 (edited) I wonder what these people expect you to do. If you're still standing there when the curtain goes up, the people in the rows behind you are going to get upset and the obstructers will eventually have to let you get to your seat. So why don't they just do it when you arrive and save themselves the trouble of being told by management to let you past. Then again, one thing that does annoy me is when someone in the middle of the row arrives, puts her coat down on her seat, leaves to go to the loo, arrives again, leaves to go and get a drink or a programme, arrives again, leaves because she's seen a friend in another row and wants to go and chat, arrives again, and carries on the pattern during both intervals. Edited November 13, 2014 by Melody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 I agree with the comment by capybara about those who march through an occupied row to reach a seat on the other side of the ROH amphi - I sometimes think no one bothers to read their tickets, which clearly state whether one enters stage right or left for certain numbers, or to check which way the numbers run. And those who do make a mistake never seem to think of going out and across via the foyer to the correct entry. However, I also think that the ushers sometimes don't help - do they actually check the numbers on the ticket and advise newbies where their seats are, not just where the rows are. But I can't see any point in being cross about people who want to leave their seats in the interval - there are many reasons why people might need to get out for a few minutes. This reminded me of when the Lowry first opened. The door numbers are shown on the tickets but initially the system had been set up incorrectly and the door numbers were the wrong side for the seats. The ushers were insisting that you went in the door shown on the ticket which caused serious issues, especially as there is no centre aisle. Fortunately this was eventually resolved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 I see part of the problem as one of theatre design. A center aisle is a good idea. And more space between rows is another. Good sight lines yet another. After a long history - thousands of years - of theatre design we still can't seem to get it right. Newer theatres in this country are built without a central aisle and older theatres being refurbished are having them removed. Many years ago in Bradford there was a fortunately false alarm and we were evacuated while it was checked out. I was talking to the duty manager and said I thought the theatre would have emptied faster if there had been a central aisle but he said that it was felt that caused too much confusion as people wondered which was the quickest way out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 This is why I hate the Barbican Theatre - no central aisle, although admittedly there is at least enough room to get by (in the stalls at least) without people having to stand up. And the New Victoria Theatre in Woking is pretty bad on that score now - and I usually have to make a quick exit to catch a train. But that's why I've taken to sitting at the sides in Sadler's Wells: invariably when I used to sit in the middle, everyone else would just stay in their seats during the interval and I'd have to make my way past them. At the ROH, when I do the opposite and sit in the cheap seats by the wall in the Amphi, I reckon there's about a 50% that most of my row will decide to stay put during the interval and I'll have to push past them. There have even been times when I've returned to my seat immediately the 10-minute bell has sounded and found the entire row already seated. Sorry, but if you do that you must expect me to need to get past you. But really, the behaviour described above is rather beyond the pale. I understand that some people aren't very mobile (I have problems in that area too) and find it difficult to stand up or manage the steps, so may need to stay in their seats, but surely if you do that you should accept with good grace that other people do wish to leave the auditorium during the interval. After all, do most people want to be stuck in a seat for 3 hours solid? It's not as if you're in a train where you need to be a mindreader to know that the person next to you in the window seat is getting out at the next station. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 I've rarely had a problem with people being difficult about letting others past to go to and from their seats but this evening at the ROH there was a woman who made a fuss each time I and the woman sitting next to me left and returned to our seats. She complained about us stepping on her toes and brushing against her despite our best efforts to be considerate. Earlier this week, there was a group which also took exception to people going to and from their seats. I appreciate that some people are not very mobile and, as we've discussed before on another thread, some people have physical disabilities which may not be obvious but I suspect that in most cases there is no good reason for people being reluctant to move; the people concerned have taken up residence in their seats for the evening and feel that they should not have to move for anyone. It's a shame that some people don't seem to be aware of or want to observe common courtesies in public spaces - and these people are not young, in my experience. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyn Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 Newer theatres in this country are built without a central aisle and older theatres being refurbished are having them removed. Many years ago in Bradford there was a fortunately false alarm and we were evacuated while it was checked out. I was talking to the duty manager and said I thought the theatre would have emptied faster if there had been a central aisle but he said that it was felt that caused too much confusion as people wondered which was the quickest way out. I always thought thhe Palais Garnier design was pretty neat, with fold out seats for the centre aisle! Those in the centre are the last to be seated in the theatre and they get in from front row to back, folding out the seats that are hinged on the edge of the centre aisle. How optimized. (Sorry.. That's quite terribly described for anyone who hasn't seen them!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 Thanks Melody, absolutely especially as I was early, and at the right end of the row, but there's no accounting for some people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 It's a shame that some people don't seem to be aware of or want to observe common courtesies in public spaces - and these people are not young, in my experience. We had a similar experience a while ago. We arrived at the theatre early, dd and I had to squeeze past two very well-dressed ladies of mature years to get to our seats (which happened to be right next to them) and they were most aggrieved. We had to say excuse me twice before they deigned to move. They weren't at all pleased about having their conversation interrupted. We were then treated to a long and loud discourse about this ballerina and that, who was better in the role, the numerous performances they'd seen etc etc. I think they were trying to impress us plebs with their vast knowledge... Anyhow, before the performance started, dd was reading the programme and mentioned to me that she knew a couple of the dancers, and chatted to them on Facebook. She then noticed the name of one of the choreographers - she'd danced in one of his pieces - and we were then chatting about the recent workshop she'd attended at the ROH, and her forthcoming masterclass with a world-famous ballerina. At this point I realised that the ladies had stopped their loud talking, and were listening intently to her, whilst at the same time trying to pretend they weren't eavesdropping. When the interval came, dd decided to go and buy an ice cream. She stood up, every inch a dancer, and these two ladies jumped to their feet at high speed to let her pass. They'd obviously decided that she was worthy of their courtesy after all! 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 something that made me smirk - then actually get a bit annoyed. I like standing (especially in the Stalls Circle) because a) can't really afford anyway else and b ) the great view you get, especially for the money. However, I'm sure there are some that buy the cheap standing place with the express aim of sitting in any available empty seat (so saving a good few bob or three). The other night, one of these 'ladies' (and one that looked lot wealthier than me, that's for sure) skated along the back of the SCS area, and with barely a few mins to go before curtain up, plonked herself into the middle of row C. It was so obviously NOT her seat! Sometimes she'd get away with it, but not that night - as the actual ticket holders turned up and very graciously under the circumstances, turfed her out. Well, the glares she was giving them, when forced back to her proper spot! (and a spot a lot of people would dearly love!). I couldn't help but smile/smirk in satisfaction. She obviously found somewhere else later on, and wasn't there for the 2nd/3rd pieces. If you're reading this madam - I think your behaviour contemptible. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Like you, Mary, I treated myself recently to a seat in the Grand Tier for the Ashton programme! You can imagine my reaction when a lady, who was sitting next but one to me at the end of the row, talked to her companion during the triple bill at various points and draped herself over him at times for closer interaction - perhaps she felt that appropriate in the back row! At one point she dropped an object which clattered to the floor - needless to say during a quiet section of the music. She staggered out noisily before the end of the second interval; she was very drunk. The usher apologised and said that he was not going to let her back in after the interval. I passed a comment about how shocked I was and had never seen such behaviour before in ROH. It was clear from his reaction that it was not the first time he had been obliged to deal with someone in that state!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts