Dear Evan Hansen Stage Door- Page 6

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 7:29pm

I just sincerely hope that this lady complaining takes at least 30 minutes after seeing every one of her patients to sign autographs and take selfies with them.  I mean, so what if it's not part of the bill they're paying?  Obviously it's rude and disrespectful and unfair to them if she doesn't!

[JBroadway]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 7:39pm

In light of Nycat63's "generations" comment, I feel I should point out that this was tweeted by a grown woman with children. While the rabid young fans definitely contribute to the hysterical atmosphere, 90% of the COMPLAINTS I've heard while stage-dooring ("he's taking forever to come out!" "If she really appreciated her fans she'd sign autographs" etc.) have been from autograph hounds and middle-aged women. I've been stage-dooring for about 8 years, and I almost never hear young people complaining about this sort of thing. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 8:13pm

CurtainPullDowner said: "DOORING is NOT  a word."

no, but stagedooring is an expression that has entered the lexicon. And to suggest otherwise is to misapprehend the essence of language.

[AprilWheeler]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 8:21pm

JBroadway said: "In light of Nycat63's "generations" comment, I feel I should point out that this was tweeted by a grown woman with children. While the rabid young fans definitely contribute to the hysterical atmosphere, 90% of the COMPLAINTS I've heard while stage-dooring ("he's taking forever to come out!" "If she really appreciated her fans she'd sign autographs" etc.) have been from autograph hounds and middle-aged women. I've been stage-dooring for about 8 years, and I almost never hear young people complaining about this sort of thing

 

 

I second this. Worst behavior I ever witnessed was at The Price when a woman started yelling at a security guard when we were told Mark Ruffalo had left from another door. She was definitely old enough to be my mother and I am 34. 

I have done the stage door several times and I don't consider myself to be odious. I just think it's fun. I've often met really nice people and have enjoyed discussing the performance with them. However, people like this woman are why we can't have nice things. If things like this become the norm, I wouldn't blame anyone if casts as a whole just decided to avoid it entirely. If someone feels they need to defend their need for self care, things have gone way too far.

 

[EM55]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 8:31pm

I have never had a negative experience at a door. (I have not been to the DEH door though so this is a general overall viewpoint of other doors) I have always been incredibly lucky to get to have personal conversation, albeit fast, with actors I admire not only as actors but as people in general, In the current online culture you learn you may share common personal interests, or the same social causes, or you grew up in the same town. You may have had conversations online with them. There a lot of personal reasons to want to strike up a conversation. And that is an important part of being a kind person in general is to thank them for their time, their hard work and then...crazy concept.....treat them like a human being with actual human interests.

I think the vast majority of audience members agree and accept that the door is not guaranteed or a right, but the majority also understand not to talk, sing along and video a show. Unfortunately that small percentage of entitled jerks is making a negative impact.

I would hate to see the demise of a decades old tradition because of an internet troll.

Updated On: 7/3/17 at 08:31 PM

[Nycat63]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 8:31pm

JBroadway said: "In light of Nycat63's "generations" comment, I feel I should point out that this was tweeted by a grown woman with children. While the rabid young fans definitely contribute to the hysterical atmosphere, 90% of the COMPLAINTS I've heard while stage-dooring ("he's taking forever to come out!" "If she really appreciated her fans she'd sign autographs" etc.) have been from autograph hounds and middle-aged women. I've been stage-dooring for about 8 years, and I almost never hear young people complaining about this sort of thing. 

 

I definitely did not mean to imply that this is purely generational.  Obviously there are highly entitled adults out there too (early in Comet's run, ladies older than I am were knocking over young fans to get to Josh Groban)   The bigger problem, though, does tend to come from the shows that create the "hysteria" you accurately refer to - and more often than not, that's teenagers and young adults - it's just part of who they are and no different than when the Beatles became famous, One Direction, etc   You have girls (and boys) literally crying at stagedoor, screaming, and causing a huge frenzy that exists in lesser form at other shows  

to be clear, I was commenting more on the experience of stagedooring itself - and frankly, defending it in practice against those who constantly bash those who do it - than the sense of entitlement   we saw in this awful woman's tweets.  I was hanging back at DEH stagedoor a couple weeks ago waiting for my daughter and it was a completely different - and terrifying - experience than when we were there in November   Most other adults were hanging back as well - it was all screaming, crying and pushing teens   And autograph sellers - I will definitely add them to the mix, but they were at least calm   

No offense intended to anyone young or old!

