Audience Behaviour - Thread 2

[Sabine0308]

15 hours ago, Sabine0308 said:

I often take the (not so) high heels to the theatre and change shoes there. And see some people do this as well. The only theatre  where I can get in High Heels to, good weather provided, is in Munich. The Tram literally stops in front of the Opera House, so it's a 2 Minute walk.

Quoting myself because I forgot Deutsche Oper Berlin with its own subway station.🙈 You can go there without umbrella even in pouring rain because you don't get wet, there's a roof between station and Opera entrance👌

Edited April 6 by Sabine0308

[Fonty]

On 05/04/2024 at 08:29, Jan McNulty said:

 

 

 

 

You've dug yourself into a bit of a hole here.  "The elderly rich" vs "saving up for".  How do you know whether or not the people sitting in the top price seats are rich or whether they have saved up all year.  

 

 

 I occasionally save up for an expensive seat.  I don't consider myself to be rich or elderly!

 

I certainly wouldn't want to see a dress code imposed, but as I said elsewhere, Londoners do tend to be either more casual in the way they dress.  Or scruffy, depending on your point of view.  

 

Christmas jumpers are all part of the seasonal fun as far as I am concerned.  However, while a sweater with Rudolph on the front is acceptable, flashing antlers are not.  I went to a theatre last December where a party of women were wearing these.  I had to go and get a member of staff to speak to them and get them to either turn them off or remove them.  What puzzled me was why they had to be told in the first place.  Apart from annoying the rest of the audience, I would imagine the cast of the play would have found them very distracting too.  

Edited April 6 by Fonty

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, Fonty said:

 

 I occasionally save up for an expensive seat.  I don't consider myself to be rich or elderly!

 

I certainly wouldn't want to see a dress code imposed, but as I said elsewhere, Londoners do tend to be either more casual in the way they dress.  Or scruffy, depending on your point of view.  

 

Christmas jumpers are all part of the seasonal fun as far as I am concerned.  However, while a sweater with Rudolph on the front is acceptable, flashing antlers are not.  I went to a theatre last December where a party of women were wearing these.  I had to go and get a member of staff to speak to them and get them to either turn them off or remove them.  What puzzled me was why they had to be told in the first place.  Apart from annoying the rest of the audience, I would imagine the cast of the play would have found them very distracting too.  

I agree anything flashing in a theatre is inappropriate.

 

I think I'm the only person to point this out repeatedly, but wearers of Fitbits and other wrist items that flash when the arm moves must turn them off in a theatre performance- if that means a lot of hassle turning them back on, put it in a pocket or bag during the show. It's extremely disruptive to have them flashing in fellow audience members' faces every time they clap, scratch their nose or whatever. Not to mention the potential danger to dancers spotting their pirouettes and fouettes.

 

Brandon Lawrence, principal dancer at BRB and now Zurich Ballet, has also spoken out against devices like these flashing in a darkened auditorium.

Edited April 6 by Emeralds

[Celine]

I love dressing up but more often than not I go to ROH in my casual clothes. Mostly because I often have to rush somewhere else afterwards, and also I always go alone so I sometimes don't even feel that I deserve to dress up (especially not when I'm seated high high up). Though there was this one time I went in my loudest pink dress (appropriate length and all) and three elderly ladies came up to me during the break and complemented the dress. Made my day🥰

 

That being said, last December I promised if I was seeing both Osipova and Lamb in the Ashton mixed bills, I would make a new evening gown for the occasion. Now I have to do it and also have some courage to ask nice strangers if they could take a picture of me in it...sometimes I do wish I had ballet friends. 

[zxDaveM]

48 minutes ago, Celine said:

 

That being said, last December I promised if I was seeing both Osipova and Lamb in the Ashton mixed bills, I would make a new evening gown for the occasion. Now I have to do it and also have some courage to ask nice strangers if they could take a picture of me in it...sometimes I do wish I had ballet friends. 

