Bethany North | The Guardian: I have been working front-of-house jobs in theatres more or less since I graduated from university 12 years ago. During that time, whether in regional theatres or on tour, I must have worked in at least 40 theatres across the UK – old, new, and with audiences large and small. However, one thing has been consistent in all of them: terrible audience behaviour.
3 comments:
Another example of professionals being asked to fill in as roles that are simply not their job. Front of house staff shouldn’t have to endanger themselves or others by acting as a bodyguard or babysitter, as it says in the article, when an audience member is getting too rowdy. That’s just not what they’re signed up for. I get that theaters are hesitant to remove people who have paid money for tickets, but if they are disrupting the performance and generally being belligerent or causing potential harm, I think it’s more than fair to remove them for the safety of everyone else. One person may post a bad review or complain about being removed from the theater and ask for a refund, but surely that is a small price to pay compared to the many people in the rest of the audience whose experience is being ruined by that person being allowed to stay.
I knew the pinpointed cause for audience misbehavior was going to be alcohol, and I agree. Especially with well known bopper shows with heavy themes of recklessness and abandonment, some people feel the need to also get loose with alcohol before and during the show. I’ve seen poor audience behavior, presumably from a little too much alcohol intake, and I don’t ever think the front of house staff is paid enough to deal with those people. Often front of house staff are not the same as bodyguards or trained handlers of rowdy people and I think it’s unfair when house companies refuse to aid them or acknowledge it’s an issue. People who misbehave during shows also ruin other audience member’s experiences, and especially if the ticket price or value of the show is high, the presence of a tipsy, loud or disruptive audience member can really kill what was supposed to be a special night. I agree with the author that front of house staff should be able to reject people at the door if they enter tipsy, regulate in house alcoholic services, and be able to completely remove disruptive audience members after the first or second offense with access to aid of someone trained to remove such individuals.
It is so awful that people can't enjoy nor conduct their jobs because of people who have no sense of audience etiquette. Individuals described in the article truly ruin the theatrical experience and makes those around them feel uncomfortable and irritated by their decisions. These individuals, as stated in the article should not have to babysit grown adults it is simply not their job. And the fact that they are scared to conduct their jobs due to the backlash they may face from their employers, customers and those on social media is such a sad reality. I truly just can't comprehend how and why people act in such a ignorant and indecent manner. It is truly incredibly embarrassing and I hope that people who do this learn to have some decency in the theater. Some of the shows listed I was not suprised at the audience reaction because those shows would definetly cause some ruckus for those who have no manners.
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