people in lighting booth at rent watching tv? distracting?- Page 2

[winston89]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 1:34am

What people who don't perform don't realize is that both actors and crew and the people in the pit are doing the same thing night after night. Actors can't just go through the motions because it will show in the performances. But, if your backstage running a computer that controlls something like set changes your doing it time and time again and after a while it is a job you could do perfectly in your sleep. The same goes for people in the booth. If they have been doing one show for a long period of time then if they want to go through the motions let them they won't hurt the show by doing that.

If your an actor even in the ensemble there is a lot of stage time but there is also a lot of down time. It is a good thing if you can find something to do to keep yourself quiet during the show.

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 5:45am

What people who don't perform don't realize is that both actors and crew and the people in the pit are doing the same thing night after night.

Which is what they are paid to do. If they can't deal with the tedium maybe they should get another (more fulfilling) job. As an audience member I really don't care what they do to pass the time so long as it's out of sight and doesn't affect the people who have paid $100+ for the privilege of a distraction-free evening at a show.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 6:38am

I spent two years doing lights with carnival cruise lines, and I spent a lot of time playing the nintendo ds in my booth, or checking email (mostly company email). Seeing the same show all the time gets real old real quick. Also don't forget there are multiple monitors in a lighting booth, often lined against more than one wall depending on the size of the booth. Perhaps if you were sitting on the other side you would have seen a monitor foe a Whole Hog II or ans Expression 3 or what ever else they need to run the show.
I have to laugh though because you must have been quite bored with the show to be looking at the light booth in the first place.

[MenzelManiac]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 8:53am

I watched Law and Order during Mamma Mia thanks to the guys in the lighting booth. Sit in the mezz at the Wintergarden if you don't want to pay for cable.

[Okayfine]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 10:35am

"I've seen the orchestra members at Phantom reading magazines - you can see right into the pit from the mezz. It's extremely distracting & they shouldn't do it where the audience can see them."

Seriously? That's distracting? You might as well say that the musicians shouldn't play their instruments because you shouldn't have to see anything move from where you are in the mezz!

Yes! It's distracting, but, no, musicians playing is not a distracting sight. The reason would seem obvious, but I guess it's not -- musicians are SUPPOSED to play their instruments in the pit. Watching the musicians directly unmder the baton yawn, scratch himself, & flip magazine pages languidly is NOT part of the show.

As for the wedgies, that was just a crude joke which still managed to go over some folk's heads.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 2:28pm

Updated On: 5/2/09 at 02:28 PM

[NDR]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 3:19pm

I agree with Eastwickian.
We paid the bucks, now shut up and be professional.
If you want to check email, text, read, color, finger paint, braid your hair...offstage and out of sight - go ahead, but do NOT watch TV or a movie or a sports event in the booth that distracts the audience from the show.
Sure, if you can do "it" without distracting the audience from the show and management doesn't mind the lack of concentration, then do whatever you want BUT if I pay $100+ to see the show, that's what I am there to see - the show - not Law & Order, ESPN, etc.

[CJR]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 3:43pm

I have heard stories of actors sending text messages to their friends during a performance.

I have a friend who routinely answered her phone during shows. I would call her to leave her a voicemail (knowing she should be on stage) and she would answer, telling me she had a few minutes till her entrance and what was up.

She was insane lol

I have another friend who was always on AIM in his dressing room and would harass me during shows (if I was signed on) whenever he was offstage. hahaha

[winston89]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 4:11pm

I agree with LePetiteFromage. We all have done things like check our personal email or facebook or IM at work. Those are things that technically we aren't supposed to be doing but we do them anyways. If your someone that has done those things then you are in no right to complain. If they are doing their jobs properlly then that is all that matters and that is all the people in charge care about. If for example someone missed a light cue because they were too busy watching the game on TV then that would be a problem. However, that isn't the case and people are using it as a backround noise rather then something that they are doing instead of or while they are working. It would be differnt if it was something that they were doing instead of working or something like that. But, there is no reason why a TV can't be on in the booth while they are doing their job.

It is like saying you can't have your Ipod on while your working and you can't listen to music in the backround while your doing something.

I have only had one personal experence where I saw the TV on in the boot. That was during Les Miserables at the Broadhurst where it was a situation that I was okay with becuase It was Daphine's rendition of I Dreamed a Dream which flat out sucked. It was a big rutgers football game that they were watching and it was great to have a distraction. I will admit that I did see a slight glare duing the show but it didn't bother me. I felt that they are doing their job who cares. And, I am sure that most house staff will hear the complaint however, they wouldn't really do much about it.

[oohshizz146]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 4:31pm

They know their cues. If they want to watch TV its fine as long as it doesnt affect the show

[winston89]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 4:44pm

I agree. And, frankly I can't say anything against going on the internet or checking your personal email while at work etc because I just posted my last message at work and I have gone online during class while I was in High School.

I think that people have this idea of what is supposed to be going on during the show for both the cast and crew whatever that is. And, they get so upset or confused when what actually goes on doesn't match what they had in their minds.

[rgaywrites]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 12:15am

So much of theater work involves waiting and sitting around and if you don't fill the time you will go crazy. When I work shows, I am fully prepared with distraction materials because once your cues are in your body, you can really do your work in your sleep. Now that most theaters have wireless it is much easier to deal with sitting around.

Actors do all sorts of things to fill the time between on stage appearances. Sometimes, they even play weird little on stage games. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the audience is completely unaware of the show within the show, so to speak.

[Bret]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 12:37am

I see no problem with occupying yourself with a quiet activity to pass the time, as long as it doesn't distract from the performance. Heck, right now I am pit singing in a local show, and I always have a book with me for the stretches where I do nothing. In the opera world, its even common for musicians to leave the pit for stretches when they aren't playing. What was not kosher, however, were the 2 bassoon players at the Met carrying on a conversation during act two of Traviata. The acoustics in there are great, and though I was in the 2nd tier, I could still hear them carrying on.

[andsym9001]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 12:59am

i have no problem with people doing other stuff while not on stage. i am involved in theater and understand how it can get waiting. even though i havent been on broadway i know basically how it feels. but the people in the lighting booth should not have had the tv facing the audience at all. i could see it and it was lighting up the wall so it was interfering. i dont know what calling the theatre or anything would do because these people probably just dont care cuz its closing.

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 1:02am

Does this thread make anyone else think of that Forbidden Broadway song about Les Miz? BTW, I think that actors/crew/orchestra should be able to do what ever, just as long as its not distracting or detract from their doing their jobs. So, maybe the TV is a bit much, but I think anything else is ok.

Updated On: 7/11/08 at 01:02 AM

[andsym9001]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 1:50am

yes it does. "on my phone while jean valjean is weaping. i can call the jerk with whom im sleeping!!!" "until i enter next theres lots of time to send a text" hahahaha