Absolutely appalling behavior at Seminar tonight...- Page 2

[ChenoKahn]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 12:48am

I just don't think that an excuse. Why couldn't he do it at a rehearsal? If he is gonna then DON'T CHARGE FULL PRICE!
Updated On: 11/6/11 at 12:48 AM

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 1:08am

I guess twink isn't relevant other than the assistant was an irritating shrill twink. I own my bias.

I think lights are a distraction in a darkened theatre. Like I said, I was irritated by the talking director, but I knew what he doing so I said nothing and chalked it up to bad coincidence. Plus I got some dirt because I heard what he was saying.

However, light is incredibly distracting. I can't concentrate on dialogue when my eyes keep being drawn to light sources in a theatre. It's an automatic response that is involuntary. I think it is unacceptable.

"It is made really clear to the audience (while buying tickets) that the show is still in preview period, and to expect these things"

Actually, its not. No one in the box office or on the phone has ever told me a show is in previews. I've only known by being astute and reading. Plus, when you are shelling out $140 bucks (what I paid for Other Desert Cities in previews) I expect a professional performances with possible stops or glitches but no audience distractions.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 1:21am

Previews not being properly defined and advertised is the only issue here worth rallying over. If you're going to charge more than $20 for a performance that is not frozen, then you need to inform the ticketbuyers that what they are seeing is an unfinished product. They're not paying to see a play or musical, but rather an insider's view of the artistic product. There may be technical glitches, show stoppages, dialogue changes, new material, and members of the creative & technical staff working from the house.

All of this should be in a written format and available to the public at their point of purchase.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 1:26am

However, light is incredibly distracting. I can't concentrate on dialogue when my eyes keep being drawn to light sources in a theatre. It's an automatic response that is involuntary. I think it is unacceptable.

Exactly. That's the big issue. Light in an otherwise darkened theater is incredibly distracting, regardless of where it's coming from.

And for the record (because some people seem to confused this), the guy was not in the back of the orchestra, where I would expect the production staff to be. This was in the mezz.

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 1:49am

I completely understand frusteration, but it's a way to improve the show and design. And I know there have been complaints that Rickman is not loud enough and not wearing a mic so they may be trying to rectify that. It's important for people to see and hear the show from every part of the theatre. It's previews, it's to be expected. Modern technology can help and hurt note-taking. He may have also been using some sort of software that had something to do with the show's sound or theatre sound in general.

"So aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 1:52am

How is a huge light shining from an iPad going to help to see if Rickman needs a microphone. That can be accomplished by someone going to the rear mezz and listening.

[Kad]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 1:58am

Wait, he was in the last row of the mezzanine?

[ChenoKahn]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 1:00am

Even he was, which I don't know, it was still distracting to people around him.

[morosco]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 1:01am

Why couldn't he do it at a rehearsal?

A big empty theater during rehearsals has different acoustic properties than one when there is an audience.

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 1:04am

It was actually a MacBook. So light was coming from the front and back of the laptop.

[morosco]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 1:13am

The designer was probably not taking notes but using software like this instead...

Smaart is one of the most widely used audio and acoustic measurement tools, a software application for the analysis portion of acoustical measurements and instrumentation. It was designed to help the live sound engineer optimize the linearity of sound reinforcement systems during the public performance unlike most earlier analysis systems which required specific test signals sent to the sound system, ones which would be unpleasant for the audience to hear. It was also intended to assist audio engineers in analyzing the output of loudspeakers, audio amplifiers and other audio gear, as well as helping the acoustician analyze room acoustics.
Smaart

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 5:14am

I went a found a sound guy once, second preview of Mary Poppins in Sydney and made him sit where I was. Come back with his sound computer and tried to fix the sound issues.

Having worked in theatre, I see no problem with this at all

[Donthatecongratulate]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 6:00am

As far the laptop situation goes, there should be at least a "previews" section outlined on the seating chart & maybe seats nearby should be offered at a discount rate. Let all of the annoying, yet necessary creative team sit together.

