Blossom Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 What a ridiculous concept that not being allowed to use phones will stop people from going to the theatre. This isn’t about rules per se, it’s about etiquette and common decency to the artists and fellow audience members (hello choir, sorry for preaching). Frankly, why spend upwards of £100 to spend the time on your phone? Noted that Isabella Gasparini shared someone’s covert filming on her Instagram stories today. Having looked at his additional stories, it looks like he was in the stalls and rather close to the ushers so they can’t have been much deterrent (likely to ensure they didn’t disturb anyone else in dealing with it). There’s footage from the Christmas tree growing and snowflakes to Act 2 divertissements. The straw which breaks the camel’s back? He is a dancer himself AND a dance teacher, so setting a bad example to his students. Whatever the reason, I don’t understand why it’s so hard to take a break of usually little more than an hour from a mobile phone. It would probably make more sense to have some addiction therapy rather than shell out for West End tickets. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 (edited) Even as far back as 2000 when someone in the audience was coughing a lot in the quiet moments of Jewels (performed by a visiting company before RB got the rights to stage the whole ballet) and seemingly silent during the noisy parts (eg applause, the forte parts of the score), I've felt that the people who behave disruptively are robbing others, as the article says. Whether you call it antisocial behaviour or robbery, the point is that others have taken time out of busy lives, perhaps even had to hire a babysitter or a carer for the elderly at great cost just to be able to go out, and paid for parking, trains/taxis and/or hotel, before even considering the ticket price, if a theatregoer behaves disruptively because he/she thinks "it's my right", that makes him/her no different to the people who get slapped with ASBO fines or other punishments for being drunk and noisy [and worse but I won't ruin fellow readers' lunch or dinner by typing it out] on a suburban street at night. I think it's perfectly reasonable for all people, no matter who they are, to agree that no filming or photo taking during the dancing is logical and reasonable, while photo taking or filming during curtain calls without obscuring fellow patrons' views is acceptable. And if an ensemble or artist has expressly asked for no filming or photos even during curtain calls as part of the artistic intent of the piece, that should be respected -by all means complain in the feedback/reviews/ratings, but if you go in you comply, and it's also the patron's prerogative not to go in at all or to leave at the interval. Yes, dancers and dance teachers of all people should respect the rules too- the theatre is not your studio! Edited January 5 by Emeralds 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missfrankiecat Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 May I add to the list of public behaviours which make me grind my teeth - public grooming and preening! I sat next to an adolescent last night in the stalls who spent most of the performance applying and re-applying lip gloss and tossing and fingering her long hair. How the people behind tolerated all the movement in their sight line, I cannot imagine. The worst bit was in the interval when she took out a brush, laboriously groomed, and then picked the hairs out of her brush and threw them on the floor. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Perhaps she had spotted some heart throb of the moment sitting not far away!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 26 minutes ago, Missfrankiecat said: May I add to the list of public behaviours which make me grind my teeth - public grooming and preening! I sat next to an adolescent last night in the stalls who spent most of the performance applying and re-applying lip gloss and tossing and fingering her long hair. How the people behind tolerated all the movement in their sight line, I cannot imagine. The worst bit was in the interval when she took out a brush, laboriously groomed, and then picked the hairs out of her brush and threw them on the floor. Yuk! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 The article in today's Links from the Independent is SO annoying! Making a false distinction between 'behaviour' and 'etiquette' in a theatre (a distinction that I suspect even the writer doesn't really believe in). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_enthusiast Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Just a quick question for all the very experienced ballet-watchers over the years - was it normal to eat and drink in theatres during the 1960s/70s/80s? Or has it made an unwelcome comeback now after being out of fashion for a while? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_enthusiast Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 On 06/01/2024 at 14:43, Missfrankiecat said: The worst bit was in the interval when she took out a brush, laboriously groomed, and then picked the hairs out of her brush and threw them on the floor. Gross. They could at least go to the ladies toilet in the interval and do this sort of thing - I actually still find it annoying though, having the sinks clogged up by people gawping at themselves in the mirror and re-applying makeup or whatever. Not that I have issues with personal grooming, I just find it unnecessary to be doing so much of it when - no offence - no one is here to see you! We've come to watch the people on the stage, not the audience. Unless you're a celebrity being papped - which is somewhat unlikely to happen during a performance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) 4 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said: Just a quick question for all the very experienced ballet-watchers over the years - was it normal to eat and drink in theatres during the 1960s/70s/80s? Or has it made an unwelcome comeback now after being out of fashion for a while? Not to my knowledge. I was never given nor did I take anything to eat or drink in the auditorium between 1969 and 1990. Chocolates possibly: certainly a dislike for people who rustle chocolate wrappers in the theatre is mentioned in a number of books written in the 1950s and 1960s. The same books mention cups of coffee in the Crush Bar 🤭 and @DelphiumBlue will know to which books I refer 😘 Edited January 8 by Sophoife Added last phrase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 No it was not normal to eat in the auditorium back then though some theatres allowed ice cream tubs in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 In the early 1970s I worked as an Usher(ette) at Cambridge Arts Theatre, 3 or 4 times a week on average. There was a chocolate booth and we took charge of it in strict rotation as you earned a percentage of the takings. A good incentive to encourage sales! Stock was mainly boxes of chocolates rather than individual bars. