Cellphones in theater

[Unknown User]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 10:26am

Last weekend I was at show and they made announcements about cell phone use which I did not hear. Although I did check my phone to be sure it was on vibrate so that the ringer will not go off. As show time started I texted my hubby that show was starting and he text back, I saw the message but did not check it. I put my phone back in my bag. Then my phone vibrated again, which I thought was strange so I checked it again (I realized that my phone is set to vibrate again when I do not read the text). As I was clearing it the old woman next me, nudge me and said “That is distracting”. I said no problem and put the phone away with no intentions of looking at again.

During intermission I was miffed; she did not even give me a second to act on my own. So I went to confront this moth ball smelling person. I said “ I understand it was distracting but you did not give me a second to shut off my phone. You do not know my situation at home” When the man she was with said “we don’t care” I responded that “I was not talking to you” , which this compassionless woman said “ we don’t care and if you cannot shut off maybe you should not be here”

Anyone who has Iphone knows how long it takes to put a password, clear a text and close a phone, it is not that long and she really should minded her own business.

Then there was babbled about the law (which I saw an article from Reuters and CNN from 2003 but I have not been able to find the actual law on the NYC Rules and Regulations website or New York State Statue and regulation). I am pretty sure the spirit of the law is for people talking and not reviewing a text.

I was searched website and used search engines where theater goers heard feedback or if an actor stopped a performance because of feedback on wireless microphone due to a cell phone being on and there is none.

If anyone has a story I would love to read it and if anyone can give me the statute or regulation that speaks to mobile phones being used in an indoor theater I would love to see.

To the opinion that the glow of an iphone screen is distracting well then maybe you should tested from attention deficit disorder.

I will not shut off my phone in a theater; I will not be disconnected in time when my car was search for bomb before parking in garage but I will not frivolously use my phone either during a performance.

I will never go to Sunday matinee again

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 10:28am

Oh this should be good lol

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 10:33am

#TeamCompassionlessWoman

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 10:35am

You should do everyone a favor and just not leave your house. Ever. Then you can stay there and do every selfish thing you want and nobody will give two shlts.

You sound like an absolutely miserable, awful, horrible excuse of a person and if I were that old lady next to you that day, I would have smacked you in the head with my cane.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 10:37am

I will never go to Sunday matinee again

If we're lucky, you'll never go to the theater again. You can stay home and clear your text messages all you want.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 10:38am

This has to be a troll...right?

Cell phones are not welcome in theaters and should not be. Ever. The glow of a phone is annoying and distracting to everyone. YES the phone signals 100% disrupt the microphones. From experience.

[pc1145N2]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 10:40am

I can't decide if this is real or not. How can one person feel so entitled? I think I prefer to believe that this person is just making up her story to get a reaction.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 10:41am

Oh, gee...

A bright phone screen in a dimly-lit and darkened theater? To think that someone, even without ADD, may be distracted by that...

Does the "moth ball smelling person" know your personal life? No. The "moth ball smelling person" just wanted to (somewhat politely, I think) resolve a valid distraction.

If you believe that every incoming text could be an emergency, then by all means, check your phone every once in a while. Just know that when you do, this reaction may and probably will happen, a reaction that is appropriate and better than ushers being alerted.

Team "Moth Ball Smelling Person"

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 10:42am

I deal with people like this daily. If this one particular person is a troll there are countless others just like it in real life.

[JMPlayer6]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 10:46am

So you joined the site today and post this with the obvious intent to provoke. To be brief:
(1) Forget Sunsay matinees. I suggest that you don't go to the theatre on any day of the week that ends in "y"
(2) I, too, would not give a fig about your home situation
(3) Cell phones should be off when at the theatre, period. Not on vibrate, but off.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 11:26am

I will not be disconnected in time when my car was search for bomb before parking in garage

This is my favorite part.

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 11:31am

Ooh! I have a story like this:
One time I was at the theatre and I got a text message. I was embarrassed that I forgot to turn off my phone and reached in my pocket and pushed the power button to turn it off as to not distract anybody furthermore. You know, like a decent human being?

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 11:33am

Where's Patti LuPone when you need her?

