I’ve worked front of house in 40 theatres – and audiences behaved terribly in all of them | Bethany North

Managers need to have the confidence to eject customers, and trust their staff. Two strikes, and the rowdies should be out

I have been working front-of-house jobs in theatres more or less since I graduated from university 12 years ago. During that time, whether in regional theatres or on tour, I must have worked in at least 40 theatres across the UK – old, new, and with audiences large and small. However, one thing has been consistent in all of them: terrible audience behaviour.

Last week Colin Marr, director of the Edinburgh Playhouse, condemned the actions of a “small minority” of audience members who “choose to sing, dance and talk throughout the show in a manner that disturbs others” and then verbally and physically abuse front-of-house staff when they intervene. I was saddened by the statement, but not surprised. As much as audience behaviour has gotworse in the past two to three years, it is not new.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/fnoGPO2