Another stage door horror story with a forced kiss?!?

[mitchern]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 9:57am

https://www.threads.net/@dan_jhoy/post/DISqt6WOI5v?xmt=AQGzpE1OjncNan5zrqkEFrtY8h40j8TqBPdQM8F1bC9G6A

Jesus people!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 10:07am

Good lord.

And this one isn’t even OUTSIDERS, he’s in PIRATES.

The stage door experience feels broken enough that it needs to disappear for a few years until an alternative can be devised. This is where AEA, the landlords, and the Broadway League could make actual meaningful change. Or a less formal agreement between all actors in current shows to stop engaging at the stage door. They owe nothing to the audience.

[Wick3]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 10:09am

I'm glad the person apologized after but I don't understand what made that fan think it's ok to go ahead and kiss the actor in the LIPS at stage door?!?!?!?!?!??!

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 10:18am

Yeah, I don’t understand anyone doing stuff like this- autograph, maybe photo a “thank you. Enjoyed the show” and leave the poor actors alone. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 10:29am

Wick3 said: "I'm glad the person apologized after but I don't understand what made that fan think it's ok to go ahead and kiss the actor in the LIPS at stage door?!?!?!?!?!??!"

Stalker level harassment. That person should be banned from seeing PIRATES again.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 10:36am

The police should have been called.

[MasterThespian 2]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 10:57am

People no longer know how to behave. Manners, class, and civility are gone. It’s all about me, me, me, and if you don’t like it, f——— you. I don’t see this changing for the better. An entire generation has been raised to believe they’re special and rules don’t apply to them. 

Updated On: 4/11/25 at 10:57 AM

[tacotheatrelover]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 11:15am

As a young person I'm horribly sorry for the **** my generation pulls.

Whenever I stage door I'm horrified of doing anything to make the actors uncomfortable, hell I'm uncomfortable talking to them because i don't wanna screw up. People have no respect for personal space and just keeping it normal. I have Autism and the sheer thought of getting in these people's faces and in their personal space is utterly horrifying and disgusting, what happened should not have happened at all and I'm terribly sorry for the actor this happened too.

This is the kind of stuff you expect to see at the outsiders, not Pirates.

I enjoy stage dooring, I've been told by multiple staff members and actors I'm one of the calmest people in my age group that they've talked too and wish more people would just be respectful and not to weird **** like this. I wouldn't be surprised if this is one of the things that gets stage dooring closer to extinction and I wouldn't blame anyone who agreed. It's way too understandable why no one would want to keep doing this if they're literally getting assaulted. It's utterly f!cked.

Do better.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 11:16am

Yeah, whenever I hear that an actor is not stagedooring, my only thought is, “Good for them.”

[kdogg36]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 12:07pm

tacotheatrelover said: "As a young person I'm horribly sorry for the **** my generation pulls."

As an older person, I can assure you that there's nothing uniquely wrong with your generation. Old people have been complaining about the systematic moral regression of young people for roughly 300,000 years, and it has always been baloney. Every generation has people who are obnoxious and entitled, people who are placid and generous, and everything in between.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 12:52pm

Older folks also have their own ways of being obnoxious, trust.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 12:58pm

Kad said: "Older folks also have their own ways of being obnoxious, trust."


“Anybody have an extra ticket….?”

[MasterThespian 2]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 1:01pm

I get it, lots of people suck. Totally agree. But if you think public behavior hasn’t declined, try flying on a plane or attending a sporting event. Just two of many examples. 
 

kdogg36 said: "tacotheatrelover said: "As a young person I'm horribly sorry for the **** my generation pulls."

As an older person, I can assure you that there's nothing uniquely wrong with your generation. Old people have been complaining about the systematic moral regression of young people for roughly 300,000 years, and it has always been baloney. Every generation has people who are obnoxious and entitled, people who are placid and generous, and everything in between."

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 1:09pm

Forcible touching is a sex offense in New York. The police should have been called and that garbage person should have been arrested. "Consent is not optional". 

Updated On: 4/11/25 at 01:09 PM

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 1:27pm

Every generation has its own issues with consent. There’s a reason why the overly touchy boomer and above stereotype exists. 
 

But there’s a clear codependency and parasocial relationships going on with Broadway performers and the internet Stans. I’ve notice an overuse of referring to them by their first names only, when they literally don’t know them at all. It creates an undeserved familiarity with people you only know from watching on stage and lends itself into welcoming this behavior. 
 

