Incident at Signature Theatre today.....- Page 4

[Mike Costa]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 9:49pm

An enlightening thread.   First, if you are a playwright then you know not to bother someone wearing a headset "a few minutes before curtain".  They are in charge of something and  this is not the time to talk with them about a patron with a bathroom problem.  They have a job to do.   If you choose to take on the problems of a fellow theatergoer good for you, but it is your responsibility, not theirs.

 

Next, are you sure this particular woman with the headset was not recently reprimanded for assisting too many people in the past and had recently been warned not to touch them since the theater would be liable?

Perhaps what came out of her mouth was her training or warning from management.  Regardless, she let you know she could not help at that moment.  It was not the most polite way but perhaps you were pestering her during her most important moments of her duty.

 

Do you have any idea if this group was told to have sufficient numbers of chaperones and chose not to?

Do you know if the staff was specifically spoken to before the performance about this group refusing to have chaperones and warned not to touch them for legal reasons?

Do you expect theaters to have extra staff on hand to assist certain patrons with bathroom problems at curtain time or is that the responsibility of the ticket buyer themselves?

 

Good for you for choosing to help Dawn.  Bad for you for writing about it because a woman on a headset did not give you the reply you expected.  Have you ever misspoken at your job, did someone go online to write about it and call your manager?  They are just underpaid theater workers. She simply misspoke.  Choose your targets more wisely.

 

I have never attended a performance at The Signature Theater.

 

 

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 10:44pm

First of all, as someone who's actually attended many shows there, I know for a fact that all of their house staff wear headsets, and not just stage crew, and that her job, despite a headset or not, was to help patrons. Please don't be patronizing. 

Second of all, of course I don't expect them to help all patrons to the bathroom. But some kindness shown someone who can't SEE said bathroom would be nice. 

[bunnie3]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 11:46pm

Mike Costa, your post is kinda.....well, all supposition. Now that this being handled by the theatre in a positive way, I m  gonna divulge the fact that after I read the initial post by the OP, I opted to go to the theatre in question, which I live across the street from, and directly ask a House Mgr, (if possible, between shows), if they were aware that this thread was exploding, AND, to hear THEIR side of the story.  Long story short, a lovely young woman, one of the mgrs, sat down on the lobby couch w/me for at least 20 minutes, discussing this incidence. She was on the floor at the time, and explained every detail of what happened. She was kind, thoughful, listened to everything I had to say, including addressing Iluvtheatertrashs thread  with her higher .ups.  I commend all of them for addressing this, and, also, once again to  ROCK LOBSTER, for her very insightful and, imho, correct assessment.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 11:50pm

I completely agree Rock Lobster. While I'm glad this conversation is happening and change is (hopefully) coming, the "slack"tivists on twitter and Facebook are out in full swing on this one. 

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 6/4/16 at 1:33am

"The thing is, most people who are blind don't want or need someone to take them by the arm.  They may want someone to walk with them, and that could be reasonable if it is not unduly disruptive to theater's operations. I must confess that when I read the initial description, I understood it to mean the patron was looking for someone to take her by the arm and walk her to the bathroom"

Happily, it looks as though this particular situation looks as though it is coming to a resolution, but I just wanted to emphasize theatredrew's first sentence I've quoted. Please, never take a blind person by the arm. It throws them off-balance and infantilizes them. Rather, ask them if they want assistance, and if the answer is yes, offer your arm  for them to take.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 7:53pm

^^^^ Um, how is a blind person to know you have "offered" your arm? Are their "spidey senses" THAT acute?

 

***

Thanks again to iluvtheatertrash for starting the thread. And thank you to theatredrew, morocco and others who took time to clarify that which confused me about the ADA.

Updated On: 6/5/16 at 07:53 PM