The stage door management at A STEADY RAIN is absolutely HORRENDOUS — Page 2

Wickedrocks, sounds like the night that you had this experience, something changed with the set up of the barricades at the last minute. Or, they hadn't set up the barricades correctly by the time you got there, since you said you bolted to get there.

The guys manning the barricades are employed by the theatre, or a variation there of. You and tens of thousands of theatre goers, who will see the show would love to get an autograph of either of them. It would be impossible for that to happen at each and every performance. I'm sure that there are some nights where both men want to get home, and don't want to give autographs. The stage door guys are there to make it as easy and painless as possible for the actors to enter and leave the theatre. Every person at the stage door shares a simliar love of theatre, the actor, etc.

And, as we all know, a lot of people who "stage door," are totally nuts - thinking that they have a special relationship with the performer because they've gotten their pic taken with them and an autograph, and have done it 20+ times. That's just weird any way you slice it. And, the actors know that. They need to be cautious, and gracious at the same time.

Either way.......what's the big deal? It's not the end of the world, and you can go back again to make up for it. We've all been in a situation where we were in line somewhere........Macy's, McDonald's, the movies, etc, and someone who got there after us, was helped first. Complaining to the House Manager won't get you anywhere. They will probably view your comments as a sense of entitlement and think you're one of the "crazies at the stage door," which you clearly don't want.

Please don't interpret my words as being sarcastic or mean or anything like that. Far from it. Just throwing out some good old common sense from one theatre goer to another.

Updated On: 9/25/09 at 02:23 PM

I can't believe how important this is to some people. Does this thread really have two pages of responses? Good lord.

One page plus three additional posts is not "two pages of responses." Especially since one of those posts is you complaining about the number of responses.

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I really do understand what you're saying, but seriously, there was no chaos until the security guy moved the barricades and let the people at the back of the line get to the front. Was it crowded? Hell yes. But there was no real CHAOS until that happened.

I understand the stage door is just an exit but they KNOW it's also where the fans wait for autographs. Like I said, if they just wanted to get in and out then they could have just snuck out a back door.

It's not even that I didn't get my autographs, it's the way the whole situation was handled. If it was crowded and they signed a select few, I would definitely not be upset. Or at least not nearly upset as I was last night. It was the way the entire stage door situation was unfairly handled by the powers that be.

Updated On: 9/25/09 at 03:24 PM

Not from me though. I understand some actors don't like stage-dooring or aren't the nicest people in the world. The management at the stage door of a sold out show with A-list stars is what pissed me off because it was something that could have easily been avoided.

Having them not sign the Playbills is a horse of a different color than what happened last night. And I would totally understand that.

"Like I said, if they just wanted to get in and out then they could have just snuck out a back door."

Do you not understand that the Stage Door IS the back door? In many theatres it's the ONLY way in or out except through the front of house. And I have to agree that purchasing a ticket on the aisle and all the planning doesn't entitle you to meet the stars and get autographs. Those are simply lucky benefits and not entitlements. Maybe the guy at the barricades has been yelled at one too many times for doing his job, which is to SAFELY get the actors out of the theatre, not get autographs and pictures for everyone. As long as the actors are happy with the way the barricades are set up then nothing is being done wrong. They are there to protect the actors, not facilitate the fans urges and whims.

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Its a free country - each to their own. Some people collect stamps - some collect autographs.

I dont think anyone is complaining about NOT getting an autograph, its just the way that the system, or lack thereof, at the SD of the Schoenfeld is managed. Simple.

Thank you, wolfpit for explaining further why I was upset. I'm not "whining" because I didn't get my autographs. I'm whining because of how the stage door situation was handled by the powers that be. I NEVER stage door. This was a rare exception.

Everyone on this board is always so nice and understanding, glad to see nothing's changed. (Sarcasm.)

Do you wait for other people at their jobs? Do you wait for them to leave so you can tell them, "I really enjoyed the way you poured my Slurpee!"?

Creepy.

That is the worst comparison I've ever heard. You make it sound like I was in the show wearing a Daniel Craig mask and a Hugh Jackman Tshirt and was waiting for them outside of their apartment buildings when they got home. There's about a million things wrong with that analogy. Or like I was the only one waiting outside the stage door, waiting to take pictures with them and ask them out for tea and crumpets. And there's a HUGE difference between a slurpee maker and an A-list celebrity.

That's a really dumb comparison.



I knew this thread would end well.

The fact of the matter is that the people who are handling the barricades are there for the security of the actors. They don't give a rat's ass how long you've waited to meet the actors, if you get an autograph, if you got shoved to the back of the line or if you don't like the way its being handled. The security people are not there to make sure the fans get what they want. They're there to protect the actors from all the crazies.

WickedRocks wrote: "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."

I know you're young, but I can't believe I'm the only one who's going to point this out to you - you paid your money to - wait for it - see a show. That is the ONLY thing you are entitled to for the cost of your ticket. The cost of your ticket does not entitle you to meet anyone, have your photo taken with anyone, or get anyone's autograph. This whole "stage dooring" phenomenon, which has really only been going on with this current generation of teens, is odd and part of this whole entitlement era we live in. I hate to sound like an old fogey, but when I was a teen very few people waited at the stage door - there were no barricades, lines, or anything like that. Here in LA, if I loved a performance I would walk to the stage door, open it, and the doorman would nicely ask who I was there to see and I'd say, oh, Jason Robards, Jr. or Tammy Grimes or Joel Grey or whoever. More often than not, I would be escorted to their dressing room and they would chat with me and it was wonderful. I did not abuse the privilege, I did not think I was entitled to it, but since I was usually the only one back there, I never did not get to meet someone. Today - well, today is today and every time I'm in NY and walk by a post-theater stage door I am truly mortified by what I see. That is my two centimes on this tempest in a teapot.

rOcKS is right. I was there, I've never seen a stage-door situation handled so horribly, nobody was being unruly, nor were the people who complained to the stage door guys--whoever they were, NYPD or theater employees--rude or obnoxious. You can try to turn this thread into one of those forums where people are attacking actors for not wanting to sign but it wasn't that at all. The fact is that folks are making tons of money from Craig and Jackman doing a play that isn't a masterpiece, and the excitement of seeing these two guys in top form is driving that. The stage door is part of the fun, and the actors are up for that, there's no issue there.

rOcKS isn't saying he's jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge over this. But for anybody who might want to stage door at this show, this is essential information. If you have no interest in seeing or stage-dooring it, don't read this thread; easy enough.

"For the millionth time, it was not that I didn't get my signature. "
"Thank you! I'm gonna be on my way back to the theater in a little so I'll (hopefully) get the autographs "

I think it is all about you getting the signature on the Playbill. I am not even sure you know why you want it-you just seem hellbent on getting it. I agree with a few of the posters about barricades being about the actors not the fans. I also think the stage doors have gotten obscene with everyone wanting a picture for their damned facebook wall. Imagine what the guy who has to put up the barricades goes through on a nightly basis. Ten times the pain in the a@# that you are reporting.

Wicked, I empathize, but I really don't get what you're bitching about.

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I dont really get it. I mean I understand wanting a autograph I honestly do.

But the situation was not handeled "Horribly" or "HORRENDOUSLY" as you said.

Hugh and Daniel got into their cars safe and alive. The stage door guy DID do his job.

His job isint to make a barricade for people to get their stuff signed (thats just a perk). His job is to make sure Hugh and Daniel get out alive. Yelling at him complaining about how bad he was running it isint going to help him set it up any diffrent next time.

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