"So essentially, you feel the same outrage when someone from UNICEF approaches my company's receptionist as you do when a fan approaches Lillias White? "
I don't feel outrage at either. I find it to be very irritating in any situation when someone I do not know tries to demand my time or attention when I'm trying to work or get somewhere on time or even just have a conversation with a friend I'm trying to pay attention to. Fans can be a whole different animal because a lot of the time, it's not a quick "you're great, okay bye", then it turns into wanting an autograph or wanting a photo and, I'm sorry, some people just cannot read social cues to know when they've overstayed their welcome. Not everyone is respectful and kind. Most people aren't. Would be much nicer if they were. Nobody ever thinks THEY are the problem, it's always other people who take it too far or act crazy and that they have behaved in a completely appropriate way, but if we took everyone's assessment of themselves as gospel, then a lot of mental hospitals would be out of business.
My point about the stage door is one can expect to be asked questions or asked to sign autographs, etc. when they leave, whether they enjoy it or not (and if they don't, nobody forces anybody to sign), someone leaving the gym or trying to dash to the subway would not necessarily be expecting to have to be "on" if they were interrupted by a fan. Things are even more hairy now because being rude to someone on the street, or even just being curt because one is unable to talk, now can end up with somebody getting a BroadwayWorld thread dedicated to how rude they are or complaining on various social media and what have you. While most Broadway actors I know don't care about that kind of petty, infantile complaining, it's still part of the dynamic in a way that it shouldn't be. I know I've been told more than a few times how careful many actors are with how they react to things because of how easy it is for every word or gesture to be misinterpreted and then dissected online for thousands to read. It's a sticky situation no matter how you slice it and to me, the most appropriate, respectful thing to do would to be to not engage. That's all.
"Get mad, then get over it." - Colin Powell
Updated On: 5/13/13 at 09:41 PM