The stage as a "safe space" for performers?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/4/22 at 10:49am

We've had 3 incidents in the past 6 weeks where the "wall" between the stage and the audience was violated: Will Smith attacking Chris Rock at the Oscars, Olivia Wilde being served court papers at CinemaCon, and now Dave Chapelle being attacked onstage at the Hollywood Bowl.

Obviously these things were not for scripted performances, nor are they the first such occurrences.

What do we think the course of action is for Broadway theatres to prevent/minimize these incidents, and is this something Equity will dip their toes into with demands of employers? The Tonys already made clear that violent behavior will result in removal from the premises. But even for plays & musicals, it's not THAT hard to leap up onto the stage. And there's also the possibility of verbal attacking/heckling (be it sexist people at SUFFS, conservatives complaining about "liberal groomers" with HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, racists/homophones at A STRANGE LOOP, or any number of things). And now there is a separation of fully vaccinated performers/staff vs no vax-checking of the audiences.

The kind of visibility that the Smith/Rock incident and the general mood in America right now (bad) could be fueling other extremists.

Of course this could all be nothing to worry about for live scripted performances. But I would be shocked if the idea of renewing protocols hasn't come up in theatre owner offices by now.

Updated On: 5/4/22 at 10:49 AM