 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 8:41pm

@nycat, all very fair points, and I don't disagree. You're totally right about the disturbing hysteria. Sorry if it seemed as though I was calling you out. I just wanted to make the distinction between being hysterical and being entitled. The latter trait is attributed to the millennial generation all too frequently, even though the theatre-goers who are most guilty of this behavior are primarily older (though of course, I acknowledge that there are exceptions).

[Nycat63]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 9:05pm

JBroadway said: "@nycat, all very fair points, and I don't disagree. You're totally right about the disturbing hysteria. Sorry if it seemed as though I was calling you out. I just wanted to make the distinction between being hysterical and being entitled. The latter trait is attributed to the millennial generation all too frequently, even though the theatre-goers who are most guilty of this behavior are primarily older (though of course, I acknowledge that there are exceptions).

 

No worries - I don't think we disagree.  I used the term "generational" only because we are primarily talking about DEH's stage door in this thread - and while the tweeter who led to today's discussion is an adult, the actual craziness (vs. entitlement) that's going on at the DEH stage door seems to be caused by younger people screaming, crying and lining up before the show gets out in the hopes of meeting Ben (on a Sunday as we were leaving Dolls House, which ended more than an hour before DEH was to let out, the stage door barricade was already full with teenage girls).  It's just made it an unpleasant experience for everyone, most importantly the actors who should just not come out under those conditions.  Nor should they ever have to apologize for not doing so. But definitely the sense of entitlement spans all generations.

As for the bad rap millennials get, they are still partly a product of their own environments, so if they do seem overly "entitled," where do we think at least some of that came from?  Overly entitled adults/parents.  I have a 15 and 18 year old myself - I know how hard it is to try to instill good values, respect, etc. but we have to at least try to set a better example.

 

 

[Jayar2]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 9:10pm

I don't stage door anymore. First of all, I go to see the performance which is what really fills my soul. If I feel so compelled to do so, I tweet something about the show, actor that I specifically enjoyed. Not only does it make me happy to be able to talk about the show, but if people read the actor's or show's feed, it's a plus that say positive things. And secondly, I am 45 years old. I'm ready for bed after an evening show! Lol!  And back on topic-- if I were Ben Platt, I would skip every dang night. It's too much risk... there are crazies out there.

[Nycat63]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 9:12pm

Incidentally, going back to "Dr. Diana"  - this story got picked up by Entertainment Weekly so 1) she is now outed beyond BWW; and 2) is she seriously a "developmental/behavioral pediatrician"????  Yikes.

[caseyd]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 9:13pm

Wow reading this thread is honestly pretty shocking to me just because I am so inexperienced with stage doors. Last week was the first time I had ever stage-doored anywhere. I stage-doored Great Comet on 6/24, Bandstand on 6/27, and DEH twice on 6/25. I feel a little guilty after reading this for going to the stage door after the second show (the benefit show) that Sunday because I technically didn't see that show. I went to the matinee and saw Colton perform as Evan. I went to the stage door after that show, and he was the only one who came out. Everyone was extremely respectful and calm. I was so caught up in the details of my trip to NYC I literally had no idea that there was going to be a second show that Sunday night for the benefit thing. When I caught wind of that, I decided I would go back to the stage door later to see if I could get anyone else to sign my playbill. At the time, I still had no idea that Ben was performing. I literally didn't know he was until people started to talk while we were waiting. I honestly had zero expectation that he would actually come out, because I knew it happened pretty seldom. Well, he did come out, I was able to say a few words and have him sign my playbill. Laura, Kristolyn, Rachel also came out so I was on cloud 9. Again, there was a lot of people, but everyone was extremely well behaved and respectful (from what I could see around me, the barricades went pretty far though). I guess I lucked out. Yikes, leave it to me to feel guilty lmao. 

[Nycat63]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 9:22pm

caseyd said: "Wow reading this thread is honestly pretty shocking to me just because I am so inexperienced with stage doors. Last week was the first time I had ever stage-doored anywhere. I stage-doored Great Comet on 6/24, Bandstand on 6/27, and DEH twice on 6/25. I feel a little guilty after reading this for going to the stage door after the second show (the benefit show) that Sunday because I technically didn't see that show. I went to the matinee and saw Colton perform as Evan. I went to the stage door after that show, and he was the only one who came out. Everyone was extremely respectful and calm. I was so caught up in the details of my trip to NYC I literally had no idea that there was going to be a second show that Sunday night for the benefit thing. When I caught wind of that, I decided I would go back to the stage door later to see if I could get anyone else to sign my playbill. At the time, I still had no idea that Ben was performing. I literally didn't know he was until people started to talk while we were waiting. I honestly had zero expectation that he would actually come out, because I knew it happened pretty seldom. Well, he did come out, I was able to say a few words and have him sign my playbill. Laura, Kristolyn, Rachel also came out so I was on cloud 9. Again, there was a lot of people, but everyone was extremely well behaved and respectful (from what I could see around me, the barricades went pretty far though). I guess I lucked out. Yikes, leave it to me to feel guilty lmao. 

