Do you think actors are obliged to appear/sign at the stage door?

While I think it's nice if they do, I personally don't think they owe an audience for anything except a performance. Many of the actors seem to enjoy stage door interaction, others, not quite so much. Someone like Nathan Lane, for example, while not well known for being necessarily gracious with fans, will often send a batch of pre-signed playbills out, if he doesn't intend to sign or come out himself. Angela Lansbury often does the same. Some avoid it altogether if possible, and others will stay behind until the last fan is gone. I think all of the above are valid behaviors.

I understand the desire to make a quick connection, express thanks and/or admiration or get an autograph/photo with a performer you enjoy, but I'm increasingly uneasy with the type of fan that feels entitled to these things, as though they think it is bought and paid for with the ticket to the show.

I know how some of you feel about this - what do the rest of you think?

Their job is to give the performance, which ends when the curtain comes down.

No.

And I'm not even a (blurb) author!

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NO.

@ghostlight2
No actor is obliged to do anything at the stage door. Like you said, some avoid it as much as possible (i.e Nathan Lane), but some revel in the chance to meet their fans (i.e Alice Ripley, who personally greets and signs everyone regardless of how many). Each perfomrer is different.

I do like to wait outside the stage door and anyone who signs is fine...I think fans who wait at the stage door want to personally praise the performers (and I feel that resonates more than sending fan mail...At least that's how I am.
Some people are just autograph hunters and its sad....

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At the same time, not wanting to stage door doesn't give anyone the right to be rude.

You can decline politely, but no need to treat those who do wait like they are inferior.

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blaxx, I was going to say something similar. I don't think any actor is obligated to sign at the stage door, but you should at least be cordial if you DO decide to. You don't have to be nice, but you shouldn't be rude.

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I agree that of course they're not obliged to come out the stage door. But I also agree that if you do come out you should be polite. With some of my experiences I'd rather have the actor not come out at all than have them behave the way some have.

You're taking this personal, love. There are quite a few threads where posters have expressed their stories about bad stage door experiences, with a number of performers.

That girl was an acquaintance and a poster here and she put it up as soon as it happened. I can't find the thread, but the argument was so heated that I wouldn't be surprised it got deleted.

There are, however, other posts of people expressing the disappointment about that performer. Maybe not to that extreme, but she certainly hasn't been exactly sweet at stage door every time. Feel free to look them up - I don't have time, but if it really is that important for you to read an opinion about her that is not mine, I'll do a search.

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I freely grant I took your acquaintance's story personally, blaxx, especially because it supposedly involved a minor physical altercation and some ugly words, and that flies in the face of everything that that performer has shown me and as far as I can tell, her fans, for over ten years.

Full disclosure, yes, I have been associated with her for a long time, though we're far from BFFs. I honestly did spend quite some time last night looking for more information on this board regarding bad stage door behavior from Charlotte d'Amboise, and that thread I linked to above was all I could find - and all of the posts were positive except for yours - and that wasn't even your experience. I'm not attacking you. I like your posts. I'm just trying to set the record straight, just as I'd hope you might, if an associate of yours were unjustly maligned publicly, especially secondhand from an acquaintance. PM me if you like, but yes, I would like to know of these other threads that you speak of. It wouldn't surprise me if I lack the proper searching skills, but it would surprise me even more if anyone but a disgruntled fan would have anything really bad to say about her.

As I'd said before, she's not the chatty sort, isn't one that loves the stage door, is often in a rush to get home to her kids, but I have never, ever seen her be rude to anyone under any circumstances, not even when she's had cause for it.

However, I return to the original purpose of the post, and to ask again (to everyone), if a performer was rude to you, what was it about their behavior that you considered rude? Another thing to consider - not every theater has easily accessible multiple exits. Sometimes a performer simply cannot avoid passing by the fans as they exit the theater.

eta: lol, Dmitri, most of the broadway people I know (Tony winners and all) take the damn subway!

Updated On: 4/18/10 at 09:12 PM

Yeah, well you obviously had it coming, Jordan. Those little old ladies aren't as innocent as they seem. Plus, you must be awfully tall if he punched you in the nads. Seems like giving you the knee would have been easier.

"Seems like giving you the knee would have been easier."

Well he was already down there anyway.

This poor dead horse.

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