 

I'm sure there are plenty of forum members around that would be happy to oblige re the photo! 🙂

And I'm sure there are enough around your own age (whatever that may be) to make some 'ballet friends'

[LinMM]

Yes if you start saying how wonderful your experiences are at the Ballet I’m sure somebody you know/work with will be intrigued eventually! 
One of my still best friends I met many years ago now queuing for tickets at the ROH so you never know when this might happen but hopefully soon for you. 

[Scheherezade]

1 hour ago, Celine said:

That being said, last December I promised if I was seeing both Osipova and Lamb in the Ashton mixed bills, I would make a new evening gown for the occasion. Now I have to do it and also have some courage to ask nice strangers if they could take a picture of me in it...sometimes I do wish I had ballet friends. 

Celine, how lovely! I do hope that I am there to see your evening gown and that you post a photo on the forum. 

[emmarose]

I'm sorry to report that last night I had the worst experience with poor audience behaviour.

 

I was on the front row stalls Circle, the people behind were talking all throughout the first two acts, getting phones ready to video, the usher had to come over right at the end of Act II and have a word. They were also constantly moving one of those sleeping bag coats and making noise with that.

 

In the interval I went over to an usher and asked if maybe they could be more on hand to quieten them. I went to the loo and was told that someone had come over and actually all but shouted at them and threatened to kick them out if there was one more noise.

 

I came back to my seat to the man (father to his two daughters) making these very loud coughing noises. Very strange as he wasn't coughing, then I felt him do it directly onto the back of my head. He had leaned forward to do it and I felt it.

Then he started kicking very hard the back of my chair, like pushing it forward. I obviously asked him to stop, it was so violent the man in the seat next to me felt it.

 

It was truly awful behaviour and I've never experienced anything like it.

[Tango Dancer]

So sorry you had a bad experience Emmarose.  That sounds like really awful behaviour and quite threatening.  Some people have no manners at all.  

[emmarose]

48 minutes ago, Tango Dancer said:

So sorry you had a bad experience Emmarose.  That sounds like really awful behaviour and quite threatening.  Some people have no manners at all.  

 

It really was. I've never, ever been bent over to cough on the back of my head and the kicking was deliberate, he was sitting back into the chair to do it with full force.

I don't know what is wrong with people sometimes.

[Cescablue]

1 hour ago, emmarose said:

I'm sorry to report that last night I had the worst experience with poor audience behaviour.

 

I was on the front row stalls Circle, the people behind were talking all throughout the first two acts, getting phones ready to video, the usher had to come over right at the end of Act II and have a word. They were also constantly moving one of those sleeping bag coats and making noise with that.

 

In the interval I went over to an usher and asked if maybe they could be more on hand to quieten them. I went to the loo and was told that someone had come over and actually all but shouted at them and threatened to kick them out if there was one more noise.

 

I came back to my seat to the man (father to his two daughters) making these very loud coughing noises. Very strange as he wasn't coughing, then I felt him do it directly onto the back of my head. He had leaned forward to do it and I felt it.

Then he started kicking very hard the back of my chair, like pushing it forward. I obviously asked him to stop, it was so violent the man in the seat next to me felt it.

 

It was truly awful behaviour and I've never experienced anything like it.

I'm so sorry to hear this, sounds awful! How on earth did the usher not notice after the earlier incidents?!

[zxDaveM]

Sometimes, you get the impression some people shouldn't be allowed out unless they are on a lead...

[JohnS]

An awful experience @emmarose which must have massively impacted on what should have been a fabulous evening.

 

You may well have complained to Front of House staff but I’d be inclined to contact the ROH and set out what happened. I’m sure Customer Services would investigate and take appropriate action. The email is:
customerservices@roh.org.uk

[Sim]

5 minutes ago, JohnS said:

An awful experience @emmarose which must have massively impacted on what should have been a fabulous evening.

 

You may well have complained to Front of House staff but I’d be inclined to contact the ROH and set out what happened. I’m sure Customer Services would investigate and take appropriate action. The email is:
customerservices@roh.org.uk

And they would probably have a record as to who bought the ticket for that seat.  I am so sorry you had to experience that, Emma.  I certainly would not have been as restrained as you were!! 