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 23 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said: Just a quick question for all the very experienced ballet-watchers over the years - was it normal to eat and drink in theatres during the 1960s/70s/80s? Or has it made an unwelcome comeback now after being out of fashion for a while? Not normal, except, perhaps, for an occasional sweet or boxed chocolate passed between family members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I always used to fold my jacket and place it under my seat. At the end of one performance I picked up my emerald green leather jacket to discover the front streaked with chocolate ice cream from a discarded tub!! I started my theatre going mostly going to see rock gigs in the 1970s - at those I didn't see people eating but most definitely (including me) drinking! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 1 hour ago, LinMM said: No it was not normal to eat in the auditorium back then though some theatres allowed ice cream tubs in. A lot of theatres sold the ice creams in the auditorium - as many still do - so you could hardly expect people not to eat them in there. But apart from that, not much. Maybe some sweets in boxes, but not ones wrapped in noisy wrappings. I remember a friend bringing a box of Thornton's chocolates to something we went to at the old Sadler's Wells - might have been my birthday, might have been Black Light Theatre of Prague - and eating quite a few of them. I was quite shocked, because I'd always regarded chocolates as an occasional treat, not something to be scoffed en masse. But "proper" food? No. Never. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 On 06/01/2024 at 14:43, Missfrankiecat said: May I add to the list of public behaviours which make me grind my teeth - public grooming and preening! I sat next to an adolescent last night in the stalls who spent most of the performance applying and re-applying lip gloss and tossing and fingering her long hair. How the people behind tolerated all the movement in their sight line, I cannot imagine. The worst bit was in the interval when she took out a brush, laboriously groomed, and then picked the hairs out of her brush and threw them on the floor. That young lady probably thought she was imitating Anne Hathaway's character after receiving the Chanel outfit or Gisele Bundchen's character in The Devil Wears Prada, but the inappropriate location for her actions actually references Mr Bean! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 1 hour ago, capybara said: Not normal, except, perhaps, for an occasional sweet or boxed chocolate passed between family members. During Don Q I noticed one woman had come in with a box of chocolates, whether they were mainly for her I don't know but I did notice her offering some to the ushers 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) 4 hours ago, Pas de Quatre said: A good incentive to encourage sales! Stock was mainly boxes of chocolates rather than individual bars. I remember little small rectangular boxes of chocolate like smarties & revels… they only seemed to be on sale in cinemas & theatres (thinking family performances like pantomimes) They definitely held less than these big ‘grab bags’ now sold so probs were finished pre-show or during interval so much less distracting…. Rather miss them! Edited January 8 by Peanut68 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm365 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I remember going to theatre matinees when one could have a brief tea served on a tray at one's seat - it was a treat that I shared with my mother. And of course it was perfectly OK to smoke - little ashtrays on the back of the seat in front. Not days I should like to see again! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Guardian critics on how to be a better audience member: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/jan/13/audience-etiquette-culture-critics-on-how-to-behave-at-events 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 On 08/01/2024 at 19:33, jm365 said: I remember going to theatre matinees when one could have a brief tea served on a tray at one's seat - it was a treat that I shared with my mother. And of course it was perfectly OK to smoke - little ashtrays on the back of the seat in front. Yes to both of those. The tea brought on trays was, indeed, a treat during the interval. Smoke filled theatres and cinemas? Not so much. Not only were there ashtrays, but also metal match striker plates in some venues. The Theatre Royal at Lincoln has issued these guidelines on theatre etiquette. That this is necessary at all is a sign of our times perhaps. https://www.newtheatreroyallincoln.co.uk/theatre-etiquette-2/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 The idea of dancing in those very narrow aisles at the Theatre Royal horrifies me, especially high up. Ugh! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Yay! "We understand that the high-energy of some performances will naturally encourage you to stand and to dance. However, some patrons will prefer to sit throughout the performance and some, due to restricted mobility, must sit; in both cases they will not want their view to be obscured. Because we want everyone to enjoy coming to our beautiful Victorian theatre, we have put in place our ‘seated only’ policy – i.e. ‘no standing and dancing‘ for all of our performances with the exception of any encores that performers may add to their core performance." 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 I was pleased to see in the art gallery section if the Guardian article the suggestion not to use an audio guide. I never do myself so it's nice to feel vindicated! Though I'm not sure it's really a point of etiquette in terms of adversely affecting others. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 5 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: I was pleased to see in the art gallery section if the Guardian article the suggestion not to use an audio guide. I never do myself so it's nice to feel vindicated! Though I'm not sure it's really a point of etiquette in terms of adversely affecting others. I don't use the audio guides either. I tried one once... I'd much rather look at something and then do further reading later if I want too. