What is the Deal with Today's Stagedoor Culture? — Page 4

Armie3 said: "Taking pictures of somebody on the street without permission is just as much of an intrusion, I would think, probably even more so than somebody who approaches and asks."

Uh, no, it's not. Not when it is a public figure, and not when it is not exploited for commercial gain. That's just bizarre, Armie.

bwayrose7 said: "I genuinely don't get why this, like so much else, gets painted with such a broad brush. Yes, some fans go overboard and are entitled stalkers. Yes, some are respectful. Yes, some actors put a brave face on it. Yes, some actors enjoy interacting with fans. It's not one-size-fits-all.

I have friends and acquaintances (not social media"friends," but actual friends and colleagues, just to get that out of the way) who are performers and who have a huge range of reactions to stage door culture. One hates it. One calls it the best part of their job (except on days when they're tired or sick). One found it helpful as a way to come backto"reality" after performing a role that was mentally and emotionally taxing. Why is it so hard to say that different people have different reactions?"

This times 100. If you think stagedoor is a bad idea because a few bad apples ruin the bunch, then I get that. I haven’t stagedoored since I my younger days for that same reason. If the reports I’ve seen on these boards are true, then I do think stagedoor at many shows has gotten out of hand. (Although like BroadwayRox3588 said, referring all stagedoor attendees “loathsome and gross” even if they are polite and respectful is pretty loathsome and gross in and of itself).

But painting every actor with the same brush is absurd. I too am friends and/or family with actors in NYC and elsewhere. Some of them hate it, others love it, and others really don’t care—they’ll sign if people want them too, they’ll leave if no one is there; they honestly don’t care either way. Different people in the same job can (and do) often have different opinions.

darquegk said: “Celebrites are not deities or a different species than us: they're just people more successful than we are at what they do.”

I wouldn’t even say that, in some cases. The world’s most successful grocery bagger isn’t going to be nearly as prominent in the public eye as the most successful pop star. Basically, they're just people are successful in highly visible fields. And yes, they don’t deserve to have their daily lives put under a microscope.

Updated On: 11/13/18 at 01:39 PM

Honestly, "Act Three" seems to be how most of my friends who say they don't care tend to think of it. It's just another part of the process to them. I do think modern stagedoors have gotten to be a bit much and I don't think I could ever bring myself to stagedoor nowadays; however, I take umbrage with any broad statements along the lines of "all actors think this" or "all stagedoor attendees do that." People are just too varied.

The electronic age and the performers themselves are largely to blame. Performers respond through all these new mediums gathering invisible fans who because they get a written response[could be from their PR person] have an instant connection and are now their 'friend'.

Must go see their show[or not] and meet my NBF after.

Sure, gather all the invisible friends you can electronically, why not?

An announcement at the beginning of a show with turn off your phones they should also include that there will be no stage 'dooring' after the show.

Build a tunnel.

MauraLovesMusicals said: "Theatrefanboy1 said: " I couldn’t believe recently at the mean girls stage door the way people were making sexually inappropriate comments to the guy who played aaron samuels. And this was coming from young girls. And they would not let it stop. Then every single person wanted a picture and multiple autographs and felt that he should have full on conversations as he was working through a hundred plus people. It’s no wonder why actors are choicing to pass on the stage door thing. "

i don’t know if i’m crossing a boundary by asking but what were the sexual comments kyle was getting at stagedoor? i’ve heard about all the other stuff happening at the MG stagedoor but nothing like this. nobody has been talking about it.although, with the stuff that’s come out, i wouldn’t doubt it"

I feel bad for that actor, because in current society he is not allowed to talk about it. He should swallow it. Men are silenced, and women want to continue doing it. This is really an issue that should reach mainstream media.

I love going to the stage door when there is a certain actor I’m interested in meeting and have something to actually say to them. I do not hound them or chase them or whatever these crazies are doing. I’m very polite, obey the stage door rules and if we end up having a conversation, that’s cool too.

That being said, I noticed some gross behavior tonight at The Ferryman stage door of all places. A group of people would literally stop every single cast member that came out and very rarely did anyone say anything about the show or the performance. Just a thanks and that was it. It was very awkward.

"Behind the scenes, many actors consider the stage door "Act Three," and an actual part of their workday. Not sure if that is better or worse, but it's definitely a thing. I was backstage at a very buzzy show and before going through the stage door, one or two even said, OK, time for act three and then went out into the applause...

I am not in the business so I will just ask if the show puts any pressure on actors to go out to the stage door and help promote the show especially if the show is not a major hit.

