people in lighting booth at rent watching tv? distracting?

[andsym9001]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 12:52pm

ive seen rent 3 times and i only noticed this the last time i was there because i was on the left side of the balcony. but the people in the lighting booth were watching world poker tour and it was perpindicular with the glass so it was half facing out onto the balcony. when all the lights went off for a scene change or something i could see the light from the tv shining onto the left side of the balcony and onto the wall and when they light changed on the tv it was so distracting, has anyone ever noticed this? at the nederlander or at any other theatre where the employees were getting bored with seeing the show for the millionth time?

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 12:58pm

I can certainly understand it, but it's definitely unprofessional to have it in a position where it can be seen by ANY audience member.

If you can do your job while having a small TV facing you (away from the house) or a radio on in your soundproof booth or something, fine. But anything that detracts from the audience's experience is unacceptable.

Posted: 7/9/08 at 12:58pm

i don't think it's fair to say the nederlander staff got bored watching the show for the millionth time. it's rent.they were no doubt bored the first time.

[viola13]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 12:59pm

A friend saw Rent from the mezz and said the lighting boot was watching the Yankees game. I can't remember who or what show, but I remember someone saying they had a tv in the pit because there were a bunch of songs they didn't play in.

Not a tv, but the conductor at Hairspray had a crossword on his stand. Which is obviously not distracting, but I noticed during intermission.
Updated On: 7/9/08 at 12:59 PM

[andsym9001]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 1:13pm

well at least im not the only one. but it was half facing the audience i was all the way on the left aisle and looked up and could see that they were wtching poker. not proffesional at all.

[Okayfine]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 1:20pm

I've seen the orchestra members at Phantom reading magazines - you can see right into the pit from the mezz. It's extremely distracting & they shouldn't do it where the audience can see them.

But, it's equally as distracting to see an actor pull out a wedgie in the wings right before curtain call & they do that ALL THE TIME.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 1:28pm

Did any of you complain or mention these things to the theater staff?

[jeff_thedancer]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 1:57pm

when i sat front row at the RENT nat,l tour the stage left techie was spinning in circles on a roller chair during finale b. i almost died. lol

[Tag]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 2:18pm

Doing show after show after show is extremely boring. And not only for the crew, the performers as well. I think most people on here who haven't been in a backstage environment during the run of a Broadway (or similiar) show would be surprised at what goes on.

In regards to complaining to the "theatre staff" which I am assuming is referring to the FOH staff, that probally wouldn't do anything. FOH staff wouldn't dare tell a IA crew how to do their job.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 2:33pm

Commenting here will do no good at all.

Write to the Nederlander Organization.

Or the Times.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 2:35pm

I agree with WOSQ. Something I should do. Luckily I have been able to take care of the problem when it happens near me at the theater.

[Miss Elphaba]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 2:38pm

Oh dear that does seem awfully annoying..

following on from the story of the conductor with a crossword, my Grandad is a professional bassonist, and he plays su doku during performances where he's in the pit and has long passages of time between playing.

[Patash]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 2:44pm

"I've definitely seen actors pull wedgies in the wings...I've done it."

OMG, I just had a flashing image of Phylicia Rashad giving James Earl Jones a wedgie in the wings. I may never be the same again.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 2:50pm

when I went to the national tour of Little Women the conductor was visiting with the orchestra members.

[Anna_Elizabeth]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 3:22pm

Watching T.V. is a little tacky. Especially with all the other monitors around nowadays.
As for the orchestra pit - musicians always bring stuff with them to do when they have long passages of silence. Musicians have been doing this forever.

[NDR]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 3:29pm

How do the technicians in the booth expect to get any respect for the "turn your cell phone off" plug at the top of the show when they broadcast bright light into the audience themselves? Very unprofessional.

[StarUsher]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 5:50pm

Being that it's live theater and anything can happen, shouldn't their focus be on the performance in case something happens and they have to respond?

[dihope0914]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 7:20pm

Last year at an Encore production of Follies, the people in the booth carried on a quite audible conversation through the first act.

Come intermission, a wild eyed audience member stood directly below the booth, but certainly in clear view of those inside. He enthusiastically gave those inside the one fingered salute, with the appropriate accompanying dialogue. He was quite loud himself, and repeated his performance several times....quite one of the most interesting things I have ever seen in the theater!

By the by.....there wasn't a peep from the booth during the second act!

[winston89]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 7:34pm

If they want to do it more power to them. It's not getting in they way if the performance and most of these guys are going through motions night after night. Having done shows and have done the whole backstage thing before it does't bother me

I remember being at a performance of Les Miserables and I couldn't stand Daphine's rendition of I dreamed a dream and there was a big Rutgers football game that they were watching in the booth. - was happy for those few minuets watching the game then hearibg a bad version of a good song.


I have heard stories of actors sending text messages to their friends during a performence. Usually the mind set is that the powers that be do not care what you have on in the backround or what your doing when your not needed so long as your there and doing what you need to be doing when they need to. This goes for actors and people doing tech stuff.

[James885]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 9:07pm

When I saw the Wicked tour 3 years ago, we sat in the front row. We could see several of the musicians had newspapers on their stands that they would spread out and read during the stretches when they weren't playing. The conductor himself had what looked like a pamphlet that he would sneak glances at whenever he had a spare moment.

I guess when you've been playing the same score night after night, you need something to entertain you during those dull moments!

Updated On: 7/9/08 at 09:07 PM

[SahDu]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 9:24pm

I know of an actor currently performing in a long running show in Chicago who will often spend time on Facebook while not onstage. I guess you have to do something to keep yourself entertained while you wait.
Updated On: 2/15/14 at 09:24 PM

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 10:16pm

"I've seen the orchestra members at Phantom reading magazines - you can see right into the pit from the mezz. It's extremely distracting & they shouldn't do it where the audience can see them."

Seriously? That's distracting? You might as well say that the musicians shouldn't play their instruments because you shouldn't have to see anything move from where you are in the mezz!

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 11:35pm

You should tell the FOH crew. The house manager will probably assess the situation and ask them if they can move it a bit or something.

[LyTeMyCanDyI]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 11:54pm

When I was in Guys and Dolls as Gen. Cartwright, I had long stretches of time with nothing to do. I sat reading a book quietly in the wings. My director told me i was being disrespectful to my fellow actors. I disagreed. I thought being disrespectful would be not having anything to keep me quiet and occupied and pacing around or talking like everyone else.

Also, I would go to the prop room/dressing room (they were the same...it was high school) and check my text messages. Good thing I did! My mom told me I needed to fix my hair because it was covering my face. At least I didn't have my phone on me onstage, and despite reaing and checking my phone, I hit every cue as well as sang backup from backstage whenever my director told me to in an attempt to drown out the terrible singers onstage.


It was a sucky show, but nt cause of me!

[winston89]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 1:34am

What people who don't perform don't realize is that both actors and crew and the people in the pit are doing the same thing night after night. Actors can't just go through the motions because it will show in the performances. But, if your backstage running a computer that controlls something like set changes your doing it time and time again and after a while it is a job you could do perfectly in your sleep. The same goes for people in the booth. If they have been doing one show for a long period of time then if they want to go through the motions let them they won't hurt the show by doing that.

If your an actor even in the ensemble there is a lot of stage time but there is also a lot of down time. It is a good thing if you can find something to do to keep yourself quiet during the show.