Sara Bareilles Instagram Rant

i think most people by now know what happened when Sara was in the middle of She Used To Be Mine and noticed someone filming in the front row. She got extremely frustrated and posted a long rant on Instagram.



if an actor gets that angry, and has the support of other actors, how on earth can you justify recording show?? You’re essentially asking to see a show for free, when other people come from all over the world and save their money to see shows. I don’t understand?

qolbinau said: "Well, Im personally happy that some people have (hopefully discreetly) recorded some of my favourite performances, such as Marin Mazzie in next to normal or Bernadette Peters in Dolly and Night Music. Without them, their performances could be lost forever. And years later when the show has long closed, it doesnt seem to matter match. I just hope people record shows in a discreet way that dont affect the actors or audiences. And of course I came from all over the world to see both live several times.

Hell, if it werent for the ironic recording of LuPone saying stop taking pictures, right now, Id never have heard that iconic moment. And the pre show announcement at the London Company wouldnt have even made any sense to me."



People didn't need to hear an audio recording of what happened at the show to know why Sara was so upset. I'm sure you could have lived without hearing what you mentioned above.



Excuse me? Performances aren't "lost forever" without bootlegs. Please. People seeing the shows is ensuring performances aren't lost. Every time someone sees a show, that is burning the performance into their memory. And I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think shows are filmed with their original casts. That is not an excuse. Ever. I think you need to watch her video again. Do you care how upset she was? She usually doesn't do things like that. But between the drunk people at the performance AND people thinking it was okay to do that during one of the most vulnerable scenes-if not THE MOST-of the musical is SO not okay. There's NO way to justify that.

qolbinau said: "I care that it distracted her and potentially the audiencein this particular instance. However, if she were hypothetically this upset about someone recording her show without her knowing then I dont care at all, sorry."

You do realize you're advocating for something that is illegal right? You also just contradicted yourself. In your first post, you praised how you would have never had the pleasure of hearing Patti lose her mind on someone recording if it were not for someone recording...but in this response, you're saying you don't care at all that someone got upset over the same infringement?

Actors are trying to do a job and that job is to take an audience sitting mere feet away on a journey with them. We all bemoan when shows we love close too soon, but in a digital age where everything is at our fingertips, bootlegs provide an alternative to paid theatre attendance and diminishes the value of seeing something live. These aren't concerts. You know what paid attendance begets? Longer runs.

Maggie05 said: "Every time someone records a show, it is a total distraction to the people behind them. Each person has paid money to see and enjoy the full experience of immersing them selves in a Broadway show. The light from the phone recording distracts the eye and mind from what is happening on stage.

Theaters need to come together and solve this problem, because at almost every show I have been to this year (probably about 20) someone in front or next to me has taken out their phone, and checked their texts or tried to film something and it has ruined the moment for me and those around me. I have paid for my ticket, too, and another person doesn't have the right to take that experience from me. At some point, there is going to be a bad fight over this in a theater, and I will totally understand the rage. If you don't like the rules of the theater, don't buy a ticket..."



I know what you mean but if that's the case then theaters should also stop selling snacks that definitely ruins an experience when someone crackles plastic wrapper during an intensely quiet scene.

As far as recording a show, I agree with Sara but that is also the reality we live in. I'd say 90% of the people going to the theater have smartphones. Part of the usher's job is to enforce the rules and perhaps they need more ushers at Brooks Atkinson --- especially to monitor the front orchestra? I don't know the right answer to this. I recall the ushers at Hello Dolly! were extremely strict especially during Bette performances and I've never seen a Bette Midler bootleg of hello dolly. Is there even a fine if you get caught or do ushers just flash a flashlight on you for 2 seconds?

Saying certain performances will be "lost forever" is not a fair argument. For the audience members who paid to be there, the shows will not be forgotten. They will be engrained in their memory. Cast recordings exist to preserve shows that have short runs (my thought immediately goes to things like Bright Star, Bandstand, the off-Broadway run of Cruel Intentions which is coming out in March). Saying performances will be lost forever is not an excuse, because they will not be!

OhHiii said: "qolbinau said: "I care that it distracted her and potentially the audiencein this particular instance. However, if she were hypothetically this upset about someone recording her show without her knowing then I dont care at all, sorry."

You do realize you're advocating for something that is illegal right? You also just contradicted yourself. In your first post, you praised how you would have never had the pleasure of hearing Patti lose her mind on someone recording if it were not for someone recording...but in this response, you're saying you don't care at all that someone got upset over the same infringement?

