Photos in the theatre?

[laporms]

Posted: 9/20/22 at 10:23pm

Has anyone ever been chastised for taking a photo inside the theatre BEFORE the performance began?

At the opening of the Boleyn tour and was told by an usher the production would "prefer photos not be taken inside the theatre."

Seems like a whole lot of missed PR ... 

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 9/20/22 at 11:06pm

I swear it depends on the usher. I’ve been chastised by one usher for trying to take a Playbill picture with the show curtain in the background, and at intermission another one offered to take a pic for me. similar instances at multiple shows/theaters. 

“NO ILLEGAL PHOTOGRAPHY!” The performance starts in 20 minutes, relax. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 9/20/22 at 11:13pm

That was standard protocol until fairly recently. Supposedly had to do with the pre-show sets still be copyrighted material. I don’t know if the actual rules changed, but theatres/producers have drastically loosened up on this issue in just the last — maybe 5-7 years? I don’t remember when it took a sharp decrease - maybe it was a gradual shift. But I well remember the days when ushers would regularly chastise people for taking photos of the stage before the show, and they’d sometimes go so far as to make you delete the photos right in front of them. 

I’m not surprised to hear that some theatres still do this, especially if it’s technically still a written rule, either in the copyright, the union, or both. But yes, it’s clear that most venues/producers have realized that it’s simultaneously (a) a losing battle, and (b) taking away free publicity that’s pivotal in the age of Instagram. 

Updated On: 9/20/22 at 11:13 PM

[stoptheworld38]

Posted: 9/20/22 at 11:58pm

I've taken pre-show photos of my playbill and in most cases the empty stage at pretty much every show I've seen and never had an issue.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 12:04am

….I’m not 100% sure, but I think when I saw Beautiful on Broadway they said no photos of the set. I could be remembering wrong though 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 6:43am

Over the last few years the no pre-show photos inside the theatre seems to have gone by the wayside. I am definitely "guilty" of snapping a stage and playbill picture (unless explicitly told otherwise). It has been years since I have been told no photos, though. Some shows have even gone so far as to alter their show curtains to include the logo of the show for what I am guessing is pre publicity on social media (Mrs. Doubtfire and Frozen both did this).

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 10:36am

I think when smart phones became the majority, so did allowing pre-show photos. Shows can’t beat the free publicity of people sharing where they are. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 10:37am

I always like taking a pre-show curtain picture, unless an usher were to tell me no photos.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 10:54am

As an usher, even if we didn't technically allow photos before the show/during intermission we'd really be fighting a losing battle. Everyone has a smartphone these days, which means everyone has a high definition camera in their pocket, and it's almost completely impossible to stop people from taking photos (and they'd try to sneak them even if we told them not to). 

[LuminousBeing]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 12:04pm

I once had an usher literally scream “no photographs! no pictures!” in my face when I was using my phone to send a pre-show text 20 minutes before curtain. The show was “Richard III” (Mark Rylance) and I was seated in the last row of the rear balcony, partial view. I couldn’t even SEE the entire stage, let alone would have gotten a decent picture of it with the phone I had back then. The usher hovered over my friend and me for a good 10 minutes and kept repeating “no pictures!” We acknowledged verbally and promised not to take any pictures, but she hung around anyway.

Then I went back the next day (same seats) to see “Twelfth Night,” and had a great view of a lady two rows in front of me snap multiple pictures with a digital camera WITH FLASH 10 minutes before curtain (during the pre-show, so actors were on stage) with nary an usher in sight.