“I think that, without signal blockers, it is a difficult issue to deal with as it relies upon the courtesy of the public which, unfortunately, is not always present. Some people pay a lot of money to go to the theatre and perhaps can’t afford to go often and it is extremely unfair on both actors and audience to have their connection broken by an individual who refuses to leave their outside life at the stage door and fully buy into the world of theatre.” Ruth Millington
“People should be made more aware that leaving a phone on not only disturbs the performers if it rings but also can disturb the production staff even if it does not ring. The phone makes horrible noises which get picked up by the comms and could potentially disrupt the running of the show.” Sarah, London
“As a theatre manager, I find it terribly frustrating that audience members do not see the need to turn off their phones at the theatre. I have encountered audience members who have been quite astonished that as usher has asked them to leave the auditorium while they carry out their phone call. While I have said that theatre managers should do more to combat this, it is actually very difficult to police this sort of thing.
“I think theatres should be permitted to install signal blockers (which I believe is currently against the law), as there is no way we can realistically be expected to stop phones ringing otherwise. There will be people who refuse to leave their phones in a cloakroom or turn it off and unless we begin full handbag and pocket searches of every audience member we cannot check that phones are off before the performance begins. And other than in the cases of persistent offenders, whose phone might ring several times during a performance, in most cases the phone has been silenced before the ushers have been able to identify the owner.” Claire Freeman
“I believe all electronic devices should be banned from theatre or concert halls, I have had personal organisers, alarms on watches and mobiles go off. It is extremely annoying when you are watching a play, especially if it is very good, as my mind suspends disbelief and I really get into the piece, and then to be brought back to reality by some annoying ringtone or bleep is extremely infuriating. When I have been performing, the noise makes me focus on the audience and not on your performance and that is no good for the play or the audience, because it takes a while for me to get back into what I was doing and I never feel I give my best after a phone has gone off, especially if it is a particularly moving and dramatic piece.” Enid Gayle
“It is very difficult to impose any kind of punishment when a mobile goes off during performance. The phone being left on could have been a 100% honest oversight by the owner and they could be distraught and embarrassed enough by it happening. I feel that suspending a performance because of a phone going off is making a mountain out of a molehill, an interruption of a phone ringing is annoying enough in itself so why make the situation any worse than it already is?” Al Foster
“Perhaps it’s not just down to management and actors to complain when a phone rings during a performance? Perhaps the audience should be a little more vociferous and a lot less diffident when tackling an issue that looks like it will get worse before it gets better?” Alastair Munroe
“It is entirely the responsibility of the theatregoer to make sure their phone is off, especially as announcements and signs are always reminding us to turn them off. Theatre management do more than what ought to be required, and the blame is on those who disregard the warnings. People who actually answer ringing phones should be removed from the theatre. As for actors stopping shows, I think that only elevates the problem- they make an example of and embarrass the phone-owner (and the stories are great, having not been there), but they also blow up something that would have been mildly annoying to the rest of the audience into a big interruption that could spoil the evening’s enjoyment.” DB
“The mobile phone menace must be defeated by theatre practitioners. Some people are obviously too stupid to remember to turn their phones off. So, an aggressive, uncompromising campaign is needed to conquer this idiocy.” Dr Kevin De Ornellas
“This is quite a difficult issue to resolve because there will always be people who need to be contactable, like emergency medical staff. That being the case, it would be almost impossible to impose restrictions on other theatregoers if it wasn’t applicable to everyone attending a performance. Perhaps one way is to take a leaf out of the cinema’s books and run a short film/message reminding the audience to switch off or risk the embarrassment of ejection mid performance.” Anon
“As a producer, I find it very frustrating when a mobile phone goes off during a show - not only does it disrupt the performance from the actors’ perspective, it has the same affect on the rest of the audience. It’s not as if people aren’t constantly reminded to switch off their phones but it seems signage and announcements prior to curtain-up just don’t get the message across to some people. If a cast member of a show left their mobile on during a performance, and they took a call while cowering behind the set talking in a hushed voice, there would be uproar.” Alex Lewer, Hitwave Theatrical
