No More Stage Door Autographs

I know it is a nice thing to do and a way to thank fans of the show but would the Broadway world end if this practice was stopped. Hit shows are always going to sell tickets and they don't need the good will. If your show is struggling does having actors signing Playbills really help sell additional tickets? Imagine a world where an actor can finish their performance and just head home without feeling obligated to sign autographs and take pictures with fans. I understand they can choose to do it or not but we all know if they don't people here and on other boards will talk about them - lol. Plus, there would be no need to have a security guy stand around for a few hours after the show is over. I would love to see some show say nobody is doing the stage door and see the reaction.

I really don't know what the benefit of getting rid of the stagedoor would be. Maybe if all of the stagedoors on Broadway became uncontrollable, but most of them are very lowkey (from the few I've been in and seeing the thread about the craziest stagedoors, those seem to be outliers for when a big performer come to a show). All the theaters on Broadway would basically have to all agree to stop it (either one by one or all at once), but there is no incentive to stop it like that. Plus there are plenty of people who love stagedooring, to see the people they perform to and talk to them. I get there are a good number of performers who don't like it and they are valid, but people are going to criticize them on whatever they do, nonetheless on these boards, not just avoiding the stagedoor, so getting rid of the stagedoor won't really change anything. Unless something major happens at the stagedoor, I can't see Broadway stopping it anytime soon.

Updated On: 6/15/19 at 02:00 PM

yankeefan7 said: " I would love to see some show say nobody is doing the stage door and see the reaction."

I'm too lazy to Google it right now, but isn't this what happened with that play that Amy Schumer did, that some (all?) of the actors announced on social media before it even started that they would not be doing the stage door for the entire run of the play?

"Would it hurt ticket sales? No, of course not. Does it help ticket sales at all? Doubtful. Keep in mind though, stage door Johnnies have been around since the very beginning of theatre. Why would this practice end now?

Because it has become such a big deal and quite a few fans feel entitled. Years ago, it was simply signing a Playbill. Now it can also include "selfies" and you get people on the line who did not even see the performance that day/evening.

"I'm too lazy to Google it right now, but isn't this what happened with that play that Amy Schumer did, that some (all?) of the actors announced on social media before it even started that they would not be doing the stage door for the entire run of the play? "

The world as we know it did not come to an end (lol) and the actors could peacefully head home or out to eat after their performance.

Updated On: 6/15/19 at 03:14 PM

"A few years ago my son got an autograph from Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera. Also unforgettable. I guess I feel that it goes with the territory. Make it big, give something back."

Very cool !! Many years ago I got autograph of this rookie named Derek Jeter (lol) who just came by the stands and signed a few balls during batting practice.

"But you are describing something that if it bothered actors, they just wouldn’t do it. I’m really not sure what your argument is here."

The show has to set up barricade for people to line up, you need a security guy to monitor the line for at least an hour. If you have a major star in the show, the situation is kind of crazy. I think the actors feel obligated to do it and many people on this board have said they only owe people a good performance. I know it is never going to happen, just curious what the reaction would be if it did.

poisonivy2 said: "I also disagree that stage dooring will necessarily move the needle in terms of ticket sales. I happened to stage door after the final show of Groundhog Day and Andy Karl was one of the nicest actors I've ever met at the stage door. That doesn't mean I'm rushing out to buy tickets to see him in Pretty Woman.

As I said, you can't regulate what actors do off the clock. If they choose to spend their time not stage dooring, that's fine. If they choose to spend their time stage dooring, that's their choice as well. Besides Laura Benanti and Nathan Lane I don't think the cast of Hadestown stage doors."

I actually just saw Hadestown and was able to meet almost the entire ensemble, the Fates, and Reeve. Eva usually comes out, but she wasn’t able to sign that day.

For me, I think that stagedooring, when done properly, is a nice way to show actors gratitude for the performance they’ve just put on. Obviously there are occasions when it gets unruly (e.g. Brendon Urie in Kinky Boots), but those are hopefully outliers.

I'll also add that while I'm sure they have happened I've never been to a stage door where fans were pushing and shoving each other and grabbing the actors or acting disorderly. The wildest stage door was probably the last few weeks of The Great Comet but no one was unruly, just really really LOUD.

Other stagedoors I've been to have been orderly affairs. There's usually the group of actors leaves and walks straight to a waiting car, the actor who signs, but says no pictures, and the group stays to chat, sign, and take pictures. I've never seen anyone bug an actor who says "no pictures" for a picture.

The only really bad stage door instance I've seen in person was at The Little Foxes, where someone just thrust their arm around Cynthia Nixon for a picture. Didn't even ask her or anything. She even went to the other side of the barricades.

yankeefan7 said: ""Some actors simply never stage door, and that's fine. Nathan Lane and Laura Benanti are two. Hasn't hurt their career. "

You are correct but those two are huge Broadway stars. I think Nathan Lane has stopped at stage door and if my memory is correct, people have said he is not a nice person."

I worked with Nathan Lane when he was called "Joey" and wasn't yet famous. I worked with him both in a play and in a day job (at the Harris Poll). He was very shy, which he sometimes covered up by clowning around.

Maybe he really is unkind to people; I admit I haven't seen him since he became famous. But I'm a little skeptical at reports he isn't "nice".

Anybody on this board who acts as if they are entitled to an autograph from a performer will be put in their place almost instantly. I think the vast majority of us understand it's entirely up to the performer and are fine if they choose not to. For those performers that are OK doing it or even enjoy interacting with their fans, they do it. If they don't want to they don't. Simple as that. The actors are big boys and big girls and have no problem saying no if they choose to. And as was mentioned previously, a star in a show is going to require security to get to their car anyway whether they stop for autographs or not. I really don't understand why the OP feels he needs to advocate for the abolishment of something others particpate in willingly. Should we bar actors from signing and returning fan mail? I'm sure an actor in his or her dressing room would rather not spend 20 or 30 minutes every few days or even more frequently responding to fan letters and requests to sign a playbill and mail back. Should we end that practice? How about at CD releases of cast albums? Should we bar cast members from performing a few numbers and then signing CDs? Should that be stopped? Are the last two examples really that different than the stage door? Where would you draw the line of where actor/fan interaction is too much?

Updated On: 6/16/19 at 02:43 AM