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 2 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: I was pleased to see in the art gallery section if the Guardian article the suggestion not to use an audio guide. I never do myself so it's nice to feel vindicated! Though I'm not sure it's really a point of etiquette in terms of adversely affecting others. I do find it quite annoying when lots of people stand in front of the same picture for ages because they're all listening to the audio guide. There are (or should be) written guides to an exhibition and brief notes next to the picture so you can then look at it for as long or short a time as you wish. It's an exhibition, not a TV show. However, I have to be honest and say that I think my dislike of the audioguides is mainly for personal reasons in that I think they're unhygienic. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 12 hours ago, alison said: Yay! "We understand that the high-energy of some performances will naturally encourage you to stand and to dance. However, some patrons will prefer to sit throughout the performance and some, due to restricted mobility, must sit; in both cases they will not want their view to be obscured. Because we want everyone to enjoy coming to our beautiful Victorian theatre, we have put in place our ‘seated only’ policy – i.e. ‘no standing and dancing‘ for all of our performances with the exception of any encores that performers may add to their core performance." I also like their little comment lower down about encores - how to show your appreciation but be mindful of blocking the view of people behind you who cannot stand or are short and will be obscured even if they do stand. I think the ballet etiquette of prolonged curtain calls works fine. If you want to stay to show your appreciation, you can whilst those can't can exit. If you want to continue applause even when house lights come up, do, as long as you exit when the cleaners/ushers need to come in to tidy and clean up.... 😀. Or the company might decide, aww, that's lovely and we appreciate it but we end the curtain calls at X time. Gotta do company class or get ready for tomorrow's matinee! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 37 minutes ago, bridiem said: I do find it quite annoying when lots of people stand in front of the same picture for ages because they're all listening to the audio guide. There are (or should be) written guides to an exhibition and brief notes next to the picture so you can then look at it for as long or short a time as you wish. It's an exhibition, not a TV show. However, I have to be honest and say that I think my dislike of the audioguides is mainly for personal reasons in that I think they're unhygienic. True, though it's even more annying when people plonk themselves in front of something for ages in order take selfies! The lack of alternatives to audio guides in some places can be a pain. I went round Holyrood must faster than I was expecting a few years ago because there were no labels or written info anywhere, only audio guides. I totally agree on the hygiene & that's my main objection. However I do also dislike being talked at too. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 I really like the Palace of Versailles app, as it has all the audio guides as well as maps and further info, and of course being on my own device can be used with my own earbuds, so far more hygienic!! The thing that irritated me most was the tour groups with the leaders calling the group to attention then blocking the view and access of everyone else in the room while basically regurgitating the audio guide. Not well managed by the palace organisation. Timed access is all very well in theory, but when groups with leaders or official palace guides are going through, stagger the rest of us by half an hour or so, so we all get fair and unsweaty/unsmelly access! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_enthusiast Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 1 hour ago, Dawnstar said: True, though it's even more annying when people plonk themselves in front of something for ages in order take selfies! I cannot STAND those people. If I see people like that in London, as a Londoner I make a point of walking in the background of their photos accidentally on purpose - shout out to the people who block the way on Waterloo bridge to take group selfies, when people are trying to walk to the ROH! The audacity. And tourists who ask me to take pictures of them - I’ve had that in Vienna, Lisbon, Prague, basically anywhere that I’ve travelled. Since when did I give the impression of being a photographer who works for free? I will mostly say no, I really don’t have the patience and most of the time I’m in a rush! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 23 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said: And tourists who ask me to take pictures of them - I’ve had that in Vienna, Lisbon, Prague, basically anywhere that I’ve travelled. Since when did I give the impression of being a photographer who works for free? I will mostly say no, I really don’t have the patience and most of the time I’m in a rush! If I see a group of tourists with one of them taking a photograph I usually offer to take one of them all! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_enthusiast Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 11 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said: If I see a group of tourists with one of them taking a photograph I usually offer to take one of them all! It's nice that you offer. But in general, tourists shouldn't expect random passers by to immediately acquiesce to their photography requests. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 1 hour ago, art_enthusiast said: It's nice that you offer. But in general, tourists shouldn't expect random passers by to immediately acquiesce to their photography requests. I've been asked quite a few times and the requests have always been courteous. Most recently it was for a group of visitors from Africa who wanted a photograph in front of Charles Wesley's statue. I'd have felt very churlish refusing, but that's not because they'd have set out to make me feel that way. It's good to be in a position to do something nice for people, especially strangers! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 I don’t mind at all if people ask politely which they usually do “ Sorry to bother you but would you mind…..etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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