As far as the feet on the stage situation, if I was on that stage I would have stomped on those damn feet like a winemaker & they were the grapes. Rude & disgusting, you just don't do that. If I was an usher & she was in the middle of the row, I would have walked to her row & just shone my flashlight on her crusty ass feet for the whole theater to see. Last time she'd try that one.

[winston89]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 6:20am

To those who were saying that this is part of the preview process. All I can say is this. You're right that it is okay for them to be taking notes and whatnot during a preview performance. And, that this is a public rehearsal of sorts. However, It is very wrong on the end of the producers to realize all this. But, at the same time to charge us the same for tickets that we would pay if it is after opening night. If the producers want to treat this as a public rehearsal and want the audience to feel the same way about it, then lower the ticket prices during previews. Otherwise, let us, the paying public complain about the whole process.

[mikem]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 6:47am

It sounds like in this particular situation, the problem could have been avoided if the glowing Apple logo on the front of the MacBook was covered up so that light wasn't projected forward into the audience. I have been at performances where the creative team is sitting in the back row with laptops, and the light was not noticeable to me, sitting in front of them, during the performance.

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 9:00am

Double post

Updated On: 11/6/11 at 09:00 AM

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 9:02am

I'm always surprised that there are so many people that post here...who claim to know so much about the theatre, but know so little about the process.

Indeed, previews are nothing more than rehearsals that the audience pays to see. Whether they should be charged less for viewing them is another argument all together. But anyone who buys a preview ticket for anything, should be prepared for tech tables in the audience, directors dictating their notes to his or her assistant, designers on computers making adjustments to lighting and sound cues, and flashlights or computers screens going on and off.

Not every adjustment can be made during a closed rehearsal, sometimes it's necessary to have an audience in the house. This is especially true when it comes to sound design. A full house eats up the sound, what sounds perfectly audible in an empty theatre can be muffled and inaudible when every seat is full.

Previews should be advertised as such...and if you don't understand what a preview is...then you shouldn't purchase a ticket for one. Previews are there to benefit the play the designers, director and the actors...not the audience. If you are unhappy with some of the technical aspects of show after it opens...imagine how unhappy you would be if the designers and directors were unable to do their work during the preview period.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 9:52am

It's the same argument discussed at length on BWW about the preview period and ticket prices during SPIDER-MAN.

Do producers care or even think this is a problem? Absolutely not.

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 9:56am

As long a a Preview is advertised as a Preview...I don't care what the producers charge. For those who understand what a Preview is...they have the option of not buying a ticket. For those who don't...they will next time.

[AC126748]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 9:56am

As JustAGuy said, whether or not lower preview prices are warranted is a different discussion. What AdamGreer et al have described in this thread is nothing new, and it's actually a very necessary part of the preview period. Given that many of the people who have posted on this thread go to previews regularly, I'm surprised at the level of shock expressed.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 10:05am

Last night at SONS OF THE PROPHET, an audience member was sending text messages throughout the entire show. (She had to be 65 years old.) Obviously, she didn't know how to put it on silent so we would hear the lovely "BEEP" every five or ten minutes throughout THE ENTIRE PLAY.

The back two rows of the Laura Pels were, needless to say, getting pretttttttttttttttty heated.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 10:13am

I understand what a preview period is. I understand that very well. What I don't understand is the lack of courtesy to the audience that I'm seeing more and more of, whether it be the production team who constantly moves around, in and out of seats, up and down, standing next to you, in back of you, in FRONT of you, on their iPads, talking, etc - Or the house staff doing most of the same (minus the iPads and computers) I'm seeing this as a trend that's just getting worse as time goes on.

Of course I understand the need for certain things in the preview period, however there are ways of doing it so as to not disrupt the audience. But as I said before, I'm sure that's the least of their concerns.

[John G2]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 10:14am

Updated On: 11/6/11 at 10:14 AM

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 10:21am

Rest assured, that we are only working to make the production as good as it can be for you all.

And there you have it!

[whatever2]

Posted: 11/6/11 at 10:41am

yes, the word "preview" has clear implications ... so does the word "rehearsal". there's a line between the two, not always well-defined, and sometimes difficult for those involved in an emerging production to avoid crossing, but one cannot gainsay its existence.