There’s also the issue of access—die hard movie fans will probably never meet their favorite actor. Broadway Stans have a much easier time seeing their favorite, allowing these behaviors to run rampant. We need to start policing it. 

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 1:49pm

Social media itself is to blame as well since it only makes the parasocial relationship stronger. If you follow a performer and see what they're doing day to day, what music they like, their thoughts on tv shows, etc you feel like you know them and have a ton in common "I love coffee and The White Lotus tooooooo!" Not to mention if the performer ever innocently responds to a comment or DM it's essentially telling some of these fans they're friends/they know me and emboldens them. There was a girl at Next to Normal a decade ago who rushed once or twice a week and if you got her spot in line (I can't remember if she wanted 1st or 2nd) because then you'd get HER seat and that's awful because "Alice and I do a bit together!!" and I refused to swap spots because she was being so creepy about it. 

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 2:11pm

I agree the stage door has been issue for a long time now. I’m wondering what the solution would be. Most of theatres only have the one exit that performers come in and out of. The theatre owners also don’t own the sidewalks, so it’s not like they can force people not to gather around wherever performers come out of. I’m kind of shocked there hasn’t been more involvement from the city itself; Stage door crowds are a public nuisance and hazard.

[MasterThespian 2]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 2:27pm

It may get to the point where all actors are instructed to go straight to their waiting vehicles. No photos. No autographs. No conversations. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 2:52pm

Early on in rehearsals, just about every Broadway show has a "media training" session -- usually with the show's press agent and social media teams.  One of the first things they are always told is to never "follow back" someone they do not know, "like" any posts or tweets from strangers, comment on anything posted by a fan, or respond to any DMs from people they don't know (no matter how well intentioned and harmless they may seem).

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 3:31pm

MasterThespian 2 said: "It may get to the point where all actors are instructed to go straight to their waiting vehicles. No photos. No autographs. No conversations."

 

Not all actors have waiting vehicles though.

 

[Seb28]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 5:07pm

JSquared2 said: "Early on in rehearsals, just about every Broadway show has a "media training" session -- usually with the show's press agent and social media teams. One of the first things they are always told is tonever"follow back" someone they do not know, "like" anyposts or tweets from strangers, comment on anything posted by a fan, or respond to any DMs from people they don't know(no matter how well intentioned and harmless they may seem)."

A lot of performers are breaking all the rules mentioned above. Resulting in fans seriously thinking they are in a friendship or relationship with them. Attention is addictive for some and it works both ways. Most people look sane and normal at first glance. It's a dangerous game.

[CurtainUpNYC]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 5:25pm

This behaviour is abhorrent and should not be permitted or even considered acceptable. The police should have been called and the individual banned from all broadway houses permanently. Absolutely disgusting. 

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 4/12/25 at 10:05am

"The stage door experience feels broken enough that it needs to disappear for a few years until an alternative can be devised. This is where AEA, the landlords, and the Broadway League could make actual meaningful change. Or a less formal agreement between all actors in current shows to stop engaging at the stage door. They owe nothing to the audience."

I really thought after COVID, the stage door experience would have ended. After a sporting event, athletes do not stop and sign autographs for hundreds of people. Rock/pop stars are whisked away after concert in limo and never come close to fans after performing. Why does there need to be stage door experience for Broadway/West End shows? It is nice thing for actors/actresses to do this for fans, but it seems that there are just enough people who don't know how to behave that ruins it for everyone. Somebody forcing a kiss on a performer is just way over the line and sadly that person who did it will not be held accountable for violating a performer. Others will know better than me but are actors' kind of forced into doing the stage door experience by the show or are they truly allowed to make their own decision without any pressure.

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 4/12/25 at 10:08am

"Not all actors have waiting vehicles though."

Exactly. Quite a few take the subway home or maybe go out to eat somewhere.

[MasterThespian 2]

Posted: 4/12/25 at 10:26am

The stars that people are stage dooring for aren’t riding the subway or walking to the bus. Yes, all performers work hard and deserve kudos, but it’s the “above the title” stars that attract the autograph and photo hounds.
Anyway, if people could behave, this tradition would continue. But since too many act like brainless, uncaged idiots, it will need to end soon. 


Zeppie2022 said: ""Not all actors have waiting vehicles though."

Exactly. Quite a few take the subway home or maybe go out to eat somewhere."