Actors are trying to do a job and that job is to take an audience sitting mere feet away on a journey with them. We all bemoan when shows we love close too soon, but in a digital age where everything is at our fingertips, bootlegs provide an alternative to paid theatre attendance and diminishes the value of seeing something live. These aren't concerts.You know what paid attendance begets? Longer runs."

I’m not contradicting myself, you’re confused. Patti didn’t know people audio recorded her screamin stop taking pictures at someone who was distractingly taking pictures with a flash. I’m glad someone audio recorded the incident. I’m not glad someone took a photo with a flash at a show. That was ridiculous.

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I’m not contradicting myself, you’re confused. Patti didn’t know people audio recorded her screamin stop taking pictures at someone who was distractingly taking pictures with a flash. I’m glad someone audio recorded the incident. I’m not glad someone took a photo with a flash at a show. That was ridiculous.

Regarding this now legendary LuPone/GYPSY/ "Rose's Turn" rant, it was later revealed that the photographer taking those photos was Gillian Laub, who was on assignment for New York Magazine, and had been approved/authorized by not only LuPone herself but GYPSY management. It wasn't some random audience member taking photos. Gillian has said that LuPone DID call her later that same night and profusely apologized as (to quote LuPone) "she was mortified." Sadly, LuPone has never mentioned this follow-up whenever it's been mentioned in interviews.

I was wondering if the person was approached. Glad to hear that. I was hoping that she told someone backstage to have a staff member approach the woman after the show.

This is not about "preserving" a show or a performance. Shows are being filmed and preserved. And the argument about people living far away and having to spend a lot of money to get and stay here doesn't hold much water. This city is busy year round with people from every corner of this country. When I lived across country I would plan my trip well in advance. I would buy my tickets ahead of time so by the time the trip was happening I only had to budget spending money. I budgeted lodging ahead of time. I suspect these people do the same. Thousands of them.

This is about people not listening to or wanting to be told not to do something they want to do. It is about being selfish, entitled and disrespectful to those around them. I was sitting behind someone who was discreetly filming a show once. Nobody next to her or to the left of me saw it, but because of where she had the phone hidden, I could see it. I reported her and the video was deleted by staff.

I agree that the community should get together and do something. At this point, I wish there was a way to have them removed if caught. I read the law and can't remember if there is a fine.

But the tricky part is that some shows allow pictures when actors are not onstage. Which in a lot of cases leads to people taking pics during the show. Some people actually think snap chatting is not taking a picture. And i have found that a lot of people from overseas do not understand the word photography. They understand the words photo or picture. (Trust me onthat one.) So they will snap pictures and film having not fully understood the announcements. It makes me wonder what the rules are in their countries.

Bit no matter what, as stated above, it is the reality we live in. And it sucks. Because along with this technology we have inconsiderate people using it. It is everywhere.

The worse? Sitting in the mezz and being distracted by the light from that person who is on their phone for half the show. It annoyed me so much one time that I got the seat number and reported it at intermission.

Just my random thoughts.

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OlBlueEyes said: "There wouldn’t be a need for bootlegs if Broadway would stop living in the last century. In general, people no longer have to be at the right place at the right time to see films, television shows and live concerts. Not long after first release, films and TV shows can be streamed right to your home. And there is fantastic money in it, as you know if you follow Netflix.


When you get down to it, Broadway is a business. If they start suing streaming platforms, that requires money to film the show. Do you think all the equipment needed for that is available on demand? Do you truly think it’s that easy? Do you think there may be a slight (very slight) decrease in attendance since viewers will say, I’ve seen it recorded, I don’t need to see it live? Do you think that’s a possibility?

There is no need for bootlegs. We also live in a century where people feel as though they need to see everything when they want to, by any means necessary, even if it means breaking the law and doing something illegal and being incredibly rude and disrespectful to actors. We live on a very demanding society. People don’t want things to be special anymore. They just demand things.




An increasing number of live concerts are being recorded and made available for later viewing. Even subscription streaming radio, especially SiriusXM, broadcasts live concerts and makes them available to listen to later “on-demand.”

Half of the population is over 1000 miles away from Manhattan. Someone who wants to see a live show has to pay big bucks just to fly to NewYork and get a room in a hotel (25 percent sales tax, thank you). Then they can buy a good seat for $175 or so.



im aware. Still absolutely no excuse for recording a show. None.


You do realize there are people in nyc who might want to see a show but can’t afford it, right? Location isn’t an excuse for illegal activity. You don’t think there are people who live close to nyc, close to broadway but can’t afford to see the shows they’d like to see? I 100% understand that the difference is also between being close and having to pay for airfare, a place to stay, food AND a ticket, but it’s still not a far excuse. People who come from far away are able to save to see shows. People come from all over the world to see shows.