[emmarose]

18 minutes ago, Cescablue said:

I'm so sorry to hear this, sounds awful! How on earth did the usher not notice after the earlier incidents?!

 

I think it was because it was the last few minutes before curtain up, so there was nobody nearby at that moment.

[emmarose]

5 minutes ago, Sim said:

And they would probably have a record as to who bought the ticket for that seat.  I am so sorry you had to experience that, Emma.  I certainly would not have been as restrained as you were!! 

 

I did tell him he better stop kicking me and for the rest of the performance they were very quiet. I didn't want to further spoil the show not only for me and my guest but also the others next to me who were also in shock at his behaviour and said what's been echoed here, that maybe some people shouldn't be aloud out in society.

[emmarose]

15 minutes ago, JohnS said:

An awful experience @emmarose which must have massively impacted on what should have been a fabulous evening.

 

You may well have complained to Front of House staff but I’d be inclined to contact the ROH and set out what happened. I’m sure Customer Services would investigate and take appropriate action. The email is:
customerservices@roh.org.uk

 

Do you think it's worth it? I suppose it might make make them aware to keep a closer eye on people they've already had to have a word with.

Honestly, it's like nothing I've ever experienced anywhere.

[San Perregrino]

33 minutes ago, emmarose said:

that maybe some people shouldn't be aloud out in society.

🙂, I’m not sure if this was intentional or a Freudian slip, whichever it made me laugh a lot. thank you 

Edited April 7 by San Perregrino

[emmarose]

11 minutes ago, San Perregrino said:

🙂, I’m not sure if this was intentional or a Freudian slip, whichever it made me laugh a lot. thank you 

 

I think it was probably a combined Freudian slip and being absolutely exhausted. Glad it made you laugh! 

[JohnS]

1 hour ago, emmarose said:

 

Do you think it's worth it? I suppose it might make make them aware to keep a closer eye on people they've already had to have a word with.

Honestly, it's like nothing I've ever experienced anywhere.

If it’s not going to cause you too much grief, I think it would be very good to let Customer Services know what happened. As @Sim says, they will be able to identify who bought the tickets behind you. Other people may also have complained, either about last night’s experiences or at other times. My understanding is that the ROH have on occasions taken action to exclude audience members. And there may be some useful lessons for Front of House staff.

[SheilaC]

I rarely sit in the stalls circle but last night I did and to my utter amazement the woman next to me hit me on the hand! I was silently retrieving a cough sweet from my bag as I could feel the nervous cough developing that I occasionally develop at the theatre and she told me to stop and hit me. I decided not to say anything, even in the intervals or at the end, as I assumed she must have mental health issues and I didn't want to exacerbate things.

[Geoff]

3 hours ago, JohnS said:

If it’s not going to cause you too much grief, I think it would be very good to let Customer Services know what happened. As @Sim says, they will be able to identify who bought the tickets behind you. Other people may also have complained, either about last night’s experiences or at other times. My understanding is that the ROH have on occasions taken action to exclude audience members. And there may be some useful lessons for Front of House staff.

I agree with this advice. Also, as has been discussed in other places on the Forum, although many of the Front of House staff are good, there are increasing reports of what one might call sloppy practices (eg off the top of my head, the staff prioritising having fun with each other over serving audience members; giving cheeky but pointless responses to serious requests; bullying people into not checking what’s in the programmes; and - as happened to me - being happy to lie to try and stop me complaining about something, which I escalated).

 

If management don’t know that their team isn’t doing their jobs properly, how can they help things improve? 

 

Edited April 7 by Geoff

[emmarose]

6 hours ago, JohnS said:

If it’s not going to cause you too much grief, I think it would be very good to let Customer Services know what happened. As @Sim says, they will be able to identify who bought the tickets behind you. Other people may also have complained, either about last night’s experiences or at other times. My understanding is that the ROH have on occasions taken action to exclude audience members. And there may be some useful lessons for Front of House staff.

