Emergency Alert System Test Tomw During Matinees- Page 3

[Tom5]

Posted: 10/3/18 at 10:03pm

There's a difference between turning your phone off and POWERING it off. Turning the phone off is usually just one push on the top button and the screen goes black, but it's still really on. Powering it off requires steadily holding the top button down for 5 -10 seconds.

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 10/4/18 at 12:34am

Tom5 said: "There's a difference between turning your phone off and POWERING it off. Turning the phone off is usually just one push on the top button and the screen goes black, but it's still really on. Powering it off requires steadily holding the top button down for 5 -10 seconds."

I think most people know the difference. My phone doesn't have a button on the top. When I say I'm turning my phone off it means I turn it off as in it's not turned on at all.

[The Pecan Sandies]

Posted: 10/4/18 at 1:01am

Just got back from the cursed child. They had ushers warning everyone and made an announcement before the normal pre show announcement so I heard 3 warnings total. No phones went off in part 1 but of course for part 2 people didn’t turn there phones off so I heard several go off throughout part 2

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 10/4/18 at 1:16am

Was at My Fair Lady this afternoon and not one phone went off! Ushers were asking people to shut their phone off then they made a pre-show announcement about the 2:18 alarm and said as a reminder please turn your phones off, not just on silent or airplane mode, as they believe the alarm will override those settings. It appears everyone listened! :)

[HSky]

Posted: 10/4/18 at 4:55pm

Hamilton had text added above the usual cast list on the playbill insert asking everyone to turn off their phones due to the test, and during the preshow announcement, Euan Morton mentioned the national test and then said, "I'll wait." with a prolonged gap of 20-30 seconds before wrapping up. No phones went off during Act 1, but there was one during Act 2.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 10/4/18 at 5:07pm

This is an alert that was enacted under Obama. and is implemented through FEMA (the President will have sole discretion as to when it used). They are required to test the system every three years. Apparently, the alert behaved differently depending on the cell phone, and whether or not someone was on a call or actively using data. By law these alerts cannot be disabled. My phone was on vibrate at the time, and while my phone did vibrate and activate the screen so I could see the alert, it did not make any additional sounds.

[saxpower]

Posted: 10/5/18 at 6:28pm

They made a specific announcement before SOR, specifically noting phones MUST be powered off and the signal would override muting, etc.  I did not hear anything- the person I was with thought he heard something go off (though I usually have better hearing)- if it did, 2:18 happened to coincide with a louder moment of the show. 

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 10/5/18 at 9:47pm

KathyNYC2 said: "Not a peep at Waitress. Everyone was asked to shut off their phones and they obviously did. Nice job everyone. "

I was at Waitress too and I can second that not a peep was heard. It was pretty impressive to know the entire audience listened to the ushers.