That was standard protocol until fairly recently. Supposedly had to do with the pre-show sets still be copyrighted material. I don’t know if the actual rules changed, but theatres/producers have drastically loosened up on this issue in just the last — maybe 5-7 years? I don’t remember when it took a sharp decrease - maybe it was a gradual shift. But I well remember the days when ushers would regularly chastise people for taking photos of the stage before the show, and they’d sometimes go so far as to make you delete the photos right in front of them.
I’m not surprised to hear that some theatres still do this, especially if it’s technically still a written rule, either in the copyright, the union, or both. But yes, it’s clear that most venues/producers have realized that it’s simultaneously (a) a losing battle, and (b) taking away free publicity that’s pivotal in the age of Instagram.
Updated On: 9/20/22 at 11:13 PM
