Your ticket does not cover the stagedoor- Page 3

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 9:25am

I don't think saying who comes out every night in advance is particularly feasible, because every night is different.

Two examples:

- At DISASTER, after it was said that Faith Prince had "already left", two other girls and I hung around the door and talked to the SD guy (casually, not asking any questions about why she didn't come out, etc) as he broke down the barricades, and he mentioned Faith was still there, but she was sick and had guests, and wasn't up to coming out that night, though she usually does.

- Also, at closing night of NOISES OFF, someone asked if Andrea Martin came out, and the SD guy said no, only to have Andrea come out not two minutes later (although she stated that "she doesn't really do this, but today was a special occasion".

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 10:07am

Announcing who comes out every night? Ridiculous. Actors decide from night to night what they feel like doing.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 10:18am

GavestonPS said: "My point was just that--for me--there are contexts where a celebrity encounter is meaningful, but a stage door isn't one of them. In no post did I imply a negative judgment of those who like to stage-door. I just said I don't get it."

 

Thank you for your apology. 

 

The fact that you felt the need to bring it up in the first place is what made made me infer a negative judgement of stage-dooring in general. I understand now that you were just speaking of your own personal preference, but I still find that frustrating. What did that add to the discussion? You, along with many others here, seem to just be using this thread as an opportunity to sound off on whether or not YOU go to the stage-door, and why. But that's not what this thread is about. 

 

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 10:34am

"You, along with many others here, seem to just be using this thread as an opportunity to sound off on whether or not YOU go to the stage-door, and why. But that's not what this thread is about. "

 

ok,  how many comments here literally are about tickets and stage dooring? What I got from reading the thread were opinions and experiences on the practice.

 

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 7:35pm

Alex10 said: "Going back to what Mr. Roxy said, I totally agree that it would better manage the experience if theatre staff immediately told people at the stagedoor who doesn't stagedoor or wouldn't be that night. As someone who stagedoors at almost every show I see (getting to talk to actors and thank them is very important to me), I've waited for up to two hours in 5 degree weather for people who don't come out. I don't hold that against the actors, obviously they have no obligation to stagedoor, but I've definitely felt frustrated and wouldn't have waited had I known that those people wouldn't be coming out. I seriously respect stage actors (hope to be one myself someday), and would never mean to disrespect them, and I still feel disappointed after a long wait that doesn't lead to meeting certain actors. Knowing that there's no point in waiting would hopefully get a lot of people to just leave, and minimize the kind of anger and frustration that lead to messages like the kind Cynthia Erivo got.

 

"

Unless a performer NEVER or ALWAYS comes out the stage door, I don't think the staff would have the info you want. Performers make snap decisions on where to exit depending on how they feel and where they are headed. Announcing that "Elvis has left the building" might require a stage doorman to search several floors of dressing rooms.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 7:45pm

"I've waited for up to two hours in 5 degree weather for people who don't come out."

 

Why, oh why would you even do something like that? Sad, really.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 7:46pm

My sentiments exactly. Nothing is worth that. NOTHING

[MoDance0934]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 7:51pm

Jane2 said: ""I've waited for up to two hours in 5 degree weather for people who don't come out."

 

Why, oh why would you even do something like that? Sad, really.

 

I'm sorry but that is just crazy... I have never understood the deal with Stage Dooring. Broadway Actors are just like us. They don't put their pants on differently in the morning.

 

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 7:52pm

JBroadway said: "GavestonPS said: "My point was just that--for me--there are contexts where a celebrity encounter is meaningful, but a stage door isn't one of them. In no post did I imply a negative judgment of those who like to stage-door. I just said I don't get it."

 

Thank you for your apology. 

 

The fact that you felt the need to bring it up in the first place is what made made me infer a negative judgement of stage-dooring in general. I understand now that you were just speaking of your own personal preference, but I still find that frustrating. What did that add to the discussion? You, along with many others here, seem to just be using this thread as an opportunity to sound off on whether or not YOU go to the stage-door, and why. But that's not what this thread is about. 

 

 

"

Others are NOT discussing their personal experiences? What are they discussing then?

My apology was genuine. After you posted, I saw my offending post through your eyes and realized my error.

My intent was to broaden the discussion to include the topic of the talismanic quality of celebrity encounters and artifacts, which seem to have replaced religious relics in our secular age. To do so, I used myself (and later Jane2) as examples of we who seem to be immune.

If you'll pardon one more dropping of names of stage celebrities who are not and were not ever friends of mine (though they were perfectly nice people), while working as a production assistant, I once had the following all crammed into one open-air Cadillac: John Raitt, Larry Kert, Tammy Grimes, opera singer Patrice Munsel, Cyril Ritchard and Dick Shawn. (It was the 1970s. Cars were bigger.)

They were all talking simultaneously about themselves, as actors will tend to do. Raitt, still my all-time favorite Broadway baritone, was literally listing dinner theaters in Kentucky and how many seats each had!

When suddenly Tammy Grimes screamed, "Ice cream! Let's all stop for ice cream!" We were already late for rehearsal because it had taken me awhile to get the gang corralled, so I told Tammy I couldn't stop. And I thought to myself, "Well, if I ever had been star-struck, I would be over it by now."

But perhaps it's because I had those experiences in my youth that I take no pleasure from stage dooring now.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 8:01pm

to MoDance -  I was NOT the one who waited outside the stage door, as you quoted me.

