The stage door management at A STEADY RAIN is absolutely HORRENDOUS

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/24/09 at 10:11pm

I saw the show tonight (review: https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1004714&dt=0&boardid=1 ) but I have to complain about the absolute bullsh*t that occurred at the stage door.

Its difficult to explain without a visual, so bear with me.

When you walk out of the theater, the stage door barricades are set up like a T with a path leading straight from the stage door to the limo and it veers off on either side leaving half of the sidewalk for pedestrian activity and half for the barricades.

I bolted out of the theater and was standing right up against the barricades facing the front doors of the theater with sidewalk traffic in front of me. The second Craig came out, the guy running the stage door took a barricade and barricaded off the side of the sidewalk that was being previously used for pedestrian activity getting rid of the T and now creating a single straight line of barricades. This allowed the people from the BACK of the line, who got out last, to get to the FRONT now.

Following me? Its confusing. Basically the people who got there LAST got to get to the FRONT. I am absolutely fuming. I, and a bunch of other people, vocally expressed our anger to which the guy at the stage door looked up, acknowledged us, and turned away.

I honestly cannot believe this complete incompetence and disorganization. It may not seem like a big deal, but it was beyond frustrating and wrong to me. I plan to go back tomorrow to get to the front of the barricades, get my stuff signed, and hopefully complain to someone. The house manager, I guess?

They need to get their sh*t together because what happened tonight was really wrong. Just needed to vent.
Updated On: 9/25/09 at 10:11 PM

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 9/24/09 at 10:24pm

If I am imagining this correctly it sounds similar to what they do at the Broadhurst for Hamlet, only there it is organized and the people in front just keep moving forward.

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 9/24/09 at 10:40pm

It's true. The movement after the crowd dies really screws things up. It's just an awful experience in general...glad I got photographs and signatures from both early on.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 12:15am

I just was so upset because (and I'm sorry if this sounds dorky) I woke up to buy the tickets the SECOND they went on sale and made sure I got an aisle seat so I could get to the stage door because I regret not stage-dooring TBFO. I rarely stage door. This experience was complete bullsh*t. I hope the guy is working the stage door again tomorrow so I can let him know what happened was completely WRONG.

Literally, the people who were the last to leave the theater got to go to the front of the barricade. I mean...seriously? Especially with a hit show like this with A-list stars, you think they'd have some kind of a system worked out. I'm going back tomorrow, like I said, and giving whoever it may concern a piece of my mind. It's just not right at all.

SO many people were upset and I hope they said something like I did. Or plan on it. Because what happened at the stage door was really very wrong and very frustrating.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 12:19am

They did that on Sunday when I stage doored as well. It was ridiculous. The people who were in the back of the crowd, automatically got to be right in the front of the barricades once they moved them and closed off the sidewalk.

I understand why they do it - to avoid total chaos with the sold-out crowds trying to exit the theater, but it is not fair at all to those who run out and would like to try and meet the two actors.

I was successful meeting them on Sunday (a day when I didn't see the show), and I'm sure you will be able to meet them tomorrow, Wickedrocks. Good luck. It is not a very pleasant experience being in the middle of that crazy crowd of people...but worth it to meet the two of them.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 12:55am

Thanks, WAT. I can't believe this is not a one night only thing...people were screaming at the guy working the stage door (mainly me..haha) and he just ignored us all. I mean...after like two weeks of performances, eight shows a week, and complaints at every performance (there's gotta be complaints at every performance) don't you think they'd figure something else out?

Oh and do I complain to the house manager about this? Or do they not have anything to do with the stage door activity?

Anyway, WAT, what time should I get there tomorrow do you think? 9? 915?

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 2:09am

They should really plan everything out better, and not just so people can get autographs, but to ensure the safety of the actors. Especially if there are complaints at every performance.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 5:39am

I'm sure that the stage door man has little to do with the arrangement. Yelling at him does little.


While I don't SD for shows (and didn't even consider it for this) I think a worse "offense" is how people are permitted to line up at SD DURING the performance, so that most of the actual PATRONS have little chance.

[legally_popular]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 5:48am

That's exactly what happened to me at All My Sons, rOcKs, although I'm sure the crowds weren't nearly as bad as they are at A Steady Rain.

I agree that they shouldn't let people wait that early. I love to stagedoor sometimes, but I don't understand how anyone can wait HOURS just to see a celebrity / get an autograph. Seeing them perform is more important and more rewarding to me. I love Hugh, but I would never put up with these crowds. I'll probably jsut write to the stage manager to get a signed playbill.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 6:41am

The exact same thing happened to me when I went two weeks ago. I had a great spot and then all of a sudden was about six people deep in a sea of people.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 8:08am

So did you not get them, Rocks?

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 8:18am

YOu should be fine by 9.

[kec]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 9:07am

That is really unfair, especially since some people who come from out of town will be unable to return another day to try and get an autograph.

At the Broadhurst, when Equus was playing there, you could only get into one barricaded area if you had a ticket proving your had been at that performance. They had a separate barricaded area for those who hadn't seen the show. Dan Radcliffe went to the side where the theatregoers were first. This seemed to work pretty well. Why the Schoenfeld management don't consider this is a mystery.

