Do 2019 Audiences Know They Aren't Suppose To Film The Show?- Page 2

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 3/18/19 at 4:49pm

In reference to Torch Song and Ths Waverly Gallery, I usually don’t recall announcements or inserts since I don’t need to be told to turn off my devices. I do it automatically.

But I just pulled out my playbills. The only insert I found for The Waverly Gallery was warning that there was only one intermission and that if you left your seat for any reason, you would not be permitted to return.

For Torch Song, the insert welcomed you to take pics of the Torch Song sign before the show, during intermission and after the show, including curtain call. However, “photography and recording of any kind are strictly prohibited during the performance.”

[ArtMan]

Posted: 3/18/19 at 5:11pm

Miles2Go2 said: "In reference to Torch Song and Ths Waverly Gallery, I usually don’t recall announcements or inserts since I don’t need to be told to turn off my devices. I do it automatically.

But I just pulled out my playbills. The only insert I found for The Waverly Gallery was warning that there was only one intermission and that if you left your seat for any reason, you would not be permitted to return.

For Torch Song, the insert welcomed you to take pics of the Torch Song sign before the show, during intermission and after the show, including curtain call. However, “photography and recording of any kind are strictly prohibited during the performance.”"

Miles, Your last sentence of your post is the point of this thread.  They used to state this specifically in the preshow announcement.  Now they don't.  My question remains the same.  Are theater producers, etc contributing to the problem by not addressing it specifically in the preshow announcement?  If they had, then the woman who was filming at Waitress, not respond to the usher, with "I didn't know".

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 3/18/19 at 5:41pm

Well, I’ll hopefully get a refresher tomorrow night on what Sara’s pre-show song entails, but I’d say even if it only says to turn off your phone (which the offender at your performance chose not to heed) then it would take willfull ignorance to think that it would be acceptable to record the show with another device. In most cases, people know the rules and don’t think they apply to them. And then if they’re caught, they just say, “ I didn’t know.” I feel like most shows - Broadway, off-broadway, touring and regional - do announce that all patrons should turn off their cellphones. People just don’t care. Most recent point in case, last month when I was at Dear Evan Hansen (where I do believe they explicitly state that you should turn off your phones), the young lady (who was with her family) next to me would slide her phone out to check it intermittently during Act 1. During intermission right before Act 2, when the lady next to me on the other side turned her phone off I made a point to say to her (loud enough so the young woman would hear) that I was appalled at people who refused to turn their phones off during shows. I could feel the young woman’s eyes like daggers on the back of my head. She still didn’t turn her phone off but she didn’t check her phone off during Act 2.

Of course, your question was about filming, but if your devices are off, it is impossible to film.

[LxGstv]

Posted: 3/18/19 at 6:26pm

At Artman’s incident the woman wasn’t filming through her phone, but from another device that had a viewfinder.

When I last saw Harry Potter the person next to me checked his phone a couple of times during the first act of part 2, we were on the first row of the mezzanine. I talked to an usher who said they would make another announcement. In Harry Potter not only the ushers tell you to turn them off, but there’s also a pre-show announcement.
Right before act 2 was about to begin the usher walked up to the aisle and got everyone’s attention saying that the actors complained about someone on their phone and that’s distracting to them and that if it happened again they had permission to escort whoever it was out of the theater, even though they prefer not to, they can do it if necessary.
It worked because the guy didn’t even come close to pulling his phone out again.

[Platypus]

Posted: 3/18/19 at 8:18pm

LxGstv said: "At Artman’s incident the woman wasn’t filming through her phone, but from another device that had a viewfinder.

When I last saw Harry Potter the person next to me checked his phone a couple of times during the first act of part 2, we were on the first row of the mezzanine. I talked to an usher who said they would make another announcement. In Harry Potter not only the ushers tell you to turn them off, but there’s also a pre-show announcement.
Right before act 2 was about to begin the usher walked up to the aisle and got everyone’s attention saying that the actors complained about someone on their phone and that’s distracting to them and that if it happened again they had permission to escort whoever it was out of the theater, even though they prefer not to, they can do it if necessary.
It worked because the guy didn’t even come close to pulling his phone out again."

I wish they did this more often. Or mention in the initial announcement that violators will be escorted out. 

[MollyJeanneMusic]

Posted: 3/18/19 at 8:23pm

qolbinau said: "If you go to mainstream performance events that are actually ‘relevant’ to young people these days, I.e., stadium concerts, festivals etc. recording is common place/the norm. I would not be surprised if some of these people don’t realise the etiquette is different in theatres."

I remember when Cody Simpson first joined Anastasia, I saw somebody say online, "Well, at this rate, we're going to get a full bootleg from the hundreds of minute-long clips of the show taken by CS fans who don't know any better."

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 3/19/19 at 12:49am

Regarding the concerts vs theater issue, when I went to see Summer, there was a family near us that seemed to treat it as a legitimate Donna Summer concert--talking, filming, and leaving their seats to get drink refills.  The usher shined a light on them for the filming, but I don't think they realized phones were supposed to be off (and I don't remember an explicit announcement at the beginning of the show), so they were still on their phone even after they stopped filming.

Then again, the beginning of Summer basically encourages audience members to sing along, so not sure if that was the best move by the production as far as differentiating the show from a typical concert.

[magictodo123]

Posted: 3/19/19 at 6:28am

Fosse76 said: "LizzieCurry said: "I think part of the problem is that there ARE a number of people who legitimately DON'T know they're not supposed to record. The show is a part of their vacation, just like when they went to the Empire State Building and Katz's Diner and took video there. It's not always the instagram/twitter stans recording for engagement."

Not only that, but with many shows not making announcements, and theaters allowing pictures before the show, why would anyone think they couldn't? Small print ion the program? Most people only glance at the program."

While this is true of most shows, a lot of shows have inserts specifically telling you not to record the show. I think I saw on social media that Dear Evan Hansen has a big insert specifically saying...something along the lines of...like keeping your eyes on the action on stage and not on your phones or something like that? I do know it's specific and that insert is kind of hard to ignore, unless people genuinely do not look at their playbill/program at all. 

[ArtMan]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 3:22pm

So I went last night to the tour of Finding Neverland.  (Cute, but glad I didn't use up a show slot when visiting NYC).  As I expected there was no show announcement for turning off cell phones by both the production or by the theater.  Of course, there were still people on their cell phone when the show started.  I asked the Manager at intermission about the policy and was told they were not allowed to make a preshow announcement about turning off cell phones, by the production,  if the production chooses not to address it.  I found this hard to believe and was wondering if I was getting lipservice.  Anybody have any knowledge about this?

[ArtMan]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 3:22pm

double

Updated On: 3/27/19 at 03:22 PM