"So this was back last week of September. But this rather large group of girls began gushing to him about how cute he was. Then while he was signing they commented on his body and how they liked that he had a shirtless scene. Then asking what he was doing after or his plans for the week that they should all hang out and have some fun (now in the nature of the escalating comments fun could be interpreted). Then he when back in to get his bag or something. And then they called out to him. Which he came back they made some quiet comments. He seemed to force a laugh. Then went back in (I guess he forgot something ) and on his way back out they called again and we’re screamin crazy gushing about him his looks. Like if it was me and these strangers were doing that. I would look for an exit. "

The simple solution is he can stop signing at the stage door and just exit another way and head home. I am not excusing the girls behavior/comments but just simply saying he can stop it. It is a shame that some can ruin it for others who will be respectful but that is just the world we live in today.

yankeefan7 said: "I do think Broadway people need to understand how fortunate they are with Broadway actors/actresses doing this because you rarely see it happen at at anyother entertainment event. For example, you don't see people lined up after a baseball game outside the stadium waiting for players to sign their program and take selfie with them - lol. This does not happen at pop/rock concerts either so Broadway fans just need to understand this type of access to performer is pretty rare."

This is absolutely not true and while I've never done it I've seen people line up at all sorts of sporting events and concerts at arenas right after the event where they just wait near the exits / parking lot exits and players/musicians will stop and sign autographs and take pictures. You can easily see all this stuff on social media.

Ok, long form thoughts incoming. The TLDR is; there is good things in stagedooring. I've seen them. There's also a lot of bad, and the current model is not serving the needs of the actors. Things need to change, one way or another.


I do not think that today's stagedoor culture (referring not to the act of stagedooring itself, but people who are toxic, feel they are entitled to a star's time, don't take no for an answer, and do dangerous things in order to get time with a star) is a mark of that generation.

To put it simply, people have always been people. There have always been an unfortunate subset of people (and it is more common in the young, who haven't yet achieved the maturity, but is certainly not exclusive to them) who head into the obsessive. You can find plenty of stories about people being weird and obsessive about their favourite media and stars since media was invented. You want to talk about the girl who almost died trying to mail herself to the Beatles? Or Plato's fantastic Symposium about the hypothetical sex life of Achilles and Patroclus?

People have always been people.

However, it's clear that obsessive tendency is a recent addition to theatre in general and stagedooring in specific. And I think a huge part of it is the rise of social media that makes stagedooring more accessable - How many people would totally have stagedoored 20 years ago, if they only knew it was an option? I still meet people all the time to whom it's an exciting revelation.

The other part is social media makes stars more accessible. It's no longer "Oh I saw you sing tonight, this was the first time I heard your name, but you were great" aka the star and the audience interacting together and on the same page. Now, hundreds of fans know you intimately in ways your own family don't. They know as much about Christy Altomare as they do about their friends. Enough to feel like they're friends. Almost. But that's understandably alarming when the person doesn't know you at all.

So yes, in my view people have always been people, but the rise of social media in the theatre scene is what resulted in that behaviour being more prevalent in the theatre community. The bigger question is, what can be done about it? The current model is clearly not working - stars are getting harasses and feeling uncomfortable, pressured, etc.

I think unfortunately where this is going to end is an end to stagedooring at all. More stars putting out "no stagedoor" policies, resulting in less pressure to stagedoor, and more stars not doing it, until it's a thing of the past. And that would suck. I would rather no stagedooring happen at all than an actor feeling uncomfortable, I think there can be a lot of beauty and magic in respectful stagedooring.

The other side is that it can be beneficial to actors careers. It can. I think a huge part of Derek and Christy's rising stars is their absolute dedication to stagedooring. Broadway can feel like a lot of "who?" with many names and new faces, so anything that gets you to stick in their memory can be a benefit. There have also been reports that an actor's social media following has been looked at as part of the casting process.

While I would love to have a culture shift to everyone following some no-nonsense rules* about stagedooring, and we police each other, I also don't think that's likely to happen. Cat's out of the bag. It's much harder to stop an existing behaviour.

I wonder if it might be a benefit to switch to a model that allows engagement without the stagedoor. To have more signings, speaking engagements, classes, talkbacks, etc so fans and creatives alike can benefit, while making it a little more formal (which would cut down some on people acting creepy) and let them sleep after doing a show. Would be be easier/better to do a signing for an hour on your offday, or teach a dance class, or something rather than signing for an hour every night when you're exhausted after a three hour show? There's also a possibility that it could increase revenue streams for actors who are up and coming popular but not set for life.