 

Don't feel guilty - you got very lucky!  I think the evening performance on 6/25 benefitted from being an Actor's Fund benefit - so you probably had a very different stage door crowd.  Perhaps the first show was calmer because people knew Ben wasn't there.   I was there on 6/20 and it was utter chaos.  Ben was taken out the front door unbeknownst to the people at stage door (which was anything but calm that night, even though ultimately only Laura and two understudies came out), and he truly looked like he was having a nervous breakdown.  Maybe its the Jewish mother in me, but I was worried for him.  Will was hustled out by security as well, though he at least was smiling.

As long as you weren't there being obnoxious you have nothing to feel guilty about.  And at least you saw the show!

 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 9:39pm

It is not about how YOU feel, or how you behave. 

It is about imposing on someone who has just finished a hard job. Do people you come in contact with at work wait outside for you to come out so they can chat, sign autographs and take pictures with you? If you go to the doctor, do you wait on the street until they come out so you can hang out? These things are called stalking. It is no different in the theatre. And yes you should feel guilty. As I said, it is loathsome. 

[caseyd]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 9:51pm

HogansHero said: "It is not about how YOU feel, or how you behave. 

It is about imposing on someone who has just finished a hard job. Do people you come in contact with at work wait outside for you to come out so they can chat, sign autographs and take pictures with you? If you go to the doctor, do you wait on the street until they come out so you can hang out? These things are called stalking. It is no different in the theatre. And yes you should feel guilty. As I said, it is loathsome. 

 

"

I wasn't BEGGING or being rude. I wasn't SCREAMING or throwing myself at them. I felt guilty about going twice, not about the process. I wasn't keeping them from leaving. I was doing the process as a fan expressing gratitude. From the sounds of it, it seems as though the stage door isn't "your thing" and that's fine. However, until they get rid of the process completely, I think you have no right saying all of these people are "stalkers". 

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 9:52pm

caseyd said: "HogansHero said: "It is not about how YOU feel, or how you behave. 

It is about imposing on someone who has just finished a hard job. Do people you come in contact with at work wait outside for you to come out so they can chat, sign autographs and take pictures with you? If you go to the doctor, do you wait on the street until they come out so you can hang out? These things are called stalking. It is no different in the theatre. And yes you should feel guilty. As I said, it is loathsome. 

 

"

I wasn't BEGGING or being rude. I wasn't SCREAMING or throwing myself at them. I felt guilty about going twice, not about the process. I wasn't keeping them from leaving. I was doing the process as a fan expressing gratitude. From the sounds of it, it seems as though the stage door isn't "your thing" and that's fine. However, until they get rid of the process completely, I think you have no right saying all of these people are "stalkers". 

 

"

Don;t feed the trolls. 

 

[@z5]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 9:52pm

Also a lot of actors themselves admit to having done it when they were theatergoers and do enjoy it as well. It's just like anything - there are those who unfortunately abuse the process of it and can ruin it for all involved. 

[leighmiserables]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 10:29pm

I've stagedoored practically every show I've ever gone to, unless I needed to catch a train right away or something similar. My reason is simply because—in addition to the fact I enjoy collecting Playbills—I like to thank the actor for their performance. If they come out, great, if they don't, I won't lose any sleep over it. I mean, people enjoy films without ever meeting the actors, so why is theatre different?  

Even so, I've had a ton of great experiences because of stagedooring. I remember stagedooring Fun Home last year and the person I went with and I ended up talking to Jim Stanek for twenty minutes after the show about his performance, the theatre business in general, and a whole bunch of other stuff. He even gave me advice on applying to BFA programs. Did I ask for him to do any of this? No. I would have ended the conversation immediately if he didn't engage me, especially because it was a matinee and I knew he had another show in a few hours. He did most of the talking, in fact, because sometimes actors just like stagedooring. I've had similar experiences with Alex Brightman, John Gallagher, Jr, and Kyle Scatliffe. However, if any one of them simply signed my playbill and left, or didn't come out at all, I would have been perfectly fine. No biggie, because they chose to talk to me, not the other way around. 

