Why are audiences so poorly behaved these days?- Page 3

[Mark Waltz]

Posted: 6/23/25 at 8:02am

Luscious said: "Whatever happened to Class?"

I'd rather hear an "oops" while they're passing their gas rather than some of the circumstances mentioned here. 

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 6/23/25 at 9:17am

Are people really still trying to cite Covid as the reason for this?

At this point, it's been years since Broadway reopened from the Covid shutdown, and the poor audience behavior had been an epidemic for years before Covid.

I think at least one of the issues is that people literally live behind their phone screens more and more every year, to the point that it has completely warped their concept of how to behave in real-life, with actual humans. And I can imagine that this will only get worse, the more AI takes over. I don't know what the solution is, but I hope there is one.

Updated On: 6/23/25 at 09:17 AM

[ER765]

Posted: 6/23/25 at 10:15am

For the second time, nobody in this thread “blamed Covid.” They said the Covid lockdown exacerbated the behavior. 

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 6/23/25 at 11:54am

I guess I'm lucky with this kind of thing, because I saw 13 shows this season and the audiences were very well-behaved. One cellphone rang once and was then immediately silenced. The only other issue was some older audience members who were confused by the "brief pause" between the second and third acts of The Hills of California. They thought it was time for them to go to the restroom again, then when they didn't make it back in time, the ushers tried to hold them until a pause in Act III and it ended up causing more distraction than just letting them go back to their seats. 

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 6/23/25 at 5:57pm

ER765 said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "So this is like the 146th post on this same topic?!

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/Terrible-Audience-Experience


https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/Bad-Audience-Behavior-872396"

Those threads are both TWENTY YEARS OLD, with the most recent post from TEN YEARS AGO.

Your post is infinitely more annoying and unnecessary than this thread. Chill out."

If those threads are more than 20 years old, it simply proves that audiences are not “so poorly behaved these days”. They always have been. Chill out. 

[abcd12]

Posted: 6/23/25 at 6:04pm

Matt Rogers said: "ER765 said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "So this is like the 146th post on this same topic?!

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/Terrible-Audience-Experience


https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/Bad-Audience-Behavior-872396"

Those threads are both TWENTY YEARS OLD, with the most recent post from TEN YEARS AGO.

Your post is infinitely more annoying and unnecessary than this thread. Chill out."

If those threads are more than 20 years old, it simply proves that audiences are not “so poorly behaved these days”. They always have been. Chill out."

Some of you will fight about ANYTHING, huh?

It has no doubt gotten worse since 20 years ago. 

I am not getting into a back and forth over *****ng semantics with you. 

Touch grass. Xx

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 6/23/25 at 6:15pm

abcd12 said: "Matt Rogers said: "ER765 said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "So this is like the 146th post on this same topic?!

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/Terrible-Audience-Experience


https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/Bad-Audience-Behavior-872396"

Those threads are both TWENTY YEARS OLD, with the most recent post from TEN YEARS AGO.

Your post is infinitely more annoying and unnecessary than this thread. Chill out."

If those threads are more than 20 years old, it simply proves that audiences are not “so poorly behaved these days”. They always have been. Chill out."

Some of you will fight about ANYTHING, huh?

It has no doubt gotten worse since 20 years ago.

I am not getting into a back and forth over *****ng semantics with you.

Touch grass. Xx"

Sweetie poo, the point is that these stupid Audiences Suck threads date back decades and there have been MANY OF THEM. Audiences today are no worse than they were on the date the first one of those threads were posted. All you people like to do is complain. Every single f*cking thread I have looked at today has just been a chorus of whiny idiots complaining about every possible thing on Earth. Touch grass indeed. 

[ER765]

Posted: 6/23/25 at 6:29pm

And you’re such a beacon of light and positivity? Shut UP.

If you’re so sick of this board, log off. 

Also, this: “Audiences today are no worse than they were on the date the first one of those threads were posted.” is completely false.

With the rise of the smart phone ALONE in the last 20 years, audiences have ABSOLUTELY gotten worse.

 

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 6/23/25 at 6:34pm

ER765 said: "And you’re such a beacon of light and positivity? ShutUP.

If you’re so sick of this board, log off.

Also, this: “Audiences today are no worse than they were on the date the first one of those threads were posted.”is completely false.

With the rise of the smart phone ALONE in the last 20 years, audiences have ABSOLUTELY gotten worse.

"

If you’re so sick of sharing a Broadway theatre with other human beings, you should no longer attend Broadway shows. Shut up. 

[ER765]

Posted: 6/23/25 at 6:38pm

Matt Rogers said: "ER765 said: "And you’re such a beacon of light and positivity? ShutUP.

If you’re so sick of this board, log off.

Also, this: “Audiences today are no worse than they were on the date the first one of those threads were posted.”is completely false.

With the rise of the smart phone ALONE in the last 20 years, audiences have ABSOLUTELY gotten worse.

"

If you’re so sick of sharing a Broadway theatre with other human beings, you should no longer attend Broadway shows. Shut up."

You’re completely missing the point and nuance of this discussion. For the umpteenth time, this is a THEATER DISCUSSION BOARD. We are here to DISCUSS our experiences at the theater. No one said it’s every single theatergoer. Were you the assh*le who slapped someone at Gypsy a few months back? Sure sounds like it.

You’re coming in here to complain about people complaining…? 

And to complain that there are threads from 20 years ago that should’ve been dug up instead of starting a new one…? 

And everyone else is negative and full of complaints? 

Okay, Mary. 

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 6/23/25 at 6:44pm

ER765 said: "Matt Rogers said: "ER765 said: "And you’re such a beacon of light and positivity? ShutUP.

