One Playbill per person please.......one or one-hundred- Page 3

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 9:41am

" Especially when I ask the people next to me for their ticket stub because I printed mine off the computer. They thought I was weird."

That IS weird. If you want a real ticket stub, why don't you just have yours held at the box office?
That would be a little freaky to me...the ticket stubs have the peoples names on it...

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 9:45am

I work off broadway, but we still get patrons who "need" multiple playbills.

It's fine if they pick up the ones left after the show, but as for before the show-no, not a good idea. They are counted out before each show, so that we have the right amount for that house that night. Not very many extras.

[Mealz1042]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 10:09am

wait seriously why would you need or even WANT that many playbills. I take one and I can understand maybe two (like if you wanted one signed and one clean or something) but what on earth are you doing with 15 playbills??

[BDavis0092]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 10:09am

What do you mean held at the box office? It didn't have their name on it though...but I did notice that they paid more than $60 for their seats than I did and I sat right beside them.

[Mealz1042]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 10:16am

" Especially when I ask the people next to me for their ticket stub because I printed mine off the computer. They thought I was weird."

I have never actually asked someone for their ticketstub but i always hate when i have the tickets printed off the computer.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 10:16am

"Fosse76 - I've seen enough ushers be instructed to throw out stacks and stacks that I can't help but disagree with your assessment."

There are very specific reasons they are discarded. Yes, they are discarded if there are extras. They are discarded when a cast change is made as well. Also, editorial content may be changed from week to week during the month, a new headshot may have been inserted, coreections, on and on. In that case the programs have to be discarded. So don't just assume that because the house is discarding Playbills it's because they are extra. And whether you like it or not, taking a program from stacks of programs that were not handed out is stealing. You, as a ticket buyer, are entitled to only ONE Playbill, which is handed to you by the theatre. If an usher wants to give you an extra, that is his or her perogative. Yes, generally there are more than enough, but Playbill doesn't always ship the right amount. I remember specifically a time where we ran out of programs but couldn't use the shipment that came in that day because there were three new performers in them, replacing three performers in the cast who were in that night. So don't assume that a theatre has enough programs for the week. Ask an usher for an extra, but don't just steal them from the unused stacks (because as I said, it really is stealing).

[jordangirl]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 10:21am

BDavis... They mean pay the same service fee and the ticket sits at the box office and waits for you rather than you printing it out. Voila...instantly you have a ticket. You just have to plan to get there early enough to pick it up.

The only time I haven't had my own ticket when I left a show was when I switched seats with someone at the Vertical Hour ~ she needed to be further back and had front row. So...real tough decision for me. We only swapped in case there was a problem with my original seat.

Oh...and there was the time testing gave me a ticket. :)

Other than that, if you order it by phone or online ~ or I think use a credit card at the box office ~ some form of your name is usually on the ticket. Not so for rush or tickets bought with cash at the box office. Or I'd guess with tour packages.

[Jellylorum]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 10:24am

An usher forgot to give me a playbill once. She was gone before I could ask for one, so I went to go grab one from the stacks. Another usher saw me, got pissed off, and snatched it away from me. I guess she thought I was one of those playbill hoarders who wanted fifty copies of it. So if you want extra playbills, just pick up what people leave behind when the show is over. It's most likely you won't get caught taking from the stacks, but as mentioned in previous posts, there are reasons why you shouldn't do it anyway.

Request your tickets to be held at the box office if you really want to keep the stubs. I think the fees for that are the same as getting the tickets through email.

Updated On: 5/31/07 at 10:24 AM

Posted: 5/31/07 at 10:37am

Ryerson University Psychology Prof. Gordon Emslie says that there is no conclusive explanation for why people collect obsessively. He cites several theories - biological and psychological - but says none has been conclusive in explaining the phenomenon.
The biological aspect suggests that there is something in our genes that makes us vulnerable to collecting stuff to an extreme extent. Prof. Emslie cites studies that have shown a brain abnormality of those who have this compulsion, but urges that many people have such abnormalities and don't have this problem.
Then there is Freud's theory that links obsessive collecting to childhood and the potty-training period. Parents force their children to train their bowel movements and then the child's output is promptly flushed down the toilet, suggesting that what they have produced is of no value; in fact, it is abhorrent and needs to be gotten rid of. According to Freud, adult obsessive collectors are merely hoarding things because they were accustomed to things being taken away from them during this potty-training period.
Prof. Emslie says that the personality type that would fit the bill of an obsessive collector is someone with an obsessive compulsive personality disorder. This is someone who repeats actions compulsively and integrates them into a daily ritual. Obsessive collectors who can't control themselves and who become so attached to their collection that they can't function in the outside world might do so, Prof. Emslie says, because they feel a lack of power in their lives.
"You might not be able to control something in your life, but at least you can control something like your Playbill collection, for example," he explains.
"[Obsessive Collecting] gets in the way of doing daily functions," Ryerson University Psychology Prof. David Day says. Those who collect things to an extreme extent may do so because it reduces anxiety in their lives, Prof. Day says. "These are people who say, 'I just can't stop it.' "


Sound familiar?

