Okay. I’m going to vent. Well… not exactly a complete 100% rant because there are some instances of excellence to point out. However, sometimes I really wonder what people are thinking. And today’s “Are you kidding me?!?” has actually been written about by others. Now it’s my turn. The focus is… what happens before the curtain opens (or more apt in LA, “before the show starts” since there’s rarely a curtain to be had).
Fortunately in instances of frustration when it relates to theatre, I can quickly feel it and let it go. Of course, don’t ask my friends what I really think about a show once it’s over. That feeling sometimes lasts a while longer, especially if it’s a stinker.
Back to pre-curtain. When the theatre ticket has 8 pm printed on it, I am always hopeful the show will begin at its designated time. LA time at the theatre though usually adds 10 minutes to bump back the actual start. How we got into that habit, I have absolutely no idea. Then we have the curtain speech and now we’re at 8:15 pm… if it’s a short speech.
A previous Saturday was no exception. I had to travel 60 miles to get to the theatre. LA traffic is never reliable so even when MapQuest tells you “travel time is 73 minutes” you’ve got to add to that sucker. So, I build in one hour and a half to cover the territory. Add an hour for dinner and chilling with the show’s scheduled time at 8 pm and viola, I’ve got to leave by 5:30 pm, which I do… on the dot.
It takes me 92 minutes to drive across town. After a nice meal, I go to the theatre, get my ticket with assigned seating from the nice box office person, return to my car and read a chapter in Haruki Murakami’s “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.” An excellent book by the way.
It’s now 7:50 pm and I head into the theatre. Hmmm, there’s a restroom. Might as well use it. Afterwards I go to the entry way and I’m greeted by a cordial pair of theatre ushers who hand me a program and show me to my seat. It’s going well.
At 8:03 pm, the box office person makes an appearance, gives us the yada, yada, yada, and I’m thinking “We’re golden for a start at 8:10 pm.” But he adds the caveat… “We’re waiting on a few more patrons.” Oh, dear – define “a few.” I continue to read my program to discover there are pages missing. I figure since there are missing patrons, maybe I can find the missing pages in another program. I see the friendly ushers who provide me with a new copy – actor bios included this time.
Tick, tick, tick. 8:12 pm. Out comes a staff person from the theatre. Spiel, spiel, spiel, yada, yada, yada, and here it comes, “We’re waiting for a couple more patrons.” And the added bonus, “Just so you know, once the show starts, if you need to use the restroom, please note when you leave the theatre, you won’t be admitted back until intermission.” Great, that beautiful seed just sprouted 12 ready-to-see-the show patrons from their chairs.
By the time the patrons who couldn’t arrive at the theatre by 8 pm appear, it’s now 8:26 pm. Thank God, the production isn’t a full-length O’Neill or Shakespeare or I’d be staying overnight!
A professional sports game starts on time. Can you imagine the Lakers giving the cheerleaders more time on the court so we could wait around for late customers to show up? The Dodgers are a perfect example of fans arriving late. It’s the 4th inning before you actually see the full crowd in their seats. But they still start the game on time! What about the movies? 99% of the time, something is rolling at the designated start time. Previews, whatever. Get in your seats, folks, the show is about to begin. And guess what, if you miss something, you’re out of luck. They aren’t waiting for you!
Four recent examples of professional courtesy and etiquette are the Fountain Theatre, the Road Theatre, Antaeus and Actors Co-op. Each one had a person who announced what the rules were well before we entered the theatre to be seated. “This play has no intermission. It lasts one hour and a half.” “No drinks are allowed in the theatre; however, we’ll be glad to keep your drink refrigerated until intermission.” “No photography is allowed.” “If you need to use the restroom, it’s just down the hall. A reminder… the first act is one hour and a half.” Etc., etc., etc. And their respective shows started on time – given the 10-minute “rule.” But by golly, at 8:10 pm, “Show time!”
Producers and Artistic Directors set the tone. If your audience knows the show begins at a specific time and you start at that time, they’ll get the picture. However by starting later and later you annoy the hell out of the patrons who arrived promptly. And those prompt patrons might not come back to your theatre when their butts are definitely needed in your seats. Why reward the three or four who aren’t respectful of everyone else?!? It’s completely and utterly backwards.
How hard is it to create a sign for the lobby or have a person at the entrance into the theatre stating simple things such as “no photography,” “no intermission,” “no food or drinks allowed,” “unwrap your candy before the show begins,” “turn off/silence your cell phones NOW”? It’s not rocket science! But it is good business sense.
What theatres in the LA Stage Alliance might consider as a standard — 10 minutes after the designated start time, the show begins. That’s ALL of the theatres with the same standard. Then the message is clear to the patrons — “arrive on time or else.” And the “or else” doesn’t mean the patron is turned away. I know some theatres have an area reserved for those arriving late. I’m putting it out there, as something to consider.
So… deep breath, enough of my rant. It’s off my chest… at least for now.
On with the show!
Hey Mark…
I feel your pain.
Many years ago, a friend of mine, who is a priest, told me -
“when my service is suppose to start at 6 AM… I starts my
service at 6 AM — no matter if there is one person in the
church.”
This sentiment was shared with me when we were waiting over
15 minutes for a performance to start.
A a rule we (PLAYWRIGHTS ARENA) start our shows no later than 8:05.
A 5 minute grace period for parking issues is all we allow.
BUT – we do state in all our materials: NO LATE SEATING.
This had been true for all our shows at Studio/Stage and
at LATC Theatre 4 since when you walk in… you’re on stage.
I believe that producers should be mindful of the majority who made it to their
theaters on time. It’s less courteous to wait 26 minutes for a few people.