Is it a surprise that the Tony awards are on the brink of being dropped by the major networks? No one has seen the shows. After the first six or nine months, when the first rush of attendance has passed, allow the rest of the country to share. Maybe pay-per-view with a good stiff cost, but not $175.



you also realize there are inexpensive ways to get tickets? Rush, lotteries, standing room-does this not help? Websites with discounts for tickets like BroadwayBox. Bootlegs are not an excuse.

If enough money is realized from this, ticket prices in New York might be reduced allowing more people to attend. And to hopefully eliminate eight shows a week. This burden sends the best actors and actresses out on concert tours instead of into another Broadway show."





Broadway doesn’t need bootlegs to thrive. Sure it might help people who live far away and can’t make it to somewhere that has a show they’d like to see, but it’s not the way theater survives and has a following.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about bootlegs.

Yes, they make available and preserve performances. But isn't the appeal and the point of live theatre seeing something that never can happen again?

I don't think anyone is entitled to see a Broadway show any more than anyone is entitled to go to Disneyland. That argument rings hollow to me- if you can't get to NYC and see a show, that sucks, I'm sorry, but there are lots of places I'd like to go and things I'd like to see and do that I can't get to.

And I do think that actors should be able to give consent before being filmed. Merely appearing onstage isn't consent to have their likeness recorded and shared. This is their career and they should have say in how their work is distributed.

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Lin-Manuel Miranda has also been vocal about this. During his run in Hamilton, hed point out people who were recording and have them spoken to by ushers and other people at the theater.

Harvey Fierstein would do the same thing during his run in HAIRSPRAY. He obviously kept the ushers on their toes as he'd casually point to the audience member without ever breaking character. I saw HAIRSPRAY more than a handful of times before I caught on to what he was doing. It was more obvious during the curtain call when that's when most people would start taking photos so Harvey would be darting his fingers in all directions and you can visibly see the ushers rushing toward the front orchestra section.

theaterlyfe19 said: "I’ve ushered for shows before, and we’d always sit in the theater and wed watchthe audience to make sure no one was recording. There’s a very slim chance you can find a recording of one of the shows from that particular venue because the ushers are so on top of making sure it doesn’t happen."

It's very easy to blame ushers, but they are simply straw men in the blame game. Ushers cannot see or hear everything going on in the theater, and those who are aware of the illegality of recording shows will do their best to conceal such activity. Also, according to the usher's union, it's technically not the responsibility of the ushers to stop people from taking photos or recording the show. That's a security function. Most ushers do it as a courtesy, because it is behavior they themselves do not like. Another point, though, is that only the chief usher and house manager have any true authority over the house staff. Someone like Harvey Fierstein has no real authority to direct the ushers to do anything, since all requests would need to go through the house manager (to assure that such directions do not conflict with the business agreement). Most ushers will, out of respect and as a courtesy, take such instructions, but are under no obligation.

Another I need to make is that many shows are now employing the Disney version of customer service, which is to simply let the customer do whatever they want without consequence. Being told you can't do something is considered a "negative" experience and the theater landlords and producers don't want such negativity published on social media. Most shows once prohibited any and all pictures inside the theater due to intellectual property rights, but that rule is all but gone. At Come From Away the producers, during each successive preview performance, incrementally relaxed what recording behavior would be acceptable during the the band's play-out until they ultimately decided to prevent the ushers from doing anything about it at all. Scott Rudin has only recently begrudingly allowed ushers to stop any photography or video recording during performances. Producers do want ushers doing anything if it is more disruptive than the behavior. I guarantee an usher trying to stop someone taking video in the center orchestra will be more disruptive than the person taking the video.

I too have a mixed feeling in bootlegs. I spend ALOT of money each year flying into NYC and seeing shows, and I never watch a bootleg instead of seeing a show, unless I physically cant get to NYC. And any instance of someone distracting an actor by recording is unacceptable, but like frankly, any professional bootlegger is not sitting in the front row using a camera phone. And theyre not sitting with their phone out distracting people during the show.

Ive wnjoyed being able to go back and re-watch shows Ive seen. Or see shows from before I could regularly attend. Of course I wish all shows were released on Netflix it Broadeay HD, but I know thats not reasonable.

I also understand the argument that these actors havent given consent to be filmed, and that bootlegs can and do sometimes cost shows money. But they can also allow them to make more. I know plenty of people who have watched a bootleg and decided they had to get tickets to see the show in person.

Its a tricky subject. Rising ticket costs and premium seats are only going to make bootlegs a more viable option. However, people breaking the bootleggers rules are causing the availabilty of bootlegs to be an issue anyway.