Panto - arrive 90 minutes before start?!

[PissyMum]

I’ve just looked at my tickets for the pantomime at my local theatre as I wanted to write the date/ time on my calendar. The performance starts at 7pm but the arrival time is 5.30! It states that you need to arrive at the arrival time and if you miss your entry slot you are unlikely to be allowed to access your seats until the interval.

AIBU to think this is crazy? I’m guessing this will also mean they’ll stagger people leaving too meaning we’ll be say there even longer. I’ve got young kids and the panto is the only thing I stand a chance of getting them to focus on as it’s short and aimed at kids. Pantomimes are aimed at young families. I bought the more expensive tickets as I wanted us to have good seats near the front but I wouldn’t have bothered if I knew it would mean an extra 90 minutes sitting there.

Is this standard for all shows now? It’s only a smallish theatre in a town, it’s hardly a massive West End show.

That's really weird. Pantos are long enough as it is.

I'd check with them that cannot be right. They can't expect kids to sit and wait 1.5 hours for a show to start.

Not panto but I went to a show at a big theatre near me recently and didn’t need to have designated arrival/leaving times or anything like that (big theatre, sold out show).

It sounds ridiculous as it just means everyone being crammed in together for longer, and especially with a family show, more toilet/ refreshment trips

You could get there at 5 30, go in and get your seats and put coats on them. Then go and get dinner etc and come back making out you've just been to the loo or something?!

That sounds ridiculous. Children will be going mad by the time the panto starts.
I’d check with the theatre.

That’s completely ridiculous. And also, having worked at the theatre, there’s no way the auditorium will even be open 90mins before the performance starts to take your seats. I’d definitely be contacting them to ask if this is right.

At a theatre, not the theatre 🤦‍♀️

Are you sure it doesn't just mean 'don't arrive before 5.30'? Ie that 90 mins is the point at which they'll open the doors but not before?

Interestingly, we went to the theatre last week. 7.30pm start and our tickets said we had to arrive between 60 minutes before the performance. We were in the 3rd row from the front in the stalls so I guess they are trying to get people to arrive 'in order'. It was a bit annoying as it was local and we would normally just turn up 10 minutes before the start.

Everyone just left as normal at the end!

Have a look on the theatre’s Twitter page to see if others are asking if it’s right

That’s madness.

FWIW I went to a west end shoe recently and had similar - a 6.00 arrival time for a 7.30 show. We arrived at about 6.30 as our dinner overran and it was just one long queue all the way round the block. No staggering at all. They checked LFT status etc in the queue and then when the doors opened it went down really quickly.

I’d give them a call and say that timing doesn’t work for you and ask what they can do to accommodate. It may be that they’re just trying to minimise the number of people coming in later due to having to do extra checks on the way in. They must have had some experience of how that’s working for them already and should be better placed to make exceptions for people missing their super early slots, especially with young DCs.

• between 45 and 60 minutes

Which theatre is it?

Most places are doing this now. They are staggering entry times but it doesn’t really work. I went to a show in edinburgh last week with this, we had a set entry time 45 minutes before the show and to go in via a certain door but when we go there it was chaos and we were told to go via a different door

That's crazy. 30 minutes I could understand so that everyone is seated in time for the start

I went to the theatre recently and was given an arrival time of 1hr 15min before the start, I got there 20min before and it was fine. I believe they give different people different time to stagger arrival for covid, and to add time for the checking of covid passports (required at this theatre) but if you didn't adhere then no problem. There was no staggered exit.

The case here too. Dd is at the theatre with guides tonight. Their entry slot is 6 and the show starts at 7.30. Poor leaders!

i have theatre tickets for next weekend. We've been allocated an arrival time of 50mins beforehand. There is strong wording about this being very important and they can't be flexible on what time you are allocated, but the small print says you'll be allowed in anyway.

I'm so glad I booked a small.little Am Dram panto this year, I cant see them making us arrive an hour and a half early. Madness.

My friend has gone to the theatre tonight. Been told to be there 90 mins beforehand as they're checking everyone's covid pass

Lots of theatres are doing this, but I haven't noticed any enforcing it (certainly, none I have visited). Getting there 90 minutes early would be crazy; apart from spending money in the bar, what would you do?

I couldnt make the entry time on my last theatre trip, it was too early and a work night. I was panicking as there were 6 of us! It was absolutely fine, tickets and covid checks real quick and straight in, we got there about 45 mins before curtain up

@PissyMum Is it a theatre managed by ATG Tickets by any chance? The last few shows I have been to at a theatre owned by them also say entry time is 90 minutes before the start time.

The problem is that they don't open the atrium until the usual time so you can't even buy a drink and go straight to your seat, everyone is at the bar which is pointless for staggered times as everyone is in the same room for longer than necessary.

That sounds like pure torture. This is why I can't be bothered to do many 'organised' activities at the moment. I guess this is a Covid thing?

I wouldn’t be going. It’s ridiculous, no way would I hang around for an hour and a half before the show. Kids would be going mad!