TAKE ME OUT Will Start Previews March, 2021

The week of March 22nd

Jesse Williams…cannot wait!

Just got this email from Second Stage:

Out of respect and support for our actors and in order to create a phone free space, Second Stage will be working with Yondr for all performances of Take Me Out. Upon arrival at The Hayes Theater, all phones and smart watches are placed in Yondr cases by our staff and will be unlocked at the end of the show. Guests maintain possession of their device at all times.

I'm assuming this means the nudity will be on full display for this production.

Great decision.

BCfitasafiddle said: "Great decision."

Cosign.

Alessio2 said: "I know it's unlikely, but I wish they would start doing this for all brodway shows (yondr pouches for phones/watches)"

The problem is that some shows benefit from the exposure of selfies/curtain photos/etc. Also requires more FOH staff.

It also might create another barrier for entry to Bway. I remember the late Terry Teachout tweeting about how, even tho he was a critic, he had to keep his phone on buzz in his pocket because his wife was on a waitlist for a lung transplant. Same goes for people whose spouses are expecting. Though those aren't "normal" situations and some people are jerks about cell phones, sometimes life does happen and people have to be able to discretely leave a show early.

I agree that cell phone use DURING performances is a major problem. But I don't know what the solution is to make people put them away and on silent.

Updated On: 2/28/22 at 02:35 PM

kwoc91 said: "I'm assuming this means the nudity will be on full display for this production."

This play IS the nudity. We would have never heard of it otherwise.

From the Second Stage website:

"There are no current plans for simulcast performances of Take Me Out or To My Girls. We continue to evaluate to the feasibility of offering streaming options for these and future productions"

I'm of two minds about the phone pouches. Yes, I want phones silenced during the performance but as a senior citizen who has relatives even older than I am, I want to be able to check my messages during intermission for any emergencies.

I believe at some point they were definitely stating that they were simulcasting all the plays. I know this because I know several people outside of NYC who bought subscriptions for that reason. These people don't know each other and they all told me they were going to see the full season as simulcasts. They couldn't all have been making that up.

I was under the impression that they would film Take Me Out without nudity by using certain angles and edits. It's been done for shows with nudity on PBS.

I guess they aren't planning on showing the other two plays now.

I know nothing about the pouches, but a few questions:
1) How do you access your phone at intermission?
2) What happens when the phone rings/beeps while in the pouch? What stops the sound?
3) What happens to people who don't want to put their phone in the dirty covidy pouch that has touched every other patron's phone beforehand?

Updated On: 3/2/22 at 03:42 PM

3) What happens to people who don't want to put their phone in the dirty covidy pouch that has touched every other patron's phone beforehand?

Lolz.

Pouches are obviously sanitized after every use.

Don't go to the theater.