 

I think I will make contact. I'm drafting my thoughts and then I'll send them over. The man's behaviour was aggressive and threatening and as there was nobody nearby and the second act was minutes away and I didn't want to disturb anyone, I was left with it. If someone had have been there to see it, I believe he would have been kicked out, so it's best to let them know what happened after they spoke with them.

[Roberta]

8 minutes ago, emmarose said:

If someone had have been there to see it, I believe he would have been kicked out, so it's best to let them know what happened after they spoke with them.

 

Perhaps this is like road rage... theatre rage? Very nasty and intimidating. 

 

It is worrying, anyone so unable to control themselves could take it further, nothing to stop anyone like that following you from the theatre. 

 

 

 

[emmarose]

27 minutes ago, Roberta said:

 

Perhaps this is like road rage... theatre rage? Very nasty and intimidating. 

 

It is worrying, anyone so unable to control themselves could take it further, nothing to stop anyone like that following you from the theatre. 

 

 

 

 

This is true. It was a very violent kicking, the chairs were all moving. It was quite something, coupled with the coughing on my head/neck on purpose, it wasn't pleasant to say the least.

 

He did follow me to the toilets by the SC and he and his daughter were standing there and staring, but TBH I am not easily intimidated.

[art_enthusiast]

15 hours ago, SheilaC said:

I rarely sit in the stalls circle but last night I did and to my utter amazement the woman next to me hit me on the hand! I was silently retrieving a cough sweet from my bag as I could feel the nervous cough developing that I occasionally develop at the theatre and she told me to stop and hit me. I decided not to say anything, even in the intervals or at the end, as I assumed she must have mental health issues and I didn't want to exacerbate things.

That’s quite unnerving, I understand that you didn’t want to exacerbate things by responding to them though. I would probably do the same.

 

I don’t think it’s appropriate to touch people with force like that. If I needed to get the attention of someone leaning forward in the stalls circle for example, I would lightly tap them. Or maybe cough/clear my throat loudly. Hitting is very inappropriate.

 

I remember when Marriage of Figaro was shown in 2022, I stood up to clap at the very end (because I’d only just started going to the ROH and wasn’t familiar with the etiquette there). The woman behind me poked me quite hard in the back, when she could have simply been polite and asked me to sit down, as I would have done if our positions were reversed. Or she could have lightly tapped me instead of poking. This is the sort of thing you learn in early childhood, spatial awareness/how to respect others….

[JNC]

Oh dear I’m really sorry to hear recent experiences, particularly @emmarose those people sound foul.

 

I know it seems more faff but I would echo others’ advice and email ROH. What that man did was assault and perhaps battery. He should certainly be banned. Not that it would have been ok if you weren’t alone but particularly as a solo woman (as I often am at the ROH) it can be very intimidating to not feel like anyone would step in to help if things escalate, and whilst I appreciate FOH staff don’t have eyes everywhere it is their job to be on the lookout proactively for these things - particularly if there has been an “incident”. 
 

If everyone emails perhaps they will ban the man! They should do so just on your account but this is why it’s probably worth emailing - the more people that do the more action you’d hope they would/should take. 

these things can really sour experiences and for me they really do affect my enjoyment of the performance as much I try not to let it. I’m considering being more vocal in “complaining” to ROH for future incidents (if there are any) so ROH are aware of the scale of the problem and hopefully start proactively doing more. The tickets themselves are expensive but if you add on things like travel, hotels etc if such behaviour becomes more likely than not, on the balance of things it becomes a less enjoyable experience and too risky for me to spend money on. I’m still quite far away from this thankfully but I do really think standards have gone down since the pandemic where it’s now expected that for every performance somewhere in the auditorium a phone will flash or record or go off. 

[alison]

2 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

I remember when Marriage of Figaro was shown in 2022, I stood up to clap at the very end (because I’d only just started going to the ROH and wasn’t familiar with the etiquette there). The woman behind me poked me quite hard in the back, when she could have simply been polite and asked me to sit down, as I would have done if our positions were reversed. Or she could have lightly tapped me instead of poking. This is the sort of thing you learn in early childhood, spatial awareness/how to respect others….