I don't know. It would have to be driven by the actors themselves I think. They're perfectly capable of coming up with their own ways of getting the benefits of interacting with fans while staying safe. As theatre fans I think our job is primarily to police each other and to be vocal in our support for anyone doing what they need to in order to feel safe/comfortable interacting with fans.


* Basic rules I would like to see would be something like

- No one has to come out. Ever. They do not need a reason to not stagedoor, "don't feel like it" is perfectly fine. They are not accountable to you and don't need to share any reason

- They do not have to stagedoor in the way you prefer. Respect, and do not complain about, rules like "no selfies" or "I don't have time to sign tonight but I'll wave and say thank you for your support"

- Do not approach actors unless they have specifically signified they don't mind being approached in that moment. Usually, that means they are at the stagedoor signing. Do not bother them on the way into the theatre, if they leave another way, if they have left the line and are heading down the street. In addition, do not invite them anywhere, ask them out, or try and get asked somewhere.

- Understand that they need to worry about their safety. Don't touch them without asking, don't give them food that is not store bought and sealed (I have seen actors, not even well known ones, given cupcakes laced with glass before), etc. Even though you have the best intentions, not everyone does.

- Be brief and keep it light. Alice Ripley spoke about how she dreaded the stagedoor for N2N because people would be so moved by the show and start telling her all their tragic life events that were similar. And keep in mind they've got to be places, so don't monopolize their time.

- Be nice to other folks, pass things forward, be collaborative. Make things as simple and streamlined as possible for everyone.

- Enjoy all the wacky fandom stuff you want, but it's not the actor's business. Fandom is for us, not them, even though they inspired it. Do not drag them into fandom stuff. Their opinion on this ship vs that ship is irrelevant. They will likely not understand your fandom jokes that are meant with affection.

Updated On: 11/15/18 at 12:36 PM

Just yesterday Jessica Vosk tweeted a PSA on stagedoor etiquette after a few "girls" were tweeting some very interesting stuff to her.

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I’ve stagedoored for than 100 shows in my young life and I’ve always treated it as a special moment. The etiquette of it is actually something I learned over time through repetition. I’ve actually found myself correcting people (nicely) at stagedoors lately because there is an obscene amount of entitlement and unwarranted anger when people don’t come out. I’ve found it to be very irritating.

I saw quite a bit of this at ONCE ON THIS ISLAND when I saw it recently. It was a matinee and it was friggin cold so I wasn’t expecting many people, but Tamyra Gray, Cassondra James, and Kenita Miller (with two others) also came out and they were lovely as they braved the cold. But I heard some people grumbling and bitching about Hailey not coming out and I corrected them that she had two shows that day and, after what I saw her do on that stage, I’d probably want a nap too. They gave me bitchy eyes but I could tell they knew I was right.

Oddly enough, I was walking to the bar around the corner to meet a friend after they took down the barricades and Hailey came out the side door with someone. I just said “Great Show” to her, she smiled and thanked me, and I kept it moving. The same thing happened with Philip Boykin about a half hour later when my friend and I left the bar and passed through the Gershwin/Circle parking area on our way to dinner.

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yankeefan7 said: ""This is absolutely not true and while I've never done it I've seen people line up at all sorts of sporting events and concerts at arenas right after the event where they just wait near the exits / parking lot exits and players/musicians will stop and sign autographs and take pictures. You can easily see all this stuff on social media. "

My point isthere is no designated area and expectation for having program signed or picture taken after athletic event/concert. Sure, there may be some people waiting at a parking lot exit and get something signed. That is different than the stage door line that is set up at every theater. Maybe things have changed but when I was much younger I had security job for concerts at the Nassau Coliseum. Every rock star came into and left the arena in a limo that was parked in the ramp area and they never saw the audience. Trust me, there is no discussion on the NY Yankee fans site about which players sign autographs in the parking lot after the game."

Maybe I will be showing my age, but at the old Yankee Stadium ('76 - '08 version) you could get autographs from the Yankees and visiting team as the players entrance was directly across from their parking lot. Autograph seekers would normally get there three to four hours before a game. Barricades were set up just as they are at Broadway theaters for fans and lookie-loos to wait behind. Often times visiting team players would take the subway and not all arrive at once. A popular time to go and get a ball or memorabilia signed were the days after the season ended for locker clean out.

I'd imagine spring training is where to go for any fan interactions or autographs now outside of an official autograph show. Batting practice can be hit or miss depending on the stadium and it's probably easier when you have a kid in tow who is asking for their ball to be signed. Or just do as the groupies do and find out which hotels teams stay in on the road!

Updated On: 11/27/18 at 11:28 AM