That being said, I do agree that there are fans who act inappropriately/inconsiderately, and not in a necessarily egregious manner. Nothing annoys me more than the person who shows up with forty things for them to sign, says something like "You're so hot/beautiful!" with no mention of the performer's work, or clearly not care for any of the performers besides a specific one. The worst I've ever seen was at Great Comet, with the middle-aged women who were clearly just there for Josh. I remember one lady explicitly telling a cast member not to sign her Playbill, because she wanted to leave room for him. That should never happen (though it was amusing to see the woman's face when the cast member told her Josh wasn't coming out).  

There really is no way to separate the "good eggs" from the "bad," though. But should that make stagedooring a bad thing overall? No. At this point any actor who stagedoors knows what they're getting into, and can choose whether to do it or not. Fans getting annoyed is inconsequential—or, I should say, the type of fan to get annoyed is inconsequential, because you probably wouldn't want to have met that person anyway. 

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 11:05pm

All this bullish!t comes from some queens who feel they need to get their assholes licked and their Playbills signed..,.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 11:20pm

You thank an actor by applauding vigorously at the curtain call. That's the "process."  Keeping them from going home, or to dinner or out for drinks, forcing them to run the gauntlet just to leave work, shoving things in their face for them to sign: that's for you, not for them. You can make up whatever excuses you want, but the truth is it is loathsome. I wish it could be stopped, but failing that, I just hope I can show a few people how loathsome it is and get them to stop. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 11:27pm

CarlosAlberto said: "All this bullish!t comes from some queens who feel they need to get their assholes licked and their Playbills signed..."

I never ask them to sign my Playbill...

[hanje]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 11:56pm

JBroadway said: "In light of Nycat63's "generations" comment, I feel I should point out that this was tweeted by a grown woman with children. While the rabid young fans definitely c Jiontribute to the hysterical atmosphere, 90% of the COMPLAINTS I've heard while stage-dooring ("he's taking forever to come out!" "If she really appreciated her fans she'd sign autographs" etc.) have been from autograph hounds and middle-aged women. I've been stage-dooring for about 8 years, and I almost never hear young people complaining about this sort of thing. "

I agree. The teen fans can often be too much but at the least I can kind of understand considering their age but there's no excuse for this woman or anyone really, to be acting this way. If I recall correctly this isn't the first time Ben has responded to a tweet regarding him not stagedooring either, although he deleted that response,  and it was also a middle aged woman tweeting @ him and saying how he must think he's too good to come out and meet fans. The level of entitlement some of these people have is baffling. I'm glad the guy is going on a much needed vacation so he can get away for a bit.

Updated On: 7/3/17 at 11:56 PM

[Mediamaven2]

Posted: 7/3/17 at 11:59pm

Surprised Ben Platt took the time to respond about it all. He shouldn't have bothered IMHO, owes nothing after the performance, and owes no explanation.

I have infrequently in the past stage-doored, only  just to watch, see, never to slow them down with asking for an autograph or anything. Back in the 90s when it all seemed more innocent. When there were 10 other people around. Or so - at least for the shows I watched for with my mom (Christopher Plummer in Barrymore!  Zoe Caldwell in Masterclass!). The Producers. But I never asked for autographs or pictures. I did hang out once for Hamilton in the early days (october 2015) cause my sister wanted a photo with Leslie, and I watched the exits at Color Purple last summer.  Sounds like its all a bit out of hand at DEH and, again, surprised Ben felt the need to explain anything. 

I agree that performers should be  thanked with your applause at the theater, your purchase of tickets, etc. That said I imagine many don't mind some friendly harmless fans who want  a pic or an autograph--all of this can be dispensed with in 10 min into your waiting car - but that said  it could take some of the  joy out of performing to have to deal with large, intense crowds where people start getting nasty. 

[smidge]

Posted: 7/4/17 at 12:29am

haterobics said: "CarlosAlberto said: "All this bullish!t comes from some queens who feel they need to get their assholes licked and their Playbills signed..."

I never ask them to sign my Playbill...

Lollllll ! New thread: Best asshole licking actor at the Stage Door.

 

 

[South Florida]

Posted: 7/4/17 at 1:24am

Hogan, as usual, owns you weirdos.

 

[darreyl102]

Posted: 7/4/17 at 3:10am

Hogan has very little class. It's one thing to not partake in something or not really like it, but to judge others and resort to name calling and over- exaggerating is pretty low. Lol