In recent news we’ve heard of Patti
LuPone snatching a rude patron’s phone in the middle of a performance at the
Lincoln Centre, how another man jumped onto the stage of Hand to God to charge his phone and about someone texting
throughout a performance of Hamilton
on Broadway.
I often go to the theatre and am
amazed at how many people check their phones during a performance. The sudden
burst of light in a dark theatre is invasive, and also puts a tiny screen-sized
spotlight on the face of the person who clearly ignored the announcement to
please turn off all electronic devices. Or perhaps our minds have simply grown
accustomed to blocking out the sound of a loud-speaker announcement, like not
paying attention to a ‘price check’ at a grocery store. Why the uproar?
Let’s begin by examining why people
go to live theatre. I think the greatest appeal is that it is ‘live’. It all
unfolds in front of you. The actors and action are only a few feet away from
the ‘real world’ and there is something special about being directly present.
Why else would you spend more money than a movie ticket? Unlike a movie, this
performance is unique. Every nuance, laugh, subtle gesture, ad-lib and mistake
are witnessed only by this group of people. There’s a special energy in a live
theatre. Actors feed off that energy. They crave the applause. They feel elated
when they succeed at making an audience laugh or cry or wait in silent
anticipation for something to be revealed. There is a certain satisfaction when
they know they’ve drawn the audience completely into their world. Can you
imagine, in one of those moments, in the middle of a carefully crafted scene,
the medieval heroine moves towards a hidden danger when suddenly - -
Someone’s cell phone rings!
The illusion is shattered and the
magic is gone. All the actor’s work is dashed as the audience is jarred out of
the world on stage and back to a world where rude people answer their phones
during a show.
Having noticed these interruptions
several years ago, when I started directing theatre, I started creating
pre-show scenes in the vein of the show the audience was about to see. The
house lights dim, which brings the audience’s full attention to the stage, then
I present my “announcement”. It’s usually done with humour so the audience
willingly complies.
It all started with a stage version
of 12 Angry Men (re-entitled Twelve Angry People to accommodate some
updates). The character of the Guard only has three lines in the show, so I had
the actor come out before the show started and address the audience, welcoming
them to ‘jury selection’. While waiting for the ‘lawyers to arrive,’ the Guard
went over the rules of the space, which included having no contact with the outside
world.
For The Wizard of Oz, the actor who played Professor Marvel /The Wizard
came out and did some magic tricks and fortune telling, before asking everyone
else to turn their little magical boxes off.
For A Christmas Carol, characters from another Dickens story warned the
audience that personal belongings that were in-hand might get stolen, along
with their watches and handkerchiefs.
Before Les Misérables, two guards welcomed the audience to Toulon Prison,
where punishment for obstinance was severe.
It’s become a bit of a personal
trademark to have a creative pre-show announcement. Here are clips of some
others for you to enjoy:
From a production of Singin’ In The Rain.
Since I had to create silent films and early ‘talkie’ films for the actual stage production, I took it a step further and created this silent film which explains the ‘no cellphone rule’ in a 1927 context.
Since I had to create silent films and early ‘talkie’ films for the actual stage production, I took it a step further and created this silent film which explains the ‘no cellphone rule’ in a 1927 context.
The War Show is a play with music,
following six Canadian soldiers through World War II.
Authentic newsreel footage from the era was projected throughout the performance, so we shot this parody of Judy Garland and Gene Kelly’s number, “For Me And My Gal”.
Authentic newsreel footage from the era was projected throughout the performance, so we shot this parody of Judy Garland and Gene Kelly’s number, “For Me And My Gal”.
For the dramatic reading of the
novel, “Dracula the Un-Dead” which I adapted for stage for the Toronto Book
Launch with Penguin Books.
Here, our actor reads a preview of a fictitious book entitled, “Theatre of Blood”.
Here, our actor reads a preview of a fictitious book entitled, “Theatre of Blood”.
These bits seemed to work well, as
we did not have any problems with cellphones or disruptive patrons during those
performances. The only show for which I did not create a pre-show scene was The Diary of Anne Frank in 2004, because
I couldn’t figure out a way of being humourous about this issue in a way that
wouldn’t be perceived to be in bad taste. Unfortunately, despite the usual
announcement, there was a plague of cellphones going off, often at dramatic or
poignant moments. Ever since then, I have made a great effort to grasp the
audience’s attention before the show begins.
Recently, I was happy to read in
the New York Times article, “Theatres Struggle With Patrons’ Phone Use DuringShows” that some theatres have added a personal pre-show touch, such as The
River’s understudy stepping onto the stage before the show, personally
imploring the audience to turn off their devices.
Perhaps we can all squash these
small-screen interruptions with a bit of personally-added entertainment. Have
you been inspired? Feel free to contact me. I’m interested to hear what you
create.