USHERS!

[Deena Jones2]

Posted: 11/23/03 at 7:37pm

I am SICK and tired of having the most awful ushers every time I go to the theatre. I just saw Wicked and was told to go left even thought my tickets said right. I corrected the usher and was told to "Just do in the direction I told you, 'Maam!! They are so rude, can never get your seats right and are incredibly impatient with the poor tourists. Who hires them anyway??? Give their jobs to people who love the theatre, not these old hags who should be put out to pasture!

[lc1965]

Posted: 11/24/03 at 11:43am

Are you sure you're not coming out w/ both guns smoking? Have a little faith that these people know their theatre better than you do & they won't get defensive. Go ahead, send your sharp reply. It won't change my opinion. Next time an USHER(!) gives you a hard time, simply point out that a rude reply is uncalled for. Don't meet rude w/ rude.

[KAP103]

Posted: 11/24/03 at 2:55pm

I happen to agree with you, within the last 2-3 years every show I have been to, the ushers are very rude, they dont show you to your seats half the time, most of them say your seats are down there and point.

They take no pride in their jobs.

[lc1965]

Posted: 11/24/03 at 3:12pm

I'm sorry to chime in again, but -- as you've probably guessed -- I can answer this from personal experience. I'm not going to defend rude ushers or other theatre staff who strike out at people for no reason. I hate being seated by them, served drinks by them, & I REALLY hate working w/ them. They make the rest of us look bad & put people in a bad mood so they take it out on the good ones. But, for example, ushers are specifically told NOT to seat on some aisles & merely to point & direct verbally. Ushers who seat under those circiumstances are referred to as "dumb", "incompetent", & "useless" by their co-workers & even some supervisors. Again, MOST patron complaints come because patrons are engaging in a power play w/ the theatre staff (ANY theatre staff, not just ushers) & don't like it when the staff member insists on doing the job he's instructed to do. It's usually, BTW, the same people who want to second-guess which seats are theirs, take drinks to their seats, elicit a negative comment about the show from the staff, stand in the aisle while others are trying to get by, take photos inside the theatres, use a cell phone inside the theatre, keep bags & Playbills in the aisles & jackets on the safety rails, etc, etc, etc. These are just SOME of the rules theatre staff have to acknowlege every performance, which audience members -- & Heaven help us PRODUCERS & production staff -- flout w/ impunity because they happen to disagree with them, don't understand them, or just plain think the rules should apply to everyone but themselves. Honestly, it's like kindergarten sometimes. BTW, at "children's shows" (like Frog & Toad), the children are rarely the problem -- it's always the adults. The children who DO cause a problem are virtually always w/ adults who are problems & never themselves learned to behave properly in a public place or have respect for people who are -- for pity's sake -- JUST DOING THEIR GOSH-DERNED JOBS. I'm not saying the person who posted the original topic is guilty of any or all of these things, just to question whether their actions MIGHT be eliciting a negative resposne rather than simply accusing theatre staff of being horrible people who hate their jobs & are nasty to people for the sheer joy it brings. Whew! Thank you for listening.

[KAP103]

Posted: 11/24/03 at 4:47pm

I understand that this is what the staff is being told to do... and I would like to say I have never taken a picture in a theatre or brought a drink with me to my seat, and I sit as soon as I get to my seat, well just because I respect other people and like to stay out of the way... :)

I do understand that this is how the ushers are trained... but in my recent theatre experiences, even though an usher can only point out a seat, there is an attitude that they should have about it, a smile on there face and the willingness to at least look like they want to be there is appreciated.. am I saying that this is every single usher or staff memeber.. of course not... but the unfriendliness of most of the ushers recently is noticable.... again I am not saying it is each and every person, but I have had a few ushers help me recently that acted less then thrilled to have to look at my ticket and guide me towards the right direction.

Am I asking them to escort me arm and arm to my chair.. of course not, with so many people coming in at once, I know thats not going to happen, but working in the hospitality industry for the past 5 years our main goal is making sure that our employees are giving the guest/customers a smile to welcome them.

[Hank]

Posted: 11/24/03 at 5:34pm

At The Gershwin Theatre, where Wicked is playing, it's easy to get lost because we have to go around in circles. I was thinking the same thing, told to "go left" when my ticket said right or something like that, but it all made sence once I got up there. Give 'em a break, they have to get 1800 or so people seated in a timely fashion.

[nyctopone]

Posted: 11/24/03 at 5:45pm

Try to be nice to the ushers, I feel sorry for them, having to deal with some really horrible theatregoers. However , if one is really, very rude to you, find another staff person and ask to see the theatre manger and make a complaint. If the usher is just having a bad day they will get a warning. If the usher is known for being rude, they will get fired and that theatre will be better off without them.

