Interviewing theatre fans who go to the staged door

[ahhrealmonsters]

Posted: 2/19/15 at 1:04am

Hi! I'm working on a creative piece about theatre fans who go to the stage door. If you are or were a theatre fan who goes/went to the stage door, please fill out the form. I'm hoping to get as many stories as possible. I'd also love to talk about this in person, Skype, phone, etc. If you're interested, please send me a PM. Also, if you know any people who fit into the fan category, please send them the form. Thanks so much!!

P.S. The form is lengthy and a work in progress. I greatly appreciate you for taking the time to help me out.
Survey Updated On: 2/19/15 at 01:04 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/19/15 at 6:10am

I'm not slamming what you are doing, but think you should be a little bit more forthcoming with the people willing to help you.

this isn't really a survey, but an interview. And it's more lengthy than you would expect.

It's not really about being a theater fan...it's about stage dooring. I don't stage door.

[ahhrealmonsters]

Posted: 2/19/15 at 8:48pm

Thanks for your feedback, dramamama. You brought up really good points, and I will make edits/changes. Thanks!

[South Florida]

Posted: 2/19/15 at 8:53pm

Stage dooring is creepy. I'm sure I've creeped Stephanie out.

[ZannaDo]

Posted: 2/19/15 at 9:13pm

Some of these questions are a little creepy. You don't really form "relationships" with people by standing outside asking for their autograph...

[ahhrealmonsters]

Posted: 2/19/15 at 10:06pm

"You don't really form "relationships" with people by standing outside asking for their autograph…"

You'd be surprised by what people think, though...

[JBroadway]

Posted: 2/19/15 at 10:33pm

^Maybe the OP is doing a phycological study on people who think they're best friends with actors like Alice Ripley, because she wrote her bubble-letters EXTRA big on their playbill

[Marianne2]

Posted: 2/19/15 at 10:39pm

Yeah, while some people are just happy to get autographs or photos, there are some people who take it the extra mile or think there is more to it than just that. I actually was turned off of staying at one once for that reason.

[Pootie2]

Posted: 2/19/15 at 11:13pm

Well, OP, can you tell us your "ritual" for stage dooring? I've never heard of such a thing.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 12:42am

I go to the candid door.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 12:47am

Am I allowed to give the real reason I stage door? That I like to touch an actor and know that my DNA is forever on them? Like, when I met Hugh Jackman, I shook his hand and I know now that my fingerprints are embedded into his being forever? So like when I watch any movie he does from now on, I'll know that I'm sort of like actually in the movie with him? Like if I play 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, I can put myself in there because I'm actually in a movie with him?

Or is that not what you're looking for?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 12:51am

Once I touched Anthony LaPaglia's elbow. And he was wearing *leather*. You do the math.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 12:52am

That's how babies get borned.

[wonkit]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 12:01pm

Whatever your reasons for collecting this information, your questions contain too many assumptions. If you don't ask open ended questions, you are apt to receive meaningless answers that either support or refute those assumptions. And yes - this isn't a survey, it is a "Chorus Line" type interview. Would the results really be all that interesting? Maybe to other "stage-doorers" looking for validation. Or to the personal bodyguards of artists with more rabid fandoms.

[Pootie2]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 12:38pm

^That's the impression I got too, and I believe the assumptions and slants are done on purpose to support OP's own assumptions and preferences. This can hardly be classified as a psychology study. I've designed psych and sociology studies in college before. The introduction makes no sense, unless the author wants to write a play about stage dooring. (Which may be hilarious, but who knows.)

This reads like someone's attempt at rationalizing obsessive stage door behavior by searching for kindred spirits in the guise of a survey-thing, like those little "quizzes" that make the rounds within an already existing fandom ("omg me too!"), maybe for a light school essay. The entirety conflates the stage door experience with "being a theater fan," which is hardly the case (as opposed to just buying tickets and seeing the show, which far more theater fans obviously do than stage door). There is exactly one question that isn't centered on stage dooring or "relationships."

Some of the questions:
Describe your current stage door experience. What does your stage door "ritual" look like? ((( Why would one assume there is a ritual? )))

What kinds of relationships have your formed with performers? ((( This is a slanted question that assumes theater fans believe and/or do form "relationships" with performers, not to mention it's a loaded word. )))

Why is the relationship between you and a performer important? What does it mean to you? ((( Creepy factor, an imaginary relationship with a performer along with the assumption that it's "important." The second Q is redundant. )))

Have you had a bad experience at a stage door or otherwise with a performer? ((( The "or otherwise" phrase negates the question by asking "Have you had a good/bad experience at a stage door with a performer?" Unless OP meant "or elsewhere," which leads me to wonder if an obsessed fan who isn't allowed to get the selfie pic will classify that as a "bad" experience. )))

How has social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) affected your relationship with performers? ((( That creepy loaded word again. )))


If truly writing a piece about theater fandom, this would be far better designed if it concentrated on different ways theater fans express their fandom--including but not exclusive to stage dooring--or just change the entirety to only stage dooring and not frame it as a necessary part of theater fandom.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 2:30pm

Maybe the OP is planning on turning this into a musical...

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 2:50pm

I stand at the stage door and open Grindr to see what sexy studs are close working on that show and what they are into sexually and they look like naked. Is that bad?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 3:01pm

I do that with Grindr, et al literally everywhere.

[South Florida]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 4:48pm

The May night last year, witnessing what NPH had to come out of, that was creepy.

Updated On: 2/20/15 at 04:48 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 4:56pm

How about a musical like Chorus Line called Stagedoor The Musical.?

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 5:54pm

"Please write your initials in this response box. By initialing, you agree to have your stories, thoughts, and/or words used in this creative piece (currently untitled)."

This is really starting to sound like a Chorus Line-style musical about stage-dooring.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 5:58pm

The op alluded to this in his original post.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 6:06pm

Instead of "What I Did For Love" you could have "What I Did For Idina". Another song title which is self explanatory is "I Hope I Get it" (the autograph).

Updated On: 2/20/15 at 06:06 PM