Autographs Question

[Showcraig]

Posted: 9/7/06 at 10:06pm

If you have a B&W resume headshot of an actor/actress as a collectable, is it in bad taste to wait at the stage door and ask them to autograph it? Will they get angry and wonder why you have it?

Thanks!

[Lori2]

Posted: 9/7/06 at 10:08pm

Just saying in my opinion, I wouldn't do it.

[Showcraig]

Posted: 9/7/06 at 10:10pm

That's what I was pretty much thinking - thanks for the confirmation

[myManCape]

Posted: 9/7/06 at 10:52pm

I see no problem with it. Im sure they would have no problem signing it.

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 9/7/06 at 10:57pm

I would suggest mailing the photo to the actor and having him/her sign something that has to do with the show at the stage door. I always find it a bit fishy when people bring photos to be signed at the stage door. You sometimes can see creepy older men with bags filled with photos that they are trying to get signed so that they can later sell them on eBay and keep the profits. I wouldn't want to fall into the category.

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 9/7/06 at 11:09pm

"You sometimes can see creepy older men with bags filled with photos that they are trying to get signed"

Omg!! There was one at Drowsy when I was there. That was crazy!

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 9/7/06 at 11:15pm

I've seen them all over the place. Mostly at stage doors of shows with big stars, like Three Days of Rain (Julia Roberts, etc.), Festen (Julianna Marguiles, etc.), The Boy from Oz (Hugh), Of Thee I Sing (Victor Garber), etc., etc. But they are usually really creepy.

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 9/7/06 at 11:22pm

This guy had an envelopes with each actors picture in it (from Drowsy)- it was like a professional headshot. He had multiples of some actors- some regular headshots, some just production photos from the show.

People stood at the stage door after the show but, obviously, some of the actors didn't come out- ie: Sutton, Georgia...
So, at around 4:30 (it was a Wed matinee) everyone started walking away.
I went to get a quick bite to eat and had to walk by the stage door again and it was around 5:45. Who was still standing there? That creepy old man!!

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 9/7/06 at 11:32pm

That's creepy/obnoxious...I hope Broadway doesn't turn into LA. That town is teeming with folks like that, looking to make a buck by lugging around boxes and boxes full of headshots in their cars, hoping that they'll have the right one on hand when they find a celebrity they're after. I guess Broadway will never be quite that bad, but we're so celeb-crazy nowadays...and given that Broadway actors are so easily accessible (I do believe we've had that conversation, haven't we?), I'm kind of afraid for them. Not that a Sharpie and a photo is going to kill them, but they shouldn't have to show up at the stage door thinking that people are there for money rather than to show their appreciation.

Updated On: 9/7/06 at 11:32 PM

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 9/7/06 at 11:38pm

That is really creepy SweetQ. They also carry around hordes of playbills. I once saw a guy coming out of a theatre with around 20 playbills from the one show and shoved it into a bag which looked like it had even more inside. People probably do that to sell just the playbill on eBay.

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 9/8/06 at 12:55am

"...but they shouldn't have to show up at the stage door thinking that people are there for money rather than to show their appreciation.

Thank you! In the end, sadly, that's sometimes what it comes down to

I love to meet the actors and have them sign a playbill and get a picture but I sometimes wonder how many people are actually there for THAT reason.

Updated On: 9/8/06 at 12:55 AM

[Wanderingchild5]

Posted: 9/8/06 at 9:15am

Ive done it a few times, its ok, they dont mind.

[Gingersnap]

Posted: 9/8/06 at 9:45am

"This guy had an envelopes with each actors picture in it (from Drowsy)- it was like a professional headshot. He had multiples of some actors- some regular headshots, some just production photos from the show."

That sounds like a pair of men I kept running into on West 45th Street this time last year. They each had a folder full of headshot. One had a list of names with thumbnails of the headshots and names. They'd see someone, check their list of pictures to see if it was someone on it, then pounce with a headshot and Sharpie. One afternoon, I was standing near Garvey's waiting for a friend. They passed me, glanced at their picture list to see if I was on it (ha...I'm not) and moved on. They spotted Greg Jbara and made the proverbial bee-line across the street to catch him. He was on his phone and about to walk into the Imperial.

I saw them a few days later when I was talking with Hugh Panaro. Hugh was holding his dinner, his dry-cleaning. He didn't have his hands free and was in the middle of a conversation. And, sure enough, these two guys approached with barely a "pardon me" to ask him.

Now, if you're a real fan and you have a headshot for whatever reason...you came across it at the flea market or something...I don't really see too much of a problem asking to have it signed. It's not too different from some young fan who prints out her favorite picture from an actor's site and asks to have it autographed.

[scot]

Posted: 9/8/06 at 11:52am

I really think it depends on the actor.
I've seen some sign those and then I've
been around Betty Buckley when she got
huffy and didn't want to sign one.

Scot

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/8/06 at 12:11pm

As the great Tina Maddigan once said to me "you can usually spot the creepy autograph collectors."

If you're a harmless fan with a headshot, it's no problem. If you look like some of the people I've seen, it's a problem. But, even then, they sign.

Autograph collectors to look out for:
Older Guy with glasses and really high pitched voice - wears a long black trench coat and red socks.

Older, mentally ill guy with glasses, talks to himself, doesn't even know who the actors are. In Bryant Park, he went up to every woman performing with the same question: "Are You Duff?"

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 9/8/06 at 12:33pm

I won't even get into the "dudes" outside of the stage door at Faith Healer with bags of Stars Wars action figures and dvds for Ian to sign. They looked like something out of a "Clerks" film-a stereotypical comic book nerd (no offense to comic book fans). He told them flat out "no". He then explained to me and my friend that he would gladly sign ONE photo or action figure or dvd for a true fan. However, multiples are clearly out of line.

I think an actor would be totally fine with signing one photo, especially if they sense you were an earnest fan.

They are actors, so they have lots of insight and intuition. I am sure they are quite astute about discerning a sweet fan and a stalky ebayer.

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 9/8/06 at 2:59pm

Yankee, I actually saw that guy at Bryank Park! When he actually found Haylie, he asked her and she didn't say anything but just gave him a look and walked away. I found it kind of humorous.

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 9/8/06 at 3:17pm

I saw an older, taller man twice in 3 days at different stagedoors. He wandered around with a huge brief case looking thing, but chock full of window cards. It was odd. He was once at Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He actually asked Greg Jbara to pose with his children. I found that incredibly rude and kind of startling. He asked Andrew Asnes (an ex ensemble member there to support Greg) to sign the window card and Andrew said "Dude, I've signed about 10 of those for you," and walked away. That was hysterical. Then, two days later, there he was at Faith Healer, with all of his window cards, being creepy again.

[Showcraig]

Posted: 9/9/06 at 12:28am

Thank you all for the input. I assure you I am not a creepy seller or anything, just a fan who has come across a headshot picture of my favorite stage actress which would be nice autographed. It is for me to keep. I have til October to decide (when I see the show) but will prob chicken out. I don't want to offend her at all.

[mikem]

Posted: 9/9/06 at 12:34am

My understanding is that personalized ("To Craig...") autographs are not worth as much, so if you ask her to address it to you, that will probably reassure her that you're not looking to sell the picture.