[amanda2]

Posted: 11/26/03 at 9:06pm

The last two shows I saw the ushers were pretty rude. Not just my experience, I observed them being rude to practically everyone they came in contact with. The manager of the theater was pretty unpleasant as well.

[cmleidi]

Posted: 11/26/03 at 10:01pm

With all the trouble I've had at theatres, I've never once had problems with ushers. I've always found them helpful and polite. Now that I've written this, I'll probably jink it, but so far, so good. Now, box office workers are another story.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 11/26/03 at 10:37pm

HOW DARE YOU REFER TO ANYONE AS AN "OLD HAG"!!!!!!!!!!

This board is not the sole property of the Youth Movement!!!!!!
There are many of us here who are "of a certain age" and absolutely resent the term "old hag"; let alone the reference that they should be "put out to pasture"!!!!

I am of retirement age, but am fully aware that I am still an effective teacher who can get his non-academic students to pass the NYS English Regents Exam and (just as important) can control my classes--which the young whippersnappers in my department seem to have trouble doing!!!!

If anyone were to refer to ME as an "old hag" he or she would face my wrath in spades.

I hope that Deena Jones' teeth fall out just as she sits down for her Thanksgiving dinner!!!

[etoile]

Posted: 11/27/03 at 12:18am

And wouldn't it be refreshing if doors opened more than 10 minutes before curtain! Then only the latecomers would feel hurried.

[StarUsher]

Posted: 11/27/03 at 2:13am

Ok, as a "professional" usher/ house manager at a well respected off Broadway theater I feel there's some things I need to respond to. In response to the last post that was made about the theater opening more than 10 minutes before show time, the house staff can't open the theater until the production people are ready and the stage manager gives them the house. Trust me, the house staff doesn't enjoy having to seat that many people in 10 minutes. And when situations like that happen, the house staff does what they can to make the best of it. For example, the production staff for the show that's going on at my job right now has frequently not been ready for seating until 10 minutes before show time and my co-workers and I have managed to seat over 200 people competently in 8 minutes.

Next thing, There is no excuse for an usher or member of the theater staff to be rude without cause and I say the same for any profession that involves dealing with the public. I know the type of usher that gives us this reputation and I agree with the person that suggested to make a complaint if there is a just reason to do so. Those of us that like and care about what we do don't like working with those kind of ushers any more than you like being seated by them! We wish you would complain so they get in trouble!

On the other hand, please understand that like other professions that deal with the public, you would be surpised the depths of stupidity we are forced to deal with on a regular basis. For example, a few nights ago a woman allowed her phone to ring in the middle of a performance and then when she got her phone out answered it inside the theater while the show was in progress. One of my co-workers escorted her out in a major hurry. One has to wonder how she could possibly think that was ok. And some of you may say "well that was just one woman", but ask someone that works at a theater and you'll find things like that happen more than you think. And keeping with the same theme, it's very hard to be polite when you tell a patron something and they are insisting they know better.

I guess when it comes down to it, ushers are just like any one else in a job that involves serving the public and I hope that house staff as a whole are not judged by the bad seeds.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/27/03 at 6:56pm

and to add to StarUsher's post:

There are times when an usher does has to be firm (even gruff) at appropriate times. Crowd control is one such example--I've had to control the ladies room line at the Eugene O'Neill. (Those of you ladies who have seen Nine know EXACTLY what drama I'm talking about!) I have to be pleasantly firm--but I have been known to get gruff when certain individuals won't "behave". =)

[rclocalz]

Posted: 11/27/03 at 9:12pm

I work at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center part time as an usher here in Nashville Tennessee. I was wondering how ushers receive jobs on Broadway. I was told somewhere that you have to join an usher union or something. Is that true? And do you have to work the same show every night or do you switch up theatres?

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/28/03 at 1:29am

To be a Broadway usher, you just have to apply for the position--it can be hard to get in. After a certain period of time, you do have to join the usher union (however, the fees are not huge). If you are a full time usher, you usher the same show 8 times a week--4 of those performances, you get to leave about 20 minutes after curtain.

If you are a substitute usher (which most actors choose), you fill in week to week in any of that company's theatres. However, you may work zero shows some weeks, 3 another, 5 the next. This option allows an actor to schedule around conflicts--and when you need to go away to do a show, no problem. But, it is not reliable money as you can imagine.

But, it is a great job, and you essentially get paid to watch shows!

[BrdwyThtr]

Posted: 11/28/03 at 2:15pm

I've never had a bad experience with an usher. I'm 15 and I regularly usher at the local regional theatre. It gives me something to do on the weekend and is also a good way to see excellent theatre free. The manager there tells me all the time that she gets compliments on me, because I'm happy, bubbly, and ALWAYS smiiling!