The importance of shutting off your cell phone in a theater — Page 3

I was at Fun Home one night in standing room, and this guy sitting in the last row of seats, so sitting right in front of me standing, when the usher came around telling everyone to turn off their phones he refused to do so. She told him specifically a second time, and then a third, and then he actually turned to look at her and said something like "I was going to turn it off, but since you kept telling me to turn it off now I'm not going to turn it off." THAT is the kind of bull****, acting like a four year old manchild attitude that ushers have to put up with from patrons. I do not envy their jobs at all. (And the house staff should have been allowed to kick his ass out of the theatre. But, alas, they did not.)



I love the usher in the mezz at the Richard Rodgers Theatre who gives her no cell phones speech so loudly that I can hear her (and the applause she gets) while sitting in the orch.



If you're sitting close enough to be able to do this, I have found that, when sitting near someone who won't stop texting, that if I lean over and start reading what they're writing then they suddenly stop and put their phones away. My mom would probably say something about "two wrongs don't make a right" here, but hey if my viewing is being interrupted then I'm gonna read what's so important.

Death stare texters

Whisper-yell at ringers

sentence a bootlegger to life in jail no parole

I don't think more announcements are going to make one bit of difference. In most cases, there is already the box office reminding you to turn off your cell phone when you pick up your ticket, then the ticket-takers, the ushers, the slip in the playbill, and an automated announcement before the curtain rises and phones STILL go off. Too bad theater staff cannot treat audiences the way students in high school are treated by confiscating devices and then forcing patrons to pick them up in the lobby after the show.

First off, plastering free wifi signs all over theatres isn't helping the problem- worst idea ever! It almost encourages people to get on their phones. Second, is their no sort of scrambling device that houses can use to combat the issue. Finally, in extreme cases, I recommend implementing a cell phone check room- I'm only half kidding!

"actually, you can check cell phones. it's just not logistically or economically feasible at larger events like Broadway performances. that being said... this has been addressed in many new and innovative ways, including a partnership with comedian Dave Chapelle and technology company "



Understood you could but my point was like you said it is not economically feasible. Plus, imagine the lines to check these phones !! People come in late now, imagine if they had to check phone - lol.

I know this is not about turning off cell phones but last week I went to see Fiddler and the family of 5 next to us: Mom, Dad, 3 older teenage children- took out tupperware at the beginning of act 2 and started to eat a full meal! The mom even passed out a bag of cookies for them to share! Listening to them loudly chomp their cucumber and lettuce salads and crinkle their cookie bag made me want to grab an usher and scream. Unfortunately, the lights were off and there was no usher in sight. Never in my life had I seen such disrespect.

I always put my phone into airplane mode and then shut it off because I never want to be that person whose phone goes off.

That being said I don't have as many issues as most here with phones going off. I see almost every new Broadway show that opens and I would say it's probably 1 out of 8 or so that a phone will go off. Now that is still not terrible but I don't experience it every show at least.



I also have noticed in my experience that it happens way more at musicals then plays.

sarahb22 said: "nrubanobroadway said: "Death stare texters

Whisper-yell at ringers

sentence a bootlegger to life in jail no parole"

No way, on that last one. Thanks to a bootlegger there is currently floating around what might be the ONLY copy of 'Hamilton' performed on stage, with the original cast, that ever exists. Now it's a bootleg, but in ten years? Twenty years? It'll be gold.



"

Don't kid yourself that there is only one.