“While it would be nice to wish a cultural solution to the problem I feel the frenetic pace of life we lead, coupled with the high volume of foreign audience members in the West End mean phone blockers are perhaps the only real answer.” Tom Lyon
“Working as an usherette in a local theatre I find people are usually pretty responsive to a pre-show announcement about mobile phones and I’ve often seen patrons double check their phones are off once an announcement has been played, so I think this is something that should happen before every show as it clearly works.” Anon
“As we all know, an actor should be so consumed with the role that outside interferences should not distract. However when large sections of the audience begin to giggle, turn round or shuffle as a result of the mobile phone ringing, the precious actor-audience relationship is destroyed.” Anon
“I have on occasion forgotten to turn my phone off. With the kerfuffle of arriving at a theatre, finding seats, buying programmes and so on it is not always at the front of your mind. I find I really need the theatre management to remind me right before the performance begins. It can work really well when done in an interesting manner but the focus needs to be on immediacy of message rather than being entertaining. If they remind me in a way that is too comical I might be so busy chuckling I don’t actually lean over, grab the phone and switch it off. Some theatres make the announcement too early. If they do it while the lights are still up and I’m still chatting I think ‘yes, I’ll do that in a minute’ and then forget. It should go - lights off, mobile phone message, play begins.” Jolyon
“It’s rather difficult to mange - as a theatre manager, I find it a constant challenge. I don’t think we should be hysterical over the issue. It’s an annoyance, agreed, but apart from blocking signals and making announcements of PA, what else could we do? Some theatres fail to do this even, which should be addressed. It’s humiliating for the person who is fumbling around in their bag to find the thing and switch it off, which you would hope would make them think twice before settling down to watch a show the next time.” Natalie Richardson, London
“I performed in a show which ran for two weeks and out of those two weeks, mobile phones interrupted the performances at seven out of the 14 performances. It is disgraceful as it can break the concentration of all of the cast member both on and off of the stage and the blocking of signals in the theatre needs serious considering.” Kimbo
“I think that the phone blocker is a good idea but should only be active during performance times, because as a technician you need to use your phone during production time. Also it should allow you to make emergency calls. I don’t understand why people leave there phones on because there are signs around and also announcements made prior to the show.” Big Al
“Actors are professionals, if they can act on through someone sneezing or coughing they should act through a phone ringing. By stopping you draw attention to what could be an innocent mistake and further ruin the performance. The show must go on!” Catherine Hughes
“I seriously disagree with suspending a performance. As actors, we have to just cope with it. Yes, it’s annoying and rude in our performance but it’s an actor’s job to make sure the audience remember the performance, not the mobile phone.” Alexander Nair
“Working as a DSM in a sub rep I find it very annoying and most actors I know agree. I do feel that mobile phones are a very useful and important part of our life but if you don’t want to turn your phone off for at most an hour and a half until the interval why are you going into see a show? I have been working when fireman on call have been in the show and they had pagers and left quietly - this is quite acceptable there are some reasons for pagers or the phone on silent as long as it doesn’t disturb the enjoyment of the rest of the audience.” Amy Bending
“I tour the UK as a sound engineer for one night shows (songs from the shows type gigs) phones ring almost every gig. I do 100 plus shows a year from Cornwall to Scotland phones ring every show every venue every type of audience.” Glen Hadley
“Richard Griffiths was right to do what he did. Coughing is also an issue though - incessant coughers can be distracting for performers. There is no problem with interrupting your own performance to tell someone to be quiet or switch their phone off, so long as you are able to carry on as though nothing happened.” James Waterhouse, actor
“As a FOH usher we deal with this problem on a day to day basis. If someone is on there phone and in the middle of the row it would disturb more people if you told the person on their phone. You see it all depends on eye contact with the offender. If they’re not looking at you along with people around them then there isn’t much that we can do. Phone blockers are a good idea but they only block the signal not the glow of the backlight from the unit itself. That can be just as annoying as the noise the thing makes from the clicking of the buttons to the noise of a received text.