 

I've been rapidly coming to the conclusion that that's no longer the case   

 

The problem with standing after a performance at the ROH, at least in Stalls Circle and the Balcony, is that due to the lack of rake it totally blocks the view of those who are already standing, i.e. those who have standing tickets rather than seated ones, and who therefore can't do anything about it. And - applying it to the Orchestra Stalls as well - not everyone is able, or inclined (i.e. not wanting to give a standing ovation), to stand up as well, so just have to sit there surrounded by loads of standing people at close quarters, which can actually be very unpleasant.

 

It's not a problem of ROH etiquette as such - it also applies to places like Sadler's Wells, although without the added problem of standing tickets, and probably anywhere which has insufficiently raked stalls.

[Emeralds]

Without wanting to dictate to others whether they should refrain from ever giving standing ovations at ROH or indeed any other theatre, nor to dismiss those who can't easily stand up/move during a standing ovation to get a better view (wheelchair bound, child, etc), I would say it's a tad churlish to tell people (especially with a forceful poke!) that they're not allowed to give one.

 

If one can stand to walk in and out of a building, one can stand up for a standing ovation to get a better view.

 

I have been with elderly or shorter companions who couldn't or preferred not to stand up for a standing ovation- that's their choice and they weren't offended that other people stood up.

 

I've also been in standing places in the past and had my view blocked in a full house (standing places full as well) if there's a standing ovation- because the seats in front of us in Stalls Circle are elevated. A few of us just chuckled and shuffled along somewhere else to get a more unimpeded view (obviously being mindful you mustn't block an exit route in any emergency). 

 

I also do take curtain call photos and yes, standing ovations can temporarily block my shot until I stand/move to get a clear view- but it's not a great disaster to move. (Front row of course avoids that problem.)

 

But hey, the performers have worked hard, often in pain with an existing injury, audiences want to show their appreciation - let them have their standing ovation (including brief ones). 

Edited April 8 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

My sympathies, @emmarose- what a horrible person to have to encounter at a lovely occasion like a ballet. If it's any consolation I have encountered a similarly unpleasant individual at ROH and it's definitely worth reporting the incident and individual to ROH Customer Services, if you have the time. Nowadays they have a record of the person buying the ticket as well-even if the ticket was given away or resold to a friend, they can warn the ticket buyer that this person is no longer welcome.

Edited April 8 by Emeralds

[capybara]

Somewhat hesitant to mention this but, at a recent RB performance, my enjoyment was somewhat diminished by strong smells of BO.

Case 1 - a waft as someone passed to take their seat;

Case 2 - a lingering whiff as the man behind me removed his coat;

Case 3 - a ‘best jacket’ two seats along which needed to go to the cleaners;

Case 4 - a bright white T-shirt across the gangway which hadn’t been washed.

 

In fairness I haven’t experienced this for a long time and I do have a sample of scent to sniff if things get desperate……..But it’s only April……..

[LinMM]

In my view some people who jump to their feet almost before the music has stopped and start cheering and clapping in a very loud way are more interested in drawing attention to themselves than genuinely supporting the dancers!! I sometimes think they are indeed clapping themselves!! 

[bridiem]

1 minute ago, capybara said:

Somewhat hesitant to mention this but, at a recent RB performance, my enjoyment was somewhat diminished by strong smells of BO.

Case 1 - a waft as someone passed to take their seat;

Case 2 - a lingering whiff as the man behind me removed his coat;

Case 3 - a ‘best jacket’ two seats along which needed to go to the cleaners;

Case 4 - a bright white T-shirt across the gangway which hadn’t been washed.

 

In fairness I haven’t experienced this for a long time and I do have a sample of scent to sniff if things get desperate……..But it’s only April……..

 

I'm afraid I experienced this to an intolerable degree last autumn, in respect of the person sitting next to me, to the extent that I couldn't stay in my seat. I spoke to one of the ushers (at the ROH) at the first interval and they were very helpful and the eventual upshot was that another seat was found for me. I was very grateful because I would otherwise have had to leave.