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!

I had a good opinion of Andrew Scott as an actor, my opinion of him as a person has improved.

I’m not sure if you’ve done any professional acting but it isn’t just “saying stuff.” To deliver a compelling performance at the level expected by a paying audience he needs to be focused and in the zone. If something is distracting him - and it clearly was or he wouldn’t have noticed- he won’t be able to deliver that.

He is wonderful. I’ve met him a few times and he is unfailingly kind, generous, totally un-precious and much more interested in other people than himself.

Not as unreasonable as lounging around on your phone at a funeral. I think that one trumps them all (and yes, I've seen this)

He didn't "chuck a strop", he very briefly and silently paused to wait for the rude audience member to stop being such a huge distraction to the entire audience before resuming his performance without missing a beat.

Anyone who has never acted professionally needs to shut up and stop acting like the authority on things they have no idea about. It bet half the people criticising Andrew have never even been to the Almeida.

I can also testify to this! Wonderful generous human and deeply committed and professional actor.

Your assumption is incorrect

@BIossomtoes

fair enough. I’m surprised that the admiral would be allowed to continue to sleep whilst there was an emergency situation that required some sort of government briefing but as I said I know nothing about how the navy operates so I guess lucky him 🤷‍♀️

Really like this.

I adore Andrew Scott. I would have sat on anyone who started working on a laptop in the theatre. Phones are bad enough.

That it's your 'thing', in no way makes it acceptable.

A'nyone who has never acted professionally needs to shut up and stop acting like the authority on things they have no idea about. It bet half the people criticising Andrew have never even been to the Almeida.'

No I don't need to 'shut up' because I haven't performed on stage. I’ve attended many a show and I'd be incredibly unimpressed at this actor's childish response. Maybe he could attend a course on how to focus perhaps?

Yes!!

Get over yourself!!

Brilliant!

Right.

I’ve seen people chatting during concerts (the whole way through) and films - the problem is who is going to enforce? I was delighted to hear recently of a theatre ejecting noisy and drunk patrons - no less than they deserve.

Maybe they should have special screenings for inconsiderate a*holes at the cinema?

You won’t ever believe it, but I genuinely think you would find yourself in the minority for preferring the actor to just carry on as though nothing has happened.

I would far rather a brief pause while the antisocial behaviour is dealt with and then a return to the play as it should be experienced without having the entire remainder of it ruined by the selfish dickhead with the laptop. It’s the difference between a couple of minutes’ interruption and potentially an entire play being disrupted.

Fair enough for you if you’d rather let the laptop user remain and be a selfish distraction. But it’s too far to call Andrew Scott such sneery and unpleasant names for very politely, efficiently and effectively solving a problem which must have been absolutely enraging the majority of the people in the audience.

Incredibly unprofessional and precious behaviour by the actor, the audience member paid for ticket. If there was an issue where other audience members were disturbed it's for ushers to sort out not for the cast to throw their toys out

I don't think you've thought through how that could possibly work in practice in the middle of a play. Much better just stop till the guy ceased his antisocial behavior.

Let me see, which would I prefer? A brief pause during which the arsehole audience member was embarrassed into desisting from his antisocial behaviour? Or a huge hullabaloo as theatre staff came and remonstrated with him - during which the actor would have to pause anyway? I think Scott handled it perfectly.

It’s a brilliant idea but I expect the inconsiderate a holes wouldn’t have sufficient self knowledge to book those performances- kind of like DH and I still don’t think of ourselves as “ family friendly” holiday destination types.

Theatre behaviour is definitely getting worse. If it's not some idiot with a phone or laptop glowing away in the dark, it's people thinking that they should sing along with the songs or having drunken brawls. I do miss the time when going to the theatre was a special occasion and you dressed up for it (and were on your best behaviour!).

I think behaviour in theatres is getting worse now. I was just at the theatre tonight and could hear people’s phones going off quite often with text message alerts and things. The worst bit was when one of the characters in the play tonight was doing a passionate speech, and she ended it by calling for ‘silence!!’ And lo and behold… someone’s phone pinged with a text message, right on cue.

I really don’t agree with this at all. I think about it as a situation where the actors are giving a performance, which is often the culmination of years of hard work, discipline and commitment, probably with a healthy dose of nerves and trepidation. Yes, the audience have paid to watch the show, but regardless of whether they’ve paid, isn’t it quite disrespectful behaviour for the audience to focus on something else instead of the actors’ performances?

To give a personal example, I’ve started learning the piano and I played a couple of pieces on it at an amateur-level local concert recently. I’m only a beginner and obviously not a professional performer, and people didn’t pay to see me perform personally, but I still would have been upset if people in the audience chose to look at their phones or laptops or to have a conversation rather than listening to my performance.