Coronavirus affecting stagedoors?

[GlenCoco]

The NBA has recommended players not high fiving fans or signing autographs.

Will Broadway stars restrict the stage door interactions or will skip the stage door altogether?

[PutonyourWarPaint]

Out of respect to the performers; sane people would want to avoid stage doors for now.  

Alex Brightman over at Beetlejuice should wear a face mask for the time being. I sat front row for that. Or as my partner and I called it, "The Splash Zone" 

It's the bathrooms of most Broadway houses that terrify me. It pains me to recall the number of men I've seen NOT wash their hands during intermission. Any of my crowding worries are just amplified since I already consider the house/seating area to be a petri dish; the bathrooms are usually so poorly designed that people are doing zig zags, lines in tight corners. 

My anxiety is red lining right now. I need a Vodka Stinger. BrB

[Fosse76]

GlenCoco said: "The NBA has recommended players not high fiving fans or signing autographs.

Will Broadway stars restrict the stage door interactionsor will skip the stage door altogether?"

Well, if not, it gives them a great excuse to avoid those lunatics.

[Sutton Ross]

It's the bathrooms of most Broadway houses that terrify me. It pains me to recall the number of men I've seen NOT wash their hands during intermission. 

Are you serious? Ewwwwwww. 

[GlenCoco]

Sutton Ross said: "It's the bathrooms of most Broadway houses that terrify me. It pains me to recall the number of men I've seen NOT wash their hands during intermission.

Are you serious? Ewwwwwww."

Ha makes you think twice about using the men's bathroom or just waiting in the Women's line

[Sutton Ross]

Us girls are messy with all of the makeup, hairspray and hair brushing in those bathrooms but everyone seems to wash their hands. The idea of not washing your hands while in a public space really freaks me out! 

[darreyl102]

Fosse76 said: "GlenCoco said: "The NBA has recommended players not high fiving fans or signing autographs.

Will Broadway stars restrict the stage door interactionsor will skip the stage door altogether?"

Well, if not, it gives them a great excuse to avoid those lunatics."
There's lunatics in every group of people. Most are completely sane, it's the nutty ones that ruin it for the rest of us. Lolz

[ArtMan]

Sutton Ross said: "It's the bathrooms of most Broadway houses that terrify me. It pains me to recall the number of men I've seen NOT wash their hands during intermission.

Are you serious? Ewwwwwww."

It's not just Broadway houses.  Pay attention, a good many of men don't wash their hands after using the bathroom, especially after #2.  I'm sure many women are just as nasty. 

[yankeefan7]

"Will Broadway stars restrict the stage door interactions or will skip the stage door altogether?"

I would if I were them and then evaluate the situation in a few months.

[VintageSnarker]

PutonyourWarPaint said: "Out of respect to the performers; sane people would want to avoid stage doors for now.

Yeah, this feels like a good time to be limiting unnecessary contact between strangers. Was it just Laura or did no one from Meteor Shower ever come out to stage door? It seems like it would be wise for productions to make a formal announcement so the cast doesn't feel under pressure and people who are inclined to stage door will stop showing up to wait. 

I didn't think about it until now but I'm going to a pop concert in a couple of weeks. If things haven't calmed down, I might skip it. Standing in a big crowd of randoms doesn't sound that appealing right now. 

[mailhandler777]

Oh ffs. I was at the stagedoor last night at Jagged Little Pill. Someone in the cast shook my hand. They come out during flu season which people have more of a chance of getting.

People are panicking too much. Washing our hands is what people should be doing anyway.

[Wayman_Wong]

From the Daily Beast:

The Tony Award-winning actor Gavin Creel and some of his cast-mates, currently appearing in ''Waitress'' in London’s West End, have reached an “informal consensus” when it comes to protecting themselves from coronavirus.

“We won’t shake hands or hug people at the stage door anymore,” Creel told The Daily Beast. “I would say that people are not panicking yet, but we do want to know what to do to stay safe and make sure audiences are safe too.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/coronavirus-on-broadway-is-an-opening-night-everybody-is-dreading-to-see

[MCW1227]

I think for the good of all concerned would be if actors do not have direct contact with fans until the weather is warmer. There’s too much going around that spreads mostly in the colder weather so why take unnecessary risks? It’s not paranoia just precaution that medical experts are promoting.