There are the occasional instances where there is a box office snafu or a
reviewer who is on the book has not shown up yet. But in those cases
we absolutely start no later than 10 minutes after (with or without the
reviewer).
Those people who have been turned away, do come back — and ON TIME.
I know we want to please EVERYONE. We need all our guests to
feel important. But 8 PM is 8 PM not 8:26. Or, in our case, 8 PM is
8:05.
Jon
Comments from Twitter:
@sydiot: LA has a unique need for holding curtain times, but if your show is 100+ mins, you gotta start by 8:10.
@shutterbug93: depends… I’ve been saved by a late curtain once or twice as sometimes LA traffic is VERY unpredictable…
Thanks for the article, Mark. It is so frustrating – as an audience member and as someone who has done a lot of house managing. Because audiences have become accustomed to the late start, we have had patrons angry because they got to the show late, and lo and behold, the show has already started. In one of Actors Co-op’s theatres, there is no late seating, so if patrons arrive late, they do not get in – and they are not happy! Somehow, we need to educate them to know when we say 8 PM, we mean it.
Mark, you know me, you know how I feel, and you couldn’t have said it better, although I do think you’ve been infinitely more polite than I ever would have been.
As an actor and someone who has spent more than their fair share working the front of the house as well, I believe that a grace period of 10 minutes is more than enough to allow people to get in their seats after getting their tickets, downing their drinks and hitting the head (not necessarily in that order). On a bad night, 15 minutes.
Obviously, when there’s a notable jam on any one of LA’s less-than-user-friendly freeways, I am always very impressed with the theaters who are aware of traffic jams and adjust their start time in an effort to allow their patrons to plow their way through a sea of cars and enjoy the show. But this should be the rare occurrence, not the norm.
Besides my hatred of having my punctuality ignored and my time wasted, I can’t help but suffer alongside the poor actors whose inner clocks and preparation are thrown off as they wait helplessly backstage for their audience to hit their mark in their seats, not to mention the crews who suffer alongside them.
Theaters should know better and should make it their policy to show respect to the people who show them the respect of showing up on time.
Good article, Mark. It’s all about courtesy. Broadway standard, as I understand it, is 8:07 go. Which is the rule we try to follow at the Fountain. Something we get close to most of the time. We also tell our patrons when they order tickets “Absolutely no late seating. If the show has started, you won’t be admitted.” And we do mean it!
Mark, I couldn’t agree more! Granted, if it is group of 15, it might, and I repeat MIGHT be reasonable to hold until 8:10, but NO LONGER!!! Yes, we all know that traffic is a problem in LA. So PLAN AHEAD! Leave early! It is a courtesy to other patrons and believe it or not, to the actors. when you are revving up and ready to go, it is really disconcerting to have to, at curtain time, be told that the curtain will be held for the audience. YIKE
I agree with you, Mark. Theaters would do well to take a serious look at how they can best provide hospitality to their patrons, as it helps to build lasting relationships. Starting on time is part of that package, to be sure. Producing a good play is not enough if you want your theatre company to thrive. Patrons are looking for an entertainment experience and that experience begins from the moment they first learn about your show. It continues through the ticket purchase, arrival at the theatre, waiting for the house to open (using the restrooms, purchasing snacks, socializing), and ENDS with actually seeing the performance. You can either win an audience over before the curtain goes up, or you can irritate them into not enjoying the show. In fact, you can irritate them enough that they will actively avoid your theatre in the future.
Who knew there was a grace period and a “rule”? This explains so much! The only instance where we (ANMT) really hold the curtain is when something unusual is going on with L.A. traffic and half the reservations have yet to arrive. Well, wait. There is actually one more instance. (sigh) For concert readings, we sometimes use a small theatre with only one bathroom for one person at a time. So… yes. We hold the curtain on the second act until the last person is out of the bathroom.
I try to never hold more than 5 minutes unless there’s something unusual. Try. That said, I actually got chewed out once by a critic who arrived 10-15 minutes after scheduled curtain (we held as long as we were comfortable with) for not waiting.
Yes. And there is more than just starting on time. I wrote this blog almost a year ago addressing all front of house issues that all house managers, theater companies, and producers should consider.
http://rickculbertson.com/2009/09/21/you-are-what-you-wear/
Thanks, Mark, for posting this!
I agree this is an epidemic. And it’s one that could be cured simply by the collective will of producers & house managers (who are often the same people in 99-seat theatre).
To respond to @sydiot – LA traffic is indeed unpredictable. That’s why responsible people (audience as well as performers) should leave early to arrive to their shows on time(!) Movie theaters in LA don’t start late to accommodate LA traffic, why should live theaters?
Would love to see a future (related) rant on the epidemic of the “curtain speech.”
Hi Mark,
I just wanna say right off the bat, that I loved your acting in The Unnamed, and that I think you’re quite good looking, beyond average. – Hollywood with their darn stereo-type looking person. There are other actors who aren’t as good looking as you are.
Anyways, back to the subject at hand, even though this was 2 years ago, but still. I totally understand about this, and I think it’s nice they’ll chill your drink while you wait for intermission, but that is rather dull to say no food or drink but they’ll keep it chilled for you… because you want something to drink continuously through out the show.
And I guess those theaters never heard of the “fourth wall” it’s to where you put a mental wall between you and the audience. No matter what someone is doing in the audience you and the rest of the cast are to ignore that person in the audience and continue with your acting.
I’m an aspiring actress, so I know lots of things about film, tv and theater.
You’re very talented, and I wish they’d put you in more films! – you were even quite funny in certain scenes in The Unnamed.
Best regards,
Heather
P.S. I also tend to rant about these things.