Posted: 8/7/19 at 8:41am
broadwayguy2 said: "Certain shows HAVE passed them out at the end of the show for artistic reasons but that is not readily feasible for a production. At the end of the show, you have only half the ushers. Also, There is often important information for an audience member contained in the Playbill that they should have BEFORE the show (not after or during), and Actors Equity requires the audience to have information about the actors in the show and the audience must be notified of any understudies BEFORE the performance in at least two ways, and the program is one of the ways to inform the audience."
First, when they are handed out at the end, an usher just stands there with a stack passing them out, and the pace of exit is slower than their ability to do that in most theaters.
Second, by the time you get the Playbill, your ticket is already scanned, so if you want to know whether someone is out, etc., you should really get that from the board in the lobby. I always look at that by default before I go into any show, even if a callout wouldn't make me upset or want a refund. Since the full cast slips many shows use are less clear about who is in/out, unless you already have the cast memorized beforehand.