Show’s twitter account encouraging poor behavior?

[LxGstv]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 12:34pm

Ive been following The Cher Show on Twitter for some time now, and I noticed that often times someone tweets at them saying I sang along and had a great time and they will like the said tweet and respond along the lines of hope you can join us again soon. Which is weird, it almost feels like they are encouraging people to sing along.

Today someone posted pictures of the curtain call saying that it should be their new profession, snapping pictures of The Cher Show curtain call. Their twitter account liked the picture and even commented with they are fabulous. I remember when I saw it they were very strict about no pictures during curtain call. So it feels odd that their social media would be ok with it?

Any thoughts on this? I personally dont see the point of any Broadway show having a twitter account, but when they do have it, they should probably be a little more aware of what they say?

[Boq101]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 12:37pm

as someone who has ushered a lot of different types of shows, there are times like this when it really does depend on what the show doesn't mind a few people doing but doesn't want to advertise that the show is a singalong. I know when I saw Jersey Boys they were mostly chill about audience singing during songs, too. 

You also have to realize that their only job as a twitter page is to add to the experience in a way that someone does feel comfortable or special enough to return and spend their money again. Even if when they get there they might this time be caught taking a photo or be asked by someone to not sing. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 1:07pm

It’s The Cher Show, not The Coast of Utopia.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 2:23pm

I usually hate when audiences sing along, but I actually think that encouraging it publically can sort of help the issue in a roundabout way. The reason we hate people singning along is because it distracts from our experience, but if the show goes out of their way to make the audience participation PART of the experience, then for me at least, I don’t feel as irritated by it.

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 2:43pm

I was ushering at Ain’t To Proud last night. I was told that the are encouraging people to take photos of the curtain calll and not to stop them for publicity reasons.

Granted, I have yet to work a Broadway show where this DOESNT happen. The entire audience does it and trying to stop them is a loosing battle every time. Though, it’s not like we don’t try.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 4:26pm

While I agree most shows don't seem to care about pix at CC, it's an entire falsehood to say everyone does it.  I have never felt the need to take a photo at CC. Can't even understand why anyone would.   (You know, except to brag to everyone they saw a show.)

[Kitsune]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 4:37pm

dramamama611 said: "While I agree most shows don't seem to care about pix at CC, it's an entire falsehood to say everyone does it. I have never felt the need to take a photo at CC. Can't even understand why anyone would. (You know, except to brag to everyone they saw a show.)"

I don't get it either. I do, however, like taking a picture of the curtain before the show starts (unless it's something like the recent Once on This Island revival, where they explicitly tell you not to).

[Niles Silvers]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 4:45pm

These types of Twitter accounts are often run by millennials/interns.  I wouldn't take them too seriously.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 5:09pm

You know millennials are in their 30s now and that being a social media editor is a real career, right?

[LxGstv]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 6:44pm

I don’t think it’s about who’s behind the twitter account or even what show it is, it’s more the fact that it’s normalizing this behavior. Boq101 brings a good point that it’s an extension of the experience, but I do worry about the repercussions. Someone seeing that might assume it’s ok to take pictures or sing along at any other broadway show.

When I saw The Cher Show, a drunk woman behind me wouldn’t stop singing along, despite people complaining. One could very easily just say “they are ok with it” because their social media says so, it’s still a broadway show, not a Cher concert.

I just don’t think that they should be liking certain tweets that encourage a certain type of behavior, they don’t need to call it out, but they also don’t need to acknowledge or even engage with it.

Updated On: 3/20/19 at 06:44 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 6:52pm

If it wasn’t an Equity rule, I don’t think curtain call pics would be a problem: AEA members have to be notified if there’s a photographer, and some stars have photo approval. Most theatre owners now allow pre-show curtain pics, which used to be a concern with the set/lighting designers’ union.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 7:05pm

I've seen some official accounts liking and commenting on curtain call pictures posted on social media which I found odd.

[veronicamae]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 8:51pm

If a show allows curtain call photos, there's nothing wrong with the show's social accounts to comment, retweet, like, etc. the photos.

And to be honest, even if it's not allowed, it's a common strategy to engage with every post made about a show regardless of whether or not it contains potentially copyrighted content. The social media managers don't always know whether or not something is violating copyright, and/or even if it is, it may be inconsequential to all production parties involved.

It's also not seen as encouraging poor behavior from the social manager's POV; they're doing their job of engaging with the people who saw the show. If you find their strategy in poor taste, the only way to change it is to publicly shame them repeatedly on social media where someone other than solely the social media manager will see it, aka contacting a producer.

People engage with a show's social media by and large AFTER they've seen the show, so it's not necessarily encouraging poor behavior of future patrons who see it and go, "Oh, they replied to that tweet [which literally no one will see except those who follow the show and that user]; I guess that means I can sing along, too!" Updated On: 3/20/19 at 08:51 PM

[ChrisBroad]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 8:58pm

I actually REALLY like curtain call pics for seat reviews.  Usually people post pics of the lowered curtain at the beginning of the show, with no one in front of them.  As a shortie, that tells me nothing.  Getting a sense of how the stage looks with actors on it and a head in front of you is MUCH better for me.

[Wee Thomas2]

Posted: 3/21/19 at 6:38am

TotallyEffed said: "It’s The Cher Show, not The Coast of Utopia."

Dude.  For the last time.  I apologized to you for ruining "Coast" by singing along.  Let it go.