To think its rude

[Reallyneedsaholiday]

Being late to a theatre/ ballet/ opera and disturbing everyone during the performance so you can find your seat?
I'd also count the cinema and a myriad of other events. Don't you make sure that you're on time, and if by some chance you can't avoid being late, wouldn't you stand at the back until an interval? People who stay in the bar until start, and then disrupt everyone, climbing over them to their seats, clutching half drunk drinks drive me nuts. So AIBU?

Im always early but if I was late because of horrendous traffic or something I wouldn't stand at the back, no because I've paid for my ticket. In fact it's probably not allowed due to fire regs.

I've done this once or twice when I've been stuck on the tube but not many times (and I was mortified). You can't know somebody's reason for being late.

If somebody is disturbing everyone just getting from the aisle to their seat though then TABU; moving briskly down the row apologising along the way and sitting down immediately, without faffing with coats and so on, takes seconds.

Quite often you can't enter if you are late.
I went to a classic ballet with a friend at the royal. She thoughts it was 8 pm. It was 7.30 pm. We were 5 minutes late and were placed on a row only for late people. Very fine.

If I am in charge we are never late.

Nothing to stop people standing at the back.

I don't know whether it's still the case but at the RSC they didn't let you in at all until the first interval if you were late. It certainly didn't matter what your reasons were.

I was late to the royal Albert hall for a film in concert recently (was our fault, we thought it started 30 mins later than it did) and had to stand outside until a suitable gap when they let all the late people in at once. I think that's a good way of doing it. So people only get disrupted once rather than dribs and drabs. There were of course people complaining and moaning though that they should be let in immediately.

I’ve never been to any theatre where they let people in before the interval if they’re late. I recently watched the entire first half of Midsummer’s Night Dream on the screen in the bar because my train was cancelled. At least I could have a glass of wine while I was watching.

If the theatres you use don’t adopt this standard policy, I’d take it up with them.

Fire Regs at our place do not allow this as it could cause an obstruction

Shows will have a specific point latecomers can be admitted, where it will cause least disruption, but if we can seat them elsewhere then we will

If you book an aisle seat and then huff when people want to take their seat before the show starts, even the last few minutes, YABU and we will be talking about how U you are afterwards...

Except fire regs?

Especially in London theatres where there's little room to move.

I've stood at the back myself, after the toilet queue in the interval was too long 😂 so the show had restarted. Definitely no rules about it.

People were walking in ten minutes before the first interval, and asking everyone on the row to move so they could get to their seats, blocking the view of the rows behind them. I get that I had cheap tickets, but I still want to enjoy the performance.

The others arrived about five minutes after the show started, but were clutching half drunk drinks from the bar, so were obviously in the building in plenty of time.

I've never been told that I can't stand at the back.

But plenty of theatres do have that rule.

I went last week and a few days before the performance, received an email that might as well been entitled 'how not to behave like a dick at the theatre' because it was a list of instructions on how to behave that would be common sense and how you'd behave anyway for most people, but obviously they have to account for selfish arseholes who don't consider others.

One of the instructions was that if you're late, you will have to wait until the interval to get to your seat.

Maybe there's room at that theatre. Or they have different fire regs. But we definitely have rules and people aren't allowed to stand at the back through the entire half of the show. You would have been directed back to your seat or offered a different seat if there was one available

If it was that close to the interval then we would hold would hold them at the back if there was space (so if it was just one couple)

And if it was 5 minutes in, it sounds like they got there in time to grab a drink but then didn't make it to the door before the show started and so were held until the latecomers point

But then they still don't let people disturb everyone else

Yep, rude AF.

I went to the cinema a week or two ago and there were two women behind who would not stop bloody whispering the entire time. Then her phone went off 🤦‍♀️ I mean, come on. Who doesn't put their phone on silent in the cinema at the very least?

But then I see rude, inconsiderate people everywhere. The people across the road from me let their dog bark out the front of their house at 6:10am on Sunday mornings. A man with a massive shopping trolley full of food rushed in front of me at tesco while I was carrying just a leek and a tin of beans. Parents constatly park on the pavement at the school so pushachairs and wheelchairs are forced into the road.
And I can't work out if its me getting older and grumpier and less tolerant or if people are just not as nice.

They'd been drinking in the bar, and weren't held at the door at all.

I don’t think you’re allowed into the auditorium once the performance has begun in most theatres. The cinema’s different.

People are just rude and entitled and it's become worse.

If you're late that's too bad. They shouldn't let you in.

Everyone else that you're disturbing has also paid for their tickets.

I think I'll make a thread on this. Has it become worse or am I just getting older and grumpier?

No, it's not about aging or becoming more grumpy , even my 20 something son moans about public transport and people being rude to the staff and the lack of manners everywhere ( which cost nothing )
I was brought up to think of others and say please and thank you and so on , but it's just gone down hill with people's attitudes to just about everything!

It’s a minor inconvenience. I can’t get worked up about it at all and it’s never memorably ruined any theatre or cinema trip for me.

Sometimes you just can't help being late...

Ever seen the film Clockwise?

I'd rather we could be understanding and compassionate and do the best we can to seat them than make them miss out when they might already be quite stressed and upset because of delays...

I work in the theatre. I still ended up 15 minutes late for a show because, despite leaving in plenty of time, there was a series of events beyond my control which delayed me.

Theatres usuamake latecomers wait until an appropriate moment to take their seats

How did you manage to watch the whole of the first half of you were late?