Why would you text at the theatre?

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Unless you're an idiot?
Rosamund Pike calls out audience member for texting during show

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0723zgdp0eo

Given how many posters there are here, there must be those who think it's reasonable behaviour to text or film during performances.

We watched RP in this play (Inter Alia) and it's an incredibly intense experience. I just can't understand the mentality of someone who would pull out their phone and text during a performance.

When we saw The Cursed Child a couple of ladies turned up late and then kept using their phones. The usher told them if they got them out again then they would have to leave and wouldn't be allowed back in for part 2.

I never said I text every hour.

Read the article, there is no excuse for their behaviour.

Then you could wait for the interval.

But if a play half is only about 1 hour and 30 mins max why can’t you just text before the play, during the interval then after the play?

I just can’t get worked up about this. Someone was on there phone, meh, it happens. RP then speaks up about it? I’m sorry but even the person on the phone has paid to see her, her job is to entertain not to act all high and mighty. I would understand if the person was constantly on their phone throughout but from what I can gather, someone was briefly on their phone? In the grand scheme of things, this is a meh issue.

Audible alerts when driving. And at almost all other times. The lack of audible alerts in a theatre setting is the reason we need to check phones occasionally.

They were on their phone during the intense and highly emotional final scene of the play. The part when no one - especially the actors delivering the performance - wants to be distracted or have the spell broken. People who can't understand that or think it's high and mighty to ask for basic manners and consideration of others to be observed really shouldn't go to the theatre. It wasn't just the actress who was annoyed by it, other audience members were also angry.

If you are diabetic and need to check your phone during the performance, or are waiting for a call from the hospital for an organ transplant or similar then surely you let the theatre know in advance so they can warn the performers that’s what you’re doing, and you turn the backlight right down so it doesn’t disturb other theatre goers.

But when these things become accepted it becomes more and more widespread. So it’s fine to glance at your phone. Then it’s fine to send a “quick text”. Then it’s well I’m just chatting to my group about my pony for 15 minutes or explaining to my adult child how to restart the router because the internet has gone down at home. So the person next to them thinks well if they can text for 15 mins I’ll have a quick scroll on Facebook for 10 30 minutes during this bit as I didn’t really want to come to this show in the first place. And now half the audience is on their phones.

I checked my phone in the theatre last week, phone on silent but watch vibrated to alert me my daughter’s blood sugar was extremely low, followed by a text from the person looking after her which I checked on my phone.

It said ‘all ok, being dealt with’ — I didn’t reply but would have left should I have needed to. Alternatively I could have got up from my mid row seat, disrupted everyone to go and check my phone, then come back 2 minutes later and disrupt everyone again.

I always turn my brightness right down, check in and preempt anything I can before and in the interval. But ultimately I have a full time job, 24/7, acting as my 7 year olds pancreas, and without me doing that (even for just an hour) she could be dead.

You’d also be horrified to hear I take her to the theatre sometime and administer her life dependent insulin via her pump using a phone. This doesn’t make us inconsiderate, we always book end of aisle and silence all alerts, it makes people like you inconsiderate.

Really?? I find it extremely distracting and annoying in a theatre. And I am clearly not the only one.

You take care to minimise disruption and have a medical need. I wouldn't complain about that anymore than I'd complain about someone's guide dog. You aren't someone texting on a bright screen at length so you aren't the problem here.

Not defending the tester at all, but some of the suggestions by PP of not going to the theatre if you may have an emergency are ridiculous. I’m a T1 diabetic with a continuous glucose monitor linked to my phone. If the alarm goes off (silent vibration/haptics) I AM going to check it to see what action is needed. Sadly this is my life 24/7, but to suggest I never go to the theatre in case I might need to check is awful.

Depending on which theatre you book with, you can register as a type 1 diabetic so they are aware. It also gives you access to seats that are easier to exit from.

I don’t think they tell the performers, but the ushers usually know.

We have a child with SEN and epilepsy and we have an absolutely amazing carer who babysits. Normally she breezes through and doesn't bother telling us about either short fits or behaviour related issues. But I keep my phone on vibrate even if at the cinema or theatre as if he has a fit over 5 mins he would be in an ambulance. This has happened only 2 x in his life but I'd want to know before the end of the play.

I would view getting up and leaving to check blood sugar levels far more disruptive than a brief discreet check whilst seated. I find people getting up and down very distracting.

And you/your brother may not need to check your blood sugars for that length of time but I’m afraid others are not so fortunate and would need to check.

But if that happened you’d leave I’m assuming? You wouldn’t just sit there texting? Because it’s an emergency and rightly so you need to leave.

For those saying they have to monitor their phone for diabetes etc, life and death issues, can never be ‘totally off’ how do you cope when driving?

@FeminineIntuitionWhat actually bothers me isn’t the phone, it’s the confidence of someone publicly shaming the person on their phone while having zero context themselves. Phones in theatre are annoying, sure, but I’m not going to pretend I know what was happening for that person, and I’m definitely not going to act like I have the right to judge a stranger’s whole character over a moment I don’t understand.

That’s useful to know, thank you.

Who the fuck is 'struggling' to see how anyone can be distracted by the light on a phone? If course it's distracting. Rosamund Pike was distracted wasn't she, or else she wouldn't have called it out. Jesus, this is why the world is going to pot. I despair

And this thread has made me realise how important phones are to people with type 1 diabetes (and i do have a close family member with type 1 but she doesn't use a phone to manage it so I didn't know) Everyone who has explained this on the thread has also said they turn the brightness down and keep the phone on silent to reduce any disturbance to others. It's really different to people who have their phone on full brightness and use it to scroll and chat throughout a performance. Thanks to this thread, I am aware of the diabetes issue now and I would never object to someone using their phone as you describe for that purpose. It's light years away from 'I need to stay dialled into the pony group chat' or 'I can't tolerate a moment of boredom' people who use their phones with total disregard for others in order to entertain themselves during a performance.

It's very clear from the article that this was not someone in an emergency situation using their phone. People who behave badly in public should have attention drawn to their poor behaviour.

@ItsTimeGoPhones in theatre are annoying, yes. But turning one moment into a whole narrative about ‘tech slip’ and imaginary conversations is just overreach. We don’t know the context, and I’m not going to build a whole morality tale out of something that didn’t happen.