[saveusmike]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 9:15am

Possibly they only have one security guy at the door, which I dont think solely he would be able to manage 2 diffrent barricades (Ticket holders & fans) and watch out for the safety of Hugh and Daniel as well.

I'm sure he is just much more concerned with the actors saftey than worrying about who is getting a autograph.

I do however agree 100% it is very anoyying how some people show up for a autograph a hour before the show even ended. I knew when I go to see the show in late October it would probably be the same thing. So I just mailed a request for a playbill.

[April Saul]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 9:18am

Hey Rocks--Nice to meet you, even under those cirumstances! Yes, that was just awful; of course, if they changed it, we wouldn't be able to go back now that we've figured out the madness. Funny, too, before the show, I asked the box office people how it worked (or didn't) and they seemed mystified when I described what they'd done at the same theater for All My Sons--although I'd gotten screwed over at that one for unknowingly waiting on the side with the paparazzi just after I saw the show! But man, that stage door guy was COLD....

[wolfpit228]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 10:30am

I have to agree, the sd is organised chaos. The fella with the beard, who appears to be some sort or manager - and I use that term loosely - is one of the rudest people Ive had the displeasure of meeting. Upon asking him a polite question on behalf of my wife - he continued to answer it as he was closing / slamming the sd. Even then it was a half cocked answer. He even said he cant understand why people wait around for autographs. Granted some want to make money, but some people collect as a hobby, and have done since the year dot.

The NYPD arent much help either once the door opens, but I can only assume that they move the barracade and widen it as to prevent the crowds spilling onto the roads. But if they had a system in place for ticket holders, it would negate the problem somewhat.

I kind of expected a mad rush and scramble for autographs, what I was not prepared for was the disgraceful attitude by the "gentleman" at the stage door.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 10:46am

"I plan to go back tomorrow to get to the front of the barricades, get my stuff signed, and hopefully complain to someone. The house manager, I guess?"

There is a huge misconception going on here. The "guy running the stage door" does NOT set up any barricades, and in fact is not visible outside the theater in any crowd control capacity at any of the Shubert houses. You are seeing off-duty NYPD in a security capacity working for the Shuberts. The house manager has very little power over them. If anything, you would need to write a letter of complaint to the Manager of Theater Operations for The Shubert Organization.

Second, the barricades are not designed to maximize the fairness to patrons to get autographs...they are set up to get the actors safely to their cars without being mobbed by the crowd. Since neither Daniel Craig nor Hugh Jackman have made any requests restricting autographs, do not expect to see much of a change in how it is set up.

[April Saul]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 11:14am

Fosse makes a good point. When I asked the folks in the box office about it, they said, 'Hey, we just sell the tickets!'

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 11:28am

taylorPHENOMENON, you were actually able to get pictures with them??

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 1:06pm

I understand what Fosse is saying and I'm sure I got upset at the wrong person. But you have to understand (and I understand it's just his job and he doesn't care) how rude the security guy was. It's not like he apologized and said that's the way it was, he just glared at us and walked away. I mean, like I said, if this has been happening since the first preview (which I'm sure it has), then people have been complaining eight times a week since then. Don't you think he would say something to ANYONE to get this a little more organized?

And I get the points about the barricades but I paid a LOT of money for my seats for this show. I made sure I bought them the second they went onsale. I rushed out of the theater and THOUGHT I was near the front of the stage door "line." The fans and the thousands of people shelling out a crapload of money to see these shows should get a little more courtesy and should be treated with a little more respect. I mean, it was just ridiculous. If it's such a huge problem then they should just sneak them out another way and avoid the stage door altogether because they know that the fans are going to be there waiting for a signature.

And if the security guy would have made the actors wait two minutes or if he would have reorganized the barricades two minutes later, he could have done it in an orderly and fair fashion that would have also been safe for the actors. He could have at least put up that barricade, asked the people in the back of the line to stay there, and told the people near the front to move up. It still probably would have been hectic but not anywhere near as hectic as last night was.

There's about a thousand ways this could have been avoided. The simplest would be for the security guard to walk down to the end of the line and put a barricade there so that where the sidewalk traffic was would now be where the actors would walk up and down and sign. This is a better solution on many different levels and it took me literally two minutes to think of it after I walked away from the theater sans autographs. I mean, seriously, what genius thought of this system? It's terrible and unfair.
Updated On: 9/25/09 at 01:06 PM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 1:11pm

On Sunday, I arrived at 3:30, an hour before the performance ended, and there were already some people there waiting!!!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 1:13pm

Wow. Seriously? Alright maybe I'll get there at 8:30ish...

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 1:26pm

...and I'm sure as you know by now, WickedRocks, you need to stand closer to the street (they won't set up the T-shaped barricades until the show is almost over) to make sure you're in the front of the barricades once they are set up.

Does this make sense? Should I draw a diagram and scan it in?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 1:29pm

I think I'll be fine. I'll just stand where they set up the first set of barricades, closest to the street, before they blocked off the rest of the sidewalk. Right? Thanks, WAT.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 9/25/09 at 2:01pm

Correct! Good luck. It's a madhouse inside those barricades...