Stage Door Exits In Covid 19 World

BobNC said: "Do the “Company” stars use the 43rd Street back exit or a side entrance to make their exits?"

First of all, "Company" is on 45th Street, two blocks away from 43rd Street, so there is no 43rd Street "back exit."

Second, there is no 44th Street back exit, as the Majestic Theatre and The Row NYC hotel completely block 44th Street from the The Jacobs.

Third, the stage and auditorium run parallel to the street, so there are technically only side exits/entrances. The Jacobs' stage back wall abuts the Schoenfeld's stage back wall, and the back of the Jacobs' seating area abuts the house left wall of The Golden. Though cast and crew can and do leave from the street side of the theatre, the actual stage door is on the other side of the building, in the alley.

Pre-Covid, stage-dooring after a show was a ritual for many passionate theater fans.

Updated On: 5/15/22 at 08:51 PM

I agree and understand Bob completely. I’m curious will stage door ever return. (Like within the coming months or years. ) or had this become entirely a thing of The past.

Theatrefanboy1 said: "I agree and understand Bob completely. I’m curious will stage door ever return. (Like within the coming months or years. ) or had this become entirely a thing of The past. "

Multiple shows have already started doing the stage door again. POTUS, Take Me Out, Funny Girl and Chicago, just to name a few.

This is just a friendly reminder that many stars respond to fan mail, and requests for autographed photos or playbills. Some are also on Cameo.

lilpunkin said: "I wouldn’t stage door personally (even though stage dooring is commonplace here in London, where there are zero Covid restrictions) but waiting outside a theatre stage door to catch a glimpse of a celebrity is not by any stretch of the imagination “terrifying, illegal stalking.”

Come on, no one possibly believes that every single person who has ever gone to stage door, or waited outside a red carpet at a movie premiere, is engaging in extremist stalking.

Celebs are public figures, and the tradition of stage dooring is old. Wanting to catch a glimpse of a celeb at a high profile showbiz event they have been publicly advertised as appearing at is not remotely comparable to turning up outside a regular person’s private workplace.

This hysterical ranting harms and dismisses victims of genuine stalking."

!!!!!!

I was about to write the same thing. A lot of y'all did the most with these dismissive replies in here.

Big or small, whether you know them or not, these folks are actual celebrities at the peak of the theater industry. They have fans who want to see them, if only a glimpse.

I personally don't miss the stage door and I'm beyond jaded when it comes to celebrities, after stints in LA and now living in NYC. But I know the power of the celebrity to inspire and completely change one's life, even if just seeing a glimpse of one.

So yeah, chill out, Negative Nancys. lol

To add, I see stage doors happening EVERYWHERE now, so you might have a chance at one of the shows you see, BobNC. I saw Take Me Out do it.

And a side story: One of my friends is a Broadway darling (lol) and I once met them backstage after the show. We left the theater together out the stage door and...ummmm... wow.......... It is a SHOCKING feeling! You feel like a true rockstar LOL But I also found it to be scary — people screaming, begging for your attention, flashing lights from the camera... It's hard to explain, but you feel it ALL. Especially the screaming...you physically FEEL the voices. And you also pick up the energy of folks desperately wanting an autograph or picture — you don't want to disappoint anyone.

This might be motivation/validation for some actors, but I can see how this is too much for some of them to go through regularly, and completely understand why they wouldn't want to do it anymore. lol

Hope this story helps for a different perspective, for people who may be disappointed if a stage door doesn't happen.

jkcohen626 said: "100% agree with whatlilpunkin andOffOnBwayHi said. Stage Dooring is not inherently creepy at all and all of you trying to prove that it is always use some massive stretches and leaps in logic.

My personal opinion is that Stage Dooring (now, pre-pandemic, or in a truly post-pandemic world) should always just be the actors' choice. If they want to do it, wonderful! If they don't want to, that's totally ok too and it is my opinion that we should respect that decision and not go seek them out at back doors or outside of the stage door environment. In my opinion, that is when it starts to cross a line. (Also want to be clear that I am NOT at all trying to accuse BobNC of doing that, I know he was just curious)."

Absolutely agree with this. I enjoyed the pre-pandemic stage door experience; it was fun getting an autograph or a picture with someone whose performance I enjoyed, or who I have been a fan of. But it was a neat bonus, not something to which I ever felt entitled. If people chose to come out and sign/pose for photos, that was great and I cherish those signed Playbills! If they chose to just go home, that's their right--they did their job and worked hard for the audience's and my entertainment. I bought a ticket to see their performance, not a meet-and-greet package.

I hope that if and when the traditional stage door experience returns/any Equity restrictions are lifted that people will have more of this attitude. It's fun to meet the actors, but it's a bonus and not something you are ever entitled to experience.

I've already said my peace about my approach to stage dooring in the near-to-medium-term future.

However, I think people throwing out the "it's not safe" card to shame anyone for electing to stage door at the present time are forgetting one very important component of stage dooring: it's outdoors.

At this point, any epidemiologist worth anything will tell you that when you engage in outdoor activities, your risk of immense spread decreases dramatically. Add KN95 masks on to that (which I would personally do, if I were stage dooring right now), that risk gets lowered even more.

Not using this to try to encourage anyone to stage door, or not, right now. But we can't ignore the outdoors aspect, which I think is THE reason some shows/performers have resumed stage dooring.

Updated On: 5/16/22 at 07:35 AM

Bettyboy72 said: "So there is nothing creepy about wanting to see a star. There is nothing creepy about stage dooring. It only becomes creepy when boundaries and common sense cease to exist for the fan."

Key word is boundaries. As dramamama said (which you didn't include in your quote of their post), if someone is using an alternative exit, they probably don't want to be seen. That's a pretty clear boundary IMO.