Rude people in the theatre

Yes, but with standing tickets you don't have a particularly good view anyway, and the people in those seats tend to be ballet-lovers or dance students who know how to behave at the theatre. We've bought reasonably-priced tickets before, but the ones we had the other day certainly weren't, so if we'd paid £££ each, then the annoying person in front of me must have paid the same. I am not going to fork out for fantastically expensive really good seats to have some selfish twat spoil my evening.

Pressed the wrong bloody voting thing OP! Sorry! You are definitely NOT being unreasonable. Bad theatre behaviour is making going to see performances much less enjoyable than it was.

I don't go to evening performances any more, unless it's completely unavoidable. I've found behaviour is better at a matinee - probably because half the audience haven't come from the pub!

I’m very easily distracted and cannot switch off when I hear something annoying. I once had someone loudly eating popcorn right behind me, throughout an entire play - they totally ruined it for me.

I didn’t take my children to the Royal Opera House until they were six or so and then for the next four years+, we only got box seats. That way, if the youngest needed to wriggle (she was always quiet!) she could drop to the floor or walk to the back of the box and not disturb anyone at all.
The little one is now training to be a professional ballerina 🩰

Box prices have drastically increased since then so if it were now, I just wouldn’t be able to go as I wouldn’t want them to disturb anyone.

It’s so expensive I don’t know how anyone wants to purchase more than one😀

I don’t think it’s price so much though as I often pay £15 for a standing ticket for the Royal Ballet and can see several different casts that way. For the quality there, it’s amazing value!
Incidentally I was honestly horrified when the ROH lessened their ban on ice creams in the auditorium for the nutcracker (and possibly all family shows?). They really must not lessen their stance on food and drink in general or I will lose my haven of civilisation 😆

It’s easier said than done though. Many theatres /concert venues dont have security staff so the ushers would have to do it. Given the fact that a lot of theatre goers are pissed up these days it could be very initimidating.
The users/security also have to be made aware of the incidents too. Many disturbances are not immediately obvious beyond the people sat close to it , so the onus is on the other audience members. Mostly we just tut and mutter under our breaths don’t we rather than intervene.

Maybe this is more common in mainstream theatre. I can only afford to see Shakespeare or indie studio productions like Poe at Burton Taylor in Oxford this summer which was brilliant. The audience are always good humoured but well behaved and respectful, even after a few drinks!

This happened to me at a Stephen sondheim evening. I’d paid £300 for the tickets, which was a lot of money for me.
There was a woman sat about 5 seats to my left who kept using her phone and it was really distracting.
I approached her at the interval and explained how distracting it was. She said she thought she’d left a candle burning at home and couldn’t understand why I was irritated as she felt that was a very good reason to keep looking at her phone?! I pointed out that perhaps she should go outside the auditorium and sort the problem or go home!!!
the girl in the other side of us was texting…when asked during the interval why, she said she was so excited to see one of the stars that she had to text her mum?!! We did point out that whilst texting, she’s missing the very star she’s excited about??!

We go to a lot of live music, the behaviour is appalling, phones out filming the whole time, greasy smelly food, constantly going in and out to get more alcohol and then the inevitable toilet trips. One concert we went to last year there was a group in front of us who could barely stand they were so drunk and kept belching and laughing at each other doing it.

We saw Cat Stevens recently and everyone’s phones were locked in pouches, I think a combination of that and stopping alcohol sales during performances would make a huge difference.

I volunteer as an usher at a large theatre complex, and I have to say that it's rare that we have any issues with patrons. The vast majority of time they are respectful of other audience members and the performers. Once in a while we have to ask them to put their phones away or be quiet but that's very rare.

Each individual production decides on any holds (times when audience members can't be seated). This can range from there being no holds, so guests can be seated at any time, to a hold for the entire act (if you're not in your seat you can't enter, although this is rare). Often it's for the first ten minutes or so.

I have been doing this for several years now and have never seen an audience member get out of hand. As a volunteer I don't have much authority, but my training is that if there's a situation that I can't deal with or an audience member not complying with my requests, I let my house manager know and they deal with it, escalating to security if necessary, and yes - they will be thrown out if need be and/or police called. I've never seen it happen though.

I agree, some people are so fucking rude. I went to see Marian Keyes this year and the drunk women behind me were gabbing through it. I turned round and said to them I’d paid to listen to Marian Keyes speak and not them and they did shut up, but I could tell they were whispering and bitching about me at the interval.

I went to see Tina the musical too and once again marred by drunk people who think they’re at a pop concert. At least the staff were good at getting people to sit down who were standing up dancing before the end.

It’s dreadful. We go the theatre regularly and it’s hard to remember the last time there wasn’t at least one mobile related incident. Not always as disturbing as actually ringing but people who thinking staring at their phone during a performance doesn’t disturb other people.

I just don’t understand why people can’t just sit and concentrate on something for an hour or two without looking at their phone.

Unfortunately, it’ll never end until the addiction to phones ends.

Or at least, no crunchy foods in fucking plastic packets. Or smelly foods.

It would help if food and drink were banned from the auditorium, or limited to still water in non-scrunchable bottles.

Surely the bar isn't open during the performance anyway, is it? That's certainly the case at the theatre I volunteer at. Bars are open before the performance and at intermission, but that's all.

Few years ago think during Bodyguard some woman was removed for singing out loud and whatever chaos took place (think Police came?)

Anyway on Facebook posts about it obviously most were sensible and against her. Then you had the 'Ive paid for my ticket I will sing along if I want' people. No!! People around you havent paid to hear you sing!

Oh god, poor behaviour at the theatre really annoys me.

I went to a theatre in the Midlands last week and everyone was just SO LOUD. Eating, chatting, fidgeting. Why do people leave it until the very last minute to take their seats? If theyre in the middle of a row, the whole row has to stand to let them pass! Phones going off both before the interval and after (did they learn nothing?) The people behind me kept fidgeting and kicking / kneeing my seat throughout the performance.

Ive just booked a West End comedy next year and the tickets are £150 each. I'm really hoping that the cost focuses minds and everyone shuts up, sits down and behaves properly.

in Germany they get told to leave by everyone around them, and off they go.

Yep, then it’s the up and down to the loo/bar as one is never enough for many.

Drunk patrons definitely are a problem. But that's nothing to do with whether or not they're allowed to take a drink to their seats.

A glass of wine is no problem.

The problem is it’s often not just one, or ir is a glass of wine on top of the several they’ve had before coming to the theatre.

There are few things I enjoy more than having a glass of wine while watching a play, and I was very happy when they started allowing it again after Covid. I'm not sure why that bothers you?

Yes this is exactly what we had in the Importance of Being Earnest.

Man next to Dd in the second half overly guffawing and really spoiled it for her.

In the first half, lots of people were laughing in advance of the famous funny lines which really did ruin it a bit - Dd didn’t know the play very well so would have enjoyed it more without all the “knowing” pre-laughter - so annoying if if you did know!