If you’re so sick of this board, log off.

Also, this: “Audiences today are no worse than they were on the date the first one of those threads were posted.”is completely false.

With the rise of the smart phone ALONE in the last 20 years, audiences have ABSOLUTELY gotten worse.

"

If you’re so sick of sharing a Broadway theatre with other human beings, you should no longer attend Broadway shows. Shut up."

You’recompletely missing the point and nuance of this discussion. For the umpteenth time, this is a THEATER DISCUSSION BOARD. We are here to DISCUSS our experiences at the theater. No one said it’s every single theatergoer. Were you the assh*le who slapped someoneat Gypsy a few months back? Sure sounds like it.

You’recoming in here to complain about people complaining…?

And to complain that there are threads from 20 years ago that should’ve been dug up instead of starting a new one…?

And everyone else is negative and full of complaints?

Okay, Mary."

I slapped someone at Gypsy??? What the actual f*ck are you talking about???? Someone has gone off their meds today and that someone is you. Or maybe you have heatstroke. Either way, every one of your moronic posts gets more pathetic than the last, MARY.

[MB124]

Posted: 6/23/25 at 6:47pm

abcd12 said: "

Some of you will fight about ANYTHING, huh?”

That part. Jesus…

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 6/23/25 at 8:22pm

Why are people on discussion boards so poorly behaved these days?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 11:38am

Incident at PURPOSE (7/11)

Updated On: 7/13/25 at 11:38 AM

[Bette's Turban]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 12:03pm

I just read that and it makes me so angry.  I won’t take it anymore. I am all for getting verbally aggressive .  If they’re gonna ruin it for me, I’m gonna ruin it for them and make sure they never forget it

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 12:06pm

And Casey Likes posted something on IG about poor behavior at the stage door of “Heathers” which I’ll pretend I’m surprised to read. I’m surprised any of that cast deals with that insanity. 

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 12:09pm

Bette's Turban said: "I just read that and it makes me so angry. I won’t take it anymore. I am all for getting verbally aggressive . If they’re gonna ruin it for me, I’m gonna ruin it for them and make sure they never forget it"

many, not all but most, Americans are taught from the day they were born that "you can do whatever you want".

now we finally see the consequence of such mentality. 

 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 12:10pm

WiCkEDrOcKS said: "Incident at PURPOSE (7/11)"
 

 

Something very similar to me happened at both Sunset Blvd. and Swept Away. I’m so incredibly over it. These people are not only incredibly irritating, they are downright scary.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 12:12pm

At this point, every theater should have a security guard stay on site throughout each performance, if the ushers and house staff aren’t equipped to handle incidents like these. 

Updated On: 7/13/25 at 12:12 PM

[MB124]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 12:17pm

WiCkEDrOcKS said: "At this point, every theatershould have a security guard stay on site throughout each performance, if the ushers aren’t equipped to handle incidents like these."

1,000,000%

As said earlier in this thread, it’s absolutely wild that more often than not, the onus to handle these situations is put squarely on the theatergoer’s shoulders. 

[Bwaygurl2]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 12:20pm

Jordan Catalano said: "And Casey Likes posted something on IG about poor behavior at the stage door of “Heathers” which I’ll pretend I’m surprised to read. I’m surprised any of that cast deals with that insanity."

"HEATHERS STAGE DOOR " are the three most terrifying words in the English language. A woman posted a video of the performance with a girl near her screaming every ten seconds like clockwork. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 12:23pm

^ when republicans all die and go to hell, it should be that for eternity. 

[abcd12]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 12:28pm

WiCkEDrOcKS said: "At this point, every theatershould have a security guard stay on site throughout each performance, if the ushers aren’t equipped to handle incidents like these."

In theory, this is a great solve. 

These incidents are clearly going to keep happening, if not get worse. Let’s not wait until someone gets punched in the face (again, or worse). 

Although knowing the way this industry “operates,” it’ll take an extraordinary incident to incite any change or acknowledgement from the powers that be. 

Infuriating all around. 

[whatever2]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 1:02pm

abcd12 said: "These incidentsare clearly going to keep happening, if not get worse. Let’s not wait until someone gets punched in the face (again, or worse)."

it is inevitable that these incidents will continue, and that they will increase in frequency and severity until someone(s) suffer serious bodily injury or worse. and when gets splashed all over the news pass the popcorn and watch the clusterf*ck as the theatre community scrambles to "fix the problem."

100% that's the trajectory here -- wouldn't it be refreshing if those in a position of responsibility just eliminated that middle bit now???

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 1:07pm

They do have security at every show but people have to speak up and say something. So many times people say "I didn't want to start something" or "I gave them a dirty look but it didn't work." Of course it didn't. These people need to be called out, reported, and thrown out. I had three women ejected from Company for recording the show and drinking from flasks the entire first act. This was a matinee, mind you. And two bitchy teenagers were, once again, recording the show and they were told to leave at intermission during Heart of Rock and Roll. More and more people are actually telling people to shut the hell up or to turn their "mother f*cking phone off" (heard last week at Mincemeat). People are over it, tickets are incredibly expensive, and people don't want to put up with such selfish, bullsh*t behavior. 

I was incredibly disheartened to see that Heathers posted about illegal recordings, and it was met with hundreds of posts saying things like "Then make tickets cheaper" and "Me recording the show is the only reason you are selling tickets".  The entitlement is disgusting. I get that the audience skews young but it's pretty infuriating that that's the attitude with very young audiences going forward.

Updated On: 7/13/25 at 01:07 PM