Actor stopped because of emailer in audience

[ChangeNameLikeIChangeSocks]

I just read about this in the guardian, I'll put a picture of the heading of the article.

He says he "thought" the audience member was sending emails on his laptop. I wonder how he knew that, presumably he couldn't see the screen, and signal in theatres is dreadful. I would take a punt that he was in fact playing minesweeper.

I'm going off topic. The reason I wanted to post this is because it leapt out as me as a parallel to typical behaviour in many of the (Good!) schools I've taught in. Low level disruption. Except it's not one audience (class) member, it's most of them.

So I had to smile wryly to myself that this made the national news.

Either the audience member had very good reason, or this is a natural follow on from the deterioration of respect and good behaviour in schools.

Oh actors, come teach the dear children!

To be honest, I hate that it has become necessary to broadcast such a reminder. It reminds me that people just don't know how to behave these days (how old do I sound? I'm not even thirty!)

Tbh I don't see the reminder like that - more that simply we're so used to having our phones on us we don't necessarily think about them being in a pocket or handbag any more than we would our purse or keys. DH had to remind me to put my watch on theatre mode when I first had it.

Just been to the ballet. At the beginning of the performance the audience was asked to turn off all devices.

I've only really passed through France on my way to Switzerland. In the Netherlands and in German-speaking countries the passengers robustly self-police the trains.

I'm taking issue with your 'these days' - I recall that when going to the cinema over thirty years ago there were announcements reminding patrons not to talk during the performance.

What about in theatres though? Obviously smartphones weren't available then.

I remember people moaning about others eating sweets (crinkly packets) and talking. I can't honestly remember if there were announcements about talking at my local theatre. I remember there used to be aggressive shushing!

One different behaviour these days is drunkenness in the theatre.

I remember there used to be aggressive shushing!

And tutting. Does anyone tut anymore?

But how did Scott know he was emailing??

It’s irrelevant what the audience member Was doing. The fact was that he had an open, switched-on computer in the theatre and was engaging with it. If he needed to work, or respond to an urgent message, he should have left auditorium

I think this is a really unhealthy attitude to work tbh. You sound like a workaholic or at least unable or unwilling to delegate. You should be able to completely switch off while on holiday.

I think this is a really unhealthy attitude to work tbh. You sound like a workaholic or at least unable or unwilling to delegate. You should be able to completely switch off while on holiday

In an ideal world I agree it would be lovely to completely switch off, but and at the risk of enraging the “gosh aren’t you so important” folk” that’s just not how my job - and many other senior roles work.

I don’t think that makes me a workaholic, I’m a conscientious professional who enjoys their work and I can and do delegate many tasks to my team but ultimately the buck stops with me. I get very well rewarded for my work and have a significant stake in the success of the company I work for and there’s a trade off: I rarely miss a school performance, a sports match or medical appointment because my boss trusts me implicitly to make good decisions about how I organise my time and run my diary.

all that said and for the avoidance of doubt I don’t use my phone in the theatre.

This is pretty normal in many companies, even for middle management.

I’ve remained contactable even throughout Christmas/NY even though I was officially off for weeks.

'Theres always one' .

Look, to be clear as you've misunderstood, I don't agree wirh the audience doing anything to annoy fellow viewers. My point is the petulant actor's response was far worse than what the person on the laptop was doing. Focus, get on with it and stop being a Prima Donna.

Then make sure staff in future in the aisles are doing their job monitoring the situation and have clear rules that tech is not allowed.

To stop mid apparent 'intense scene' is pathetic.

This.

This thread has taken a weird turn. imho
-it is wholly unacceptable to use phones, laptops or podcast listening devices in the theatre. Andrew Scott acted correctly and he is brilliant.
-checking email discreetly on corporate training or stepping out to take a call is totally fine and normal (except maybe in some exceptional circumstances like it's diversity training and people are sharing personal stories) and the etiquette breach would absolutely be in a trainer 'calling this out'

Andrew Scott was in no way being a prima donna. The Almeida is a tiny theatre - someone using a laptop at such a crucial point in the play would be hugely disturbing and ruined one of the most famous and important parts of the play for a significant proportion of the audience.

If you've done any fraud training, this inability to detach from work is a red flag.

The fact is that many workplaces - eg city law, banking etc - expect people - particularly senior people - to be contactable on important matters and people are accountable for their performance. It can be unhealthy and unpleasant (though these people are generally comforted with generous salaries/bonuses) but the idea that it's an expectation that comes solely from within an individual and not from industry expectations is not correct.

He absolutely is. One person distracted him so he thought he'd chuck a strop and spoil it for everyone. Unprofessional silly man.

I've just had a look at the theatre layout on their website, and I hadn't realised just what a small venue it is, with the stage and seats very close indeed. It would most definitely be a disturbance for someone to be sat with a laptop out and screen on, never mind the obvious rudeness and lack of consideration to the performers of doing so. I'd have been right behind Scott stopping, and I'd have regarded the audience member as 100% responsible for the interruption to the show.

I'd have been right behind Scott stopping, and I'd have regarded the audience member as 100% responsible for the interruption to the show.

So would most people, especially regular theatre goers. It’s a very odd perspective to blame Scott.

Even the Admiral commanding the British Task Force at the Falklands managed to delegate all responsibility so that he could rest (he appointed two captains to act on his behalf while he slept).

Even the Admiral commanding the British Task Force at the Falklands managed to delegate all responsibility so that he could rest

I know nothing about the way in which the navy operates but assume there would have been issues for which he would have been woken up, would have expected to have been woken up and the powers that be would have demanded he be woken up.

When I worked in the kind of industry that had training days people would have been giving me the fucking side eye if I hadn't been able to cover myself adequately for a few hours. They paid for me to go to this, the courses we were sent on were really expensive and it would have pulled the rug out from under their worth for my work to decide I don't really need to pay attention at them after all

Your assumption is incorrect. All responsibility means exactly that. His deputies were appointed so they could make decisions on his behalf. Nobody is indispensable, if he’d been badly wounded or killed those deputies would have stepped up.