Tired of cell phones going off at a performance? — Page 4

nealb1 said: ""While I don't mind the idea, I don't think this system was made for theater. I think it was made for concertswhere people openly and blatantly take videos of the show. Go to any concert, you will see people's phones in the air, recording the whole thing. People focus more on getting a perfect shot to brag to their friends instead of actually enjoying what's in front of them."

Perfectly said.

A few years ago when the Pope was visiting the US, there was a wonderful photo of a woman along the parade route looking at the Pope, while every single person around her had their phone out to record it. They aren't going to remember anything about him passing right by, because they were too busy recording it, and not focusing on what was happening in front of them. She was present, focused and in the moment. It's something she will never forgot."

How do you know that the people filming or taking pictures of the Pope won’t remember anything about him passing by? That’s your assumption of the situation. That’s the thing about people isn’t it, we are all different. Some people like capturing certain moments and are able to do so while still being in the moment. Other people, like you, don’t, which is fine too! Just don’t try to make assumptions to prove your point. Let people enjoy things however they want, as long as it’s not harming anyone, what’s the problem?

Yes, your safety is at risk without your phone. PEOPLE WILL DIE IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR PHONE ON YOU. You are hilarious.

Nothing is being "confiscated". YOU put your phone in the bag, YOU keep the bag. YOU can still access it, away from people. So even if you are afraid a loved one is in danger....your phone would vibrate and you can excuse yourself, go to the lobby and check -away from others whom you would distract - which is what DECENT people should do. You don't get a "by" (or is it buy?) because it's an Emergency. You wouldn't KNOW it's an emergency if you're phone had been turned off.

And if decent people did what they were supposed to, this technology wouldn't have to exist.

Everything about this is perfect. BRAVO!

Impossible2 said: "Instead of training teachers to use guns, we should train ushers to use guns so they can shoot people in the face whose phones make a noise or light up during a performance."

Please, be more chill.

Impossible2 said: "Miles2Go2 said: "Impossible2 said: "Instead of training teachers to use guns, we should train ushers to use guns so they can shoot people in the face whose phones make a noise or light up during a performance."

Please, be more chill."

I'm very chill, unless your phone goes off beside me in a theatre..."

Your last name wouldn’t happen to be Barker/Todd or Burr, would it?

I don't turn my phone off, but I always have it on silent and place it on Do Not Disturb during the show. I do, however, take it out my pocket and check during intermission. I never pull out my phone during a show or even attempt to glance at it. In fact, it's a major pet peeve of mine when I catch people on their phones constantly at a movie theatre, but luckily I have yet to experience that at a Broadway theatre. Although, a phone did go off during Summer.

I'm not sure why it would be so difficult to put your phone on silent, if you do not wish to have it off, in case you are worried about the kids at home or a sick family member.

I don't even take my phone when I go to the theatre or places I would never use them.

I don't love this idea for shows with multiple acts because I do enjoy distracting myself during intermission by scrolling through Twitter or something (when I can, service is often horrendous in the theatres!) but I could see it being used for a production with one act (paging Scott Rudin).

I saw Dave Chappelle and Jon Stewart in Boston earlier this summer and as someone mentioned in the thread they're using it (someone else mentioned Chris Rock; a lot of comedians are doing this now, which makes sense) and I can attest to the fact that it really wasn't that bad. The pouches are basically one size fits all, so your smart watch up to your iPhone Plus could fit. They put it in the pouch before you go through the metal detector at the door (no visual verification that you turned it off but if I recall they do ask if you did) and like many I thought there'd just be a huge bottleneck afterwards. Alas, they had numerous people near the exits with handheld devices that quickly unlocked the pouch. You took your device out and then dropped the empty pouch in a box on your way out, as they are most certainly reusable. I waited more time in the line to use the bathroom afterwards than I did to get my phone out of the pouch. And for those saying they wouldn't attend such an event...all the shows were sold out, and they added two extra shows due to demand - you may not care to go, but someone else most certainly will.

Certainly the size of theatres today would make it a challenge as well, but you could almost have people walking down the line of people waiting to get in before the doors open to start putting devices away. Ultimately if they did start doing this for any show, I'd get over it. I'm not there to be able to catch up on the latest happenings at intermission, I'm there to lose myself in the world of the production.

Isn't the primary reason for these pouches to prevent people from filming parts of these shows. A lot of these comedy events have become very profitable specials for streaming services, so they don't want anything to leak beforehand. I don't think the issue is so much the sound and distraction that it may cause some of the other attendees, especially in very large venues where the performers would hardly notice if someone's phone went off.

I mean the technology is there to create something innovative that would satisfy theatregoers and those that worry that they might miss an important call. I do believe we have become a little reliant on cell phones, but the fact of the matter is they are a way of life now, it's our reality. While there was a time when parents, families didn't have direct communication in the theatre with others and if a real emergency were to arrise someone would have to call the theatre, neighbor or emergency services. Nonetheless, I don't think checking your phone during an intermission is a big deal as long as you keep it in your pocket during the show.

They have these charging chambers at certain places now, where you can put your phone in a box and it charges it for you and is locked away. There's even tech that can make it so that if your phone is in these boxes, it would automatically be directed to theatre main line informing the caller that the person they are trying to reach is at a performance and to call back later or if the call is an emergency to press to speak to an usher. The boxes could be located in the lobby and each once assigned to specific seats, that way if a call is transferred, the usher would know which seat the person is in to grab them in case of a real emergency.

EllieRose2 said: "It's rude to have your phone on, at all, during a show. Turn. It. Off. Or, stop attending theater if your personal life needs to be tended to at all times. Switches and buttons can be turned on by a simple bump or twist of your body. Nope."

Well one typically phone turns the phone on using a button or switch. So by that logic, phones can be turned back on by a simple bump or twist of your body, too. Luckily, I've never felt the need to do a move much in my seat, so my phone has never turned back on. I've seen people around me put their phones on silent and airplane mode, and luckily they've never jostled enough to switch their phone back, either. In my experience, it's usually the people who either don't do anything with their phones or who incorrectly change the settings (i.e., think they silenced it but they actually didn't) that cause scenes in the middle of a show.