[MoDance0934]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 8:04pm

Jane2 said: "to MoDance -  I was NOT the one who waited outside the stage door, as you quoted me.

 

No worries Jane2! I was agreeing with you!

 

[MoDance0934]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 8:05pm

MoDance0934 said: "Jane2 said: ""I've waited for up to two hours in 5 degree weather for people who don't come out."

 

Why, oh why would you even do something like that? Sad, really.

 

I'm sorry but that is just crazy... I have never understood the deal with Stage Dooring. Broadway Actors are just like us. They don't put their pants on any differently than we all do in the morning.

 

 

"

 

[Tom5]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 8:10pm

I've never had any stage door inclination. In fact the closest I've ever coming to witnessing  the experience was the opening to  "King Of Comedy". Perhaps that's why.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 8:12pm

Mo Dance said "No worries Jane2! I was agreeing with you!"

 

Oh, ok. It's that pesky quoting system!

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 9:25pm

"Am I the only one who has no desire to talk to celebrities (unless I am working with them and sometimes not even then!)? What am I going to say to Kelli O'Hara that she has not heard 10,000 times before?"

 

I have only done stage door thing with my daughters. They get their "Playbills" signed and I hang out away from the line most times. One of the few times I was near the line was to keep my eldest daughter company after seeing "Next To Normal". Alice Ripley signed my daughter's program and noticed her NYU bag and asked her if she went there. She then proceeded to talk to her about her classes and the show which had only been open about one week. I just made one comment to her about how demanding her role was and she said it was but she loved it so much. My daughter is not one to really want to chat with celebrities but this one time the celebrity actually engaged her in conversation.

[Esther2]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 9:30pm

Sometimes, the door person is instructed not to tell the throngs whether a particular person has left or not. I worked the stage door at a national tour road house for 35 years.  I'm only there to make the lives of the actors easier...not to make the lives of the throngs easier.  

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 10:39pm

Esther2 said " I'm only there to make the lives of the actors easier...not to make the lives of the throngs easier.  "

 

^ THE most important thing said in this thread.

[TerrenceIsTheMann]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 10:56pm

To me, it is age based. Anyone like under 21 who's just aspiring to be an actor or likes theater I dont really just for hitting the stage door. It is very a popular thing to take pictures with famous people in the age of social media. If you're like over 21 though, it's kind of sad to stage door.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 10:58pm

Like what if you're 21.5?  Is that like really sad?

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 10:59pm

"Why, oh why would you even do something like that? Sad, really."

You know how long people wait in the Hamilton cancellation line, right? I find that more baffling.

"There is simply no way of knowing."

Walkie-talkies exist. I find the answer that they don't care or they have specifically been instructed not to say more likely.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 10:59pm

yankeefan7 said: ""Am I the only one who has no desire to talk to celebrities (unless I am working with them and sometimes not even then!)? What am I going to say to Kelli O'Hara that she has not heard 10,000 times before?"

 

I have only done stage door thing with my daughters. They get their "Playbills" signed and I hang out away from the line most times. One of the few times I was near the line was to keep my eldest daughter company after seeing "Next To Normal". Alice Ripley signed my daughter's program and noticed her NYU bag and asked her if she went there. She then proceeded to talk to her about her classes and the show which had only been open about one week. I just made one comment to her about how demanding her role was and she said it was but she loved it so much. My daughter is not one to really want to chat with celebrities but this one time the celebrity actually engaged her in conversation.

 

"

yankeefan, that's actually consistent with my non-work encounters with celebrities: they usually ask a lot of questions about ME! As if I want to talk about that boring subject! But of course they are being gracious and there's no way around it. LOL.

At a Disney event a few years ago, I did collect autographs from four of the "princesses" for my granddaughter. So, like you, I would stage door if one of my children or grandchildren asked to do so.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 11:09pm

VintageSnarker said: "...Walkie-talkies exist. I find the answer that they don't care or they have specifically been instructed not to say more likely.

 

"

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you, but have you been backstage at many theaters? The bigger "musical" houses have dressing rooms on multiple levels all over the area behind the stage. A walkie-talkie is not a tool for visual surveillance. (You may also be right that the stage doorman is told not to say for security reasons. That would be my policy if I were house manager.)

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 11:11pm

"yankeefan, that's actually consistent with my non-work encounters with celebrities: they usually ask a lot of questions about ME! As if I want to talk about that boring subject! But of course they are being gracious and there's no way around it."

 

Me too! Whenever I run into Raul, I'm always so surprised that he wants to  hear what's new with me!

However, I'm not boring.

Updated On: 4/26/16 at 11:11 PM

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 4/27/16 at 9:03pm

Jane2 said: ""yankeefan, that's actually consistent with my non-work encounters with celebrities: they usually ask a lot of questions about ME! As if I want to talk about that boring subject! But of course they are being gracious and there's no way around it."

 

Me too! Whenever I run into Raul, I'm always so surprised that he wants to  hear what's new with me!

However, I'm not boring.

 

"

LOL. Indeed you are not!

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 4/27/16 at 9:11pm

PThespian, I hope it was clear I was genuinely asking, not being snarky, whether you were familiar with backstage architecture. Obviously you are.

So I still don't understand how a guard outside the stage door could keep track of the cast with a walkie-talkie. Sure he could ask somebody to check a dressing room, but that wouldn't tell him if the actor in question were somewhere else backstage.