[JamesBroadwayWiner]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 11:57am

It really does not matter what your home life is or what emergencies you may be expecting to come up. When a performance starts,you shut your phone off. Period (or if you don't, put it on silent and DONT look at it). Even for a second, it's very rude and distracting.

[JamesBroadwayWiner]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 11:57am

It really does not matter what your home life is or what emergencies you may be expecting to come up. When a performance starts,you shut your phone off. Period (or if you don't, put it on silent and DONT look at it). Even for a second, it's very rude and distracting.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 12:01pm

You can say that again.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 12:58pm

I'm totally #teamgee810 if for no other reason than I've found my new tragi-comic monologue for the 2014-15 audition season!

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 1:41pm

The OP may be a troll or not, but I believe that there are many people who feel the same way as the OP about phones in theater. The OP's point seemed to be that it is ok to take your phone out for a few quick seconds to just look at a message, but it's not ok to sit there with your phone out during a show and surf the web or something like that. From what I've seen in Broadway theaters, quite a few people think that it is reasonable to take out your phone, look at your messages/check the time/etc/etc and just put your phone back.

However,

I am 100% #mothballlady. Entitled people like the OP are just plain wrong. If there are legitimate emergencies going on, then perhaps the theater isn't the best place to be during a personal emergency. I think we are definitely headed in the direction of having to let these kinds of people "win" and just accept that phones will be coming out during Broadway shows. But I still will be speaking up about it, along with my fellow mothballs.

Updated On: 9/9/14 at 01:41 PM

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 2:17pm

I thought thew topic said "Cellophane in theater" and I thought it was about people unwrapping noisy cellophane wrapped hard candies.

Updated On: 9/9/14 at 02:17 PM

[MegInManhattan]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 2:26pm

Plus "not hearing" an announcement is not an excuse. It should be common sense to turn off phones in theatres, movies, etc, anywhere where noise or light would be a distraction. And in a potentially urgent situation, there's definitely a way to check your phone while leaving it in your bag so you can see the screen but no one else can see the light.

Not okay.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 2:32pm

You didn't HEAR the announcement? Really? The fact that you didn't already know that PHONES are not supposed to be on in a theater is pretty ridiculous.

"Although I did check my phone to be sure it was on vibrate so that the ringer will not go off. As show time started I texted my hubby that show was starting and he text back, I saw the message but did not check it. I put my phone back in my bag. Then my phone vibrated again, which I thought was strange so I checked it again"

When they tell you to turn your phone off, they really mean it. Do you know how distracting, loud, and annoying a vibrating cell phone is near you? It's obnoxious. You should have been kicked out just for that. You text-ed your husband that the show as about to start.....so the fact that you went to the theater didn't give him a clue already that a show was starting? Like most people care about receiving a text like that? Yeah, no. You checked your phone again after the show started? Is that.....what I'm reading from you? Do you think that's OK? Do you think that's respectful to the cast, crew, patrons, and other people who have worked SO hard to bring this show to you?

We HATE people like you and luckily ushers are getting more aggressive with clueless, disrespectful, horrible patrons such as yourself.

Don't ever attend the theater again.



Updated On: 9/9/14 at 02:32 PM

[Marianne2]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 2:36pm

Newsflash to to OP: ADD is not all about "look at the pretty lights." Even if they are trolling, they need to become more educated on a lot of things they are wrong about in this thread. Which is everything.

[Broadwaydreaming]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 3:02pm

hahahaha this is great ...but yeah the announcement is made pretty loudly right before the show... and I've been to quite a few shows. I thought this was a general rule??? I'm a Sunday Mat. frequenter and I find this stuff to happen all the time. Matilda, The Lion King, If/Then... and many others. All people that have no clue how to act in a theater. For me, the beginning is the most important part. I could easily argue that I should be entitled to have that magical moment and everyone around me should shut off their phones.

During the Lion King a women was texting someone about a hair dryer...A HAIR DRYER DURING THE FINALE. The usher was leaning over me scolding the women while the last BOOM filled the theater and ended the show. Magic lost.

[I'm a starkid]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 3:10pm

I find in general it's a good idea to turn off the phone a few minutes before the show starts, and if you can't sit for a few minutes then read the playbill and look around and appreciate the theater and set.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 9/9/14 at 4:25pm

Did the lady smell the moth-balls during the show?