[BDavis0092]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 11:10am

Ah, I didn't know that was an option. I will certainly do that next time.

[sweetiedarlinmia]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 11:29am

I usually get one for my collection and one for my mom, if it's a show she might be interested in. She doesnt get to see most of the shows I get to see, so I try to do that for her, as well as a magnet. She collects them.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 11:38am

I went to the opening night of "42nd Street." Yes, THAT opening night "Ladies and gentlemen, I have terrible news... Gower Champion has died..." I had to fight with the guy beside me to keep my two programs. People were scooping them up like dresses in a bridal gown sale. As a result, I have a collection that usually numbers twelve or more copies of every show I've seen (I started grabbing as a kid) but only two creased copies of the 42nd Street program.

You never know what will make a program a collectable.

[antonijan]

Posted: 6/2/07 at 6:04am

as promised...here is a visual of my updated playbills collection :P

I added Wicked and Spelling Bee!

I will be putting the signed Jersey Boys Ahmanson Program at the center once I get it :P

Updated On: 6/2/07 at 06:04 AM

[BDavis0092]

Posted: 6/2/07 at 6:08am

Your picture doesn't work in this thread. But it does in like the 10 other threads.

[antonijan]

Posted: 6/2/07 at 6:13am

maybe it's the only thing that can make me function in the outside world :P

[Bwayfan4]

Posted: 6/2/07 at 7:34am

Maybe it's me but I can see the picture just fine!

Still curious though...did you have to get the mats specially made or were you able to find a frame (with mat) on a store shelf somewhere?

I like collecting at the shows that I've seen...but I don't need multiple copies of the playbill (I'm kind of confused as to why anyone really needs more than one).

[ItsCalledHistory]

Posted: 6/2/07 at 8:40am

I agree - it's not stealing, afterall how can you steal something that is already free? Everything costs money to produce.

I used to take 10-15 after a show, for god knows what reason, but because of space have recently changed my philosophy. Now, at most I go home with two.

As for Playbill, my understanding is that they do deliver as many playbills as there are seats in the house -- but will revise that based on attendance records. So if you're seeing JOURNEY'S END, what's the harm of taking 15 extra playbills? There were probably 15 empty seats behind you. But at WICKED, maybe you want to take just a few.

And if the ushers are so worried about people taking extra's, then they should lock up the playbills elsewhere in the theatre when the show starts to prevent people from grabbing from their stacks.

Just my two cents.

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 6/2/07 at 8:55am

i just pick up Playbills under seats and stuff if i want extra playbills because theyre still in good condition, and they're just extra playbills people didn't take with them
i usually dont do that though, because 1 playbill is usually fine with me.

[ahmelie]

Posted: 6/2/07 at 9:30am

I ask for two, or three if I'm stage-dooring.

And I actually like to look through old playbills. I have a playbill from Woman of the Year and others and I love looking at it and seeing what shows were running at the time.

I like to think that when I'm 80, looking through all the playbills of the shows that I've seen will be a gift.

[soapguy17]

Posted: 6/2/07 at 10:10am

Rath, I wasn't afraid until I read the playbill in the paper baggy comment. *leaves*

[antonijan]

Posted: 6/2/07 at 9:23pm

I'm bad! I grabbed 10 today at the JB SF matinee just because I share them to people on BWW :P

[mikem]

Posted: 6/2/07 at 9:33pm

I don't think it's inherently strange to put a Playbill in some kind of bag or sleeve. If you want to frame it, it kind of makes sense to try to make sure it doesn't get scruffed on the way home.

[retrogirl44]

Posted: 6/2/07 at 9:35pm

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Wow! Interesting subject..what the book's title? I'd like to read it.....

[retrogirl44]

Posted: 6/2/07 at 9:38pm

Can you tune me in to a discount frame place? ( Retail, wholesale, Internet). I've collected 1,000 over the past 40 years, and am constantly in search of inexpensive, but nice frames. Thanks.

[uncageg]

Posted: 6/2/07 at 9:48pm

I am planning to frame all of the playbills I have collected since 2004. All of my prior playbills were destroyed (I am sick over that!). Am planning to have huge frames made with insets so I can cover my entire hallway wall with them. The sleeve thing sounds like a good Idea. I usually go out after a show and carry my Playbill with me. Sometimes they get fingerprints on them. If I am wearing a coat or jacket, I make sure it is one with an inside pocket and put my playbill there to protect it.