[Heather4]

I think at the moment it's up to the actor's discretion if they stage door at the current time.  Some may be waiting to see what Equity or Broadway League has to say or if they create a plan of action.  Hopefully the theatres will install some hand sanitizer stations at the least to help with attendees who don't have or couldn't find sanitizer in store.

[spikethebunny]

Eva posted on her instagram stories last night that the cast of Hadestown will not be stage-dooring and will not accept backstage guests for at least the next 30 days.

[HeyMrMusic]

Several national tours are also not allowing any backstage tours or stage dooring (signing or picture-taking).

[hicaesar]

I've been to a decent number of stage doors and I don't think I've ever shaken anyone's hand or otherwise touched them. Just a quick greeting and an autograph. It seems like most cast members just sign playbills pretty quick, I'm not sure what the concern would be.

If an individual Cast member chooses not to go to the stage door, that's perfectly fine. But to to make a rule banning it seems a bit extreme... just remind cast to wash their hands afterwards. 

[everythingtaboo]

Gideon Glick posted today:

"RT @gidglick
@BroadwayLeague, we have to shut the stage doors down until COVID-19 is contained."

If it keeps the show going on, I'm all for it. 

[KathyNYC2]

hicaesar said: "I've been to a decent number of stage doors and I don't think I've ever shaken anyone's hand or otherwise touched them. Just a quick greeting and an autograph. It seems like most cast members just sign playbills pretty quick, I'm not sure what the concern would be.

If an individual Cast member chooses not to go to the stage door, that's perfectly fine. But to to make a rule banning it seems a bit extreme... just remind cast to wash their hands afterwards."

I don’t think it’s harsh. I certainly wouldn’t grab anyone else’s pen and how do I know if there are germs on the individual playbills? This virus transmits on surfaces not through the air. And how to the fans know the actors might not be transmitting it either. It’s best the actors come out, wave to the crowd, maybe say a few words, etc. 

[Enjolras5]

Anyone know who has been coming out at the Moulin Rouge stage door (esp. this past week with the corona news)?  

I know that they said that they are not doing pictures and you have to hold out your playbills for them to sign but that they are still coming out to sign.

Curious if Karen or Aaron have stopped coming out since they are the principles.

[darreyl102]

KathyNYC2 said: "hicaesar said: "I've been to a decent number of stage doors and I don't think I've ever shaken anyone's hand or otherwise touched them. Just a quick greeting and an autograph. It seems like most cast members just sign playbills pretty quick, I'm not sure what the concern would be.

If an individual Cast member chooses not to go to the stage door, that's perfectly fine. But to to make a rule banning it seems a bit extreme... just remind cast to wash their hands afterwards."

I don’t think it’s harsh. I certainly wouldn’t grab anyone else’s pen and how do I know if there are germs on the individual playbills? This virus transmits on surfaces not through the air. And how to the fans know the actors might not be transmitting it either. It’s best the actorscome out, wave to the crowd, maybe say a few words, etc."

Most Broadway stage door security hands the actors their own pens to use when they come out to sign. And you don't have to touch a playbill with your hands to sign it. However, I think hugging at a stage door or even getting close enough for a picture is something that certainly needs to be curtailed right now

[emmyjay]

As of today, at least two other shows have shut down their stage doors for the week (Mean Girls and Cursed Child). At first I was a little hesitant to agree with Gideon Glick, but now I honestly think it's best for all shows to stop stage door for the time being. If even one actor comes down with the virus, the entire production will have to go dark if they're to comply with self-quarantine. Yes, they're looking out for the health of their company, but they also have to look out for their bottom line...

[Miles2Go2]

Beetlejuice announced via their IG stories that they aren’t doing the whole “stage door” thing beginning tonight.

[Cv611]

I went to Moulin Rouge tonight and they are no longer doing stage door.

[miamama2]

Adrienne Warren announcing the same for Tina in her Insta story this afternoon.