“I was recently working in the West End at the Duke of York’s where Jeremy Irons was in Embers. There was this bloke whose phone was ringing constantly for around five minutes, which seemed like an eternity when all the audience members are looking at you to do something. We had a general idea where about this guy was but we couldn’t pin point him. When he finally realised it was him of course it was in the bottom of his bag. So Mr Irons said: “Are you going to switch that off so we can get on with this bloody thing?” After an outburst of applause from the audience he gathered his thoughts went retraced his steps and carried on. He got the longest standing ovation that night since the opening night, and we got the most complaints.” Adam Scott Lee
“Reminders about mobile use could be printed on the tickets and programmes. Stage managers could address the audience and remind them to check their phones are switched off before the performance starts.” Anon
“If a mobile phone rings during a performance the lighting crew could pick them out with a spotlight. The offender should then be frog-marched off the premises by security. This could also apply to people who chatter, eat and drink constantly, rustle sweet papers and kick your seat from behind. However, the incident which takes some beating was a couple with several children, constantly up and down to the toilet, who put the baby on the floor. He happily crawled under several rows before a shocked lady picked him up and disrupted the performance shouting for the parents. They thought it was funny, as they hadn’t realised he was missing, then they were annoyed when people complained.” Andrea Shepherd, Bury St Edmunds
“I manage a small local authority venue in Kent. We play an announcement before every show but undoubtedly you get some idiot ignoring it and whose phone will ring. Comedians are good, they react and get the person verbally with a put down, but with most other shows it’s me or my duty manager left to deal with it as my usherettes are too scared of the verbal abuse they get from the public.
“Ask yourself this, would they take their phone into a church or library or cinema? Probably not so why oh why do they bring them to theatre? Theatre is all about escapism for a couple of hours, its supposed to be entertainment. Turn the bloody things off or better still leave them at home - if your life is so important you need to be contactable 24/7 you should not bother to go out of an evening.” Graham Long, manager, Woodville Halls Gravesend
“I was appearing in a play set in rural Ireland during the 19th century and at a particularly sensitive moment a phone went off in the audience. I simply waited while the owner rummaged and fumbled about and eventually switched it off. And then my colleague and I picked up where we had paused. It was in the middle of one of my speeches so I could control this. I didn’t say anything to the patron, and made no sarky comment within the context of the play.
“This is where I think Richard Griffiths, for example, just needs to let it go. Pause and resume, without getting his knickers in a twist. After all, no one bats an eyelid when a police car siren can be heard through the dock doors during a performance of, say, The Canterbury Tales or is troubled by the heavy rumbling of underground trains at some of the more subterranean theatres. We just accept it as part of the whole experience of live theatre. Yes, mobiles are irritating in the extreme, and yes, I would support a system which can block the signal within an auditorium. But can we all just try to put it in perspective?” Rebecca Root
“While allowing your mobile to disturb a performance is disgracefully inconsiderate, actors such as Mr Griffiths should be capable of a level of professionalism, such that their performance continue, to minimise the disruption felt. I understand their point and the frustration they must feel, yet I emplore them to rise above it. I would also implore theatre managers the country over to be far more stringent in their policing of inconsiderate theatre-goers and their noise making devices.” D Agnew
“I am a DSM and as part of my FOH calls I have to say with every call ‘And may we please remind you to turn off all mobile phones before entering the auditorium’. However even though I do this before every performance there are generally about two or three shows a week where a mobile phone will ring during the performance. Most of the time the person who has the mobile will be absolutely mortified; they just forget that they have their phones with them and so don’t take any notice of my calls. I think that they only way to ensure that mobile phones don’t go off is to install a blocking device as this would be controlled by the theatre and not each audience member.” Andy Hall
“As a house manager in a regional theatre, it’s incredibly difficult to monitor the use of mobile phones. Quite often, by the time we’ve worked out whose phone it is, it’s been switched off. At other times people simply refuse to leave the auditorium, leaving us to decide whether it would cause more disruption to stop the show and force them to leave, or let them get on with their call and face the wrath of the other audience members in the interval.
“I wish we could install a blocker that would eliminate the problem completely. Personally, I have no qualms telling the brain surgeon / chief of police / relative of a desperately ill person, or whatever spurious reason they give for needing to leave it on, that I don’t care what their emergency is, they have to switch their phone off in the theatre but a lot of people just don’t have any respect for other people.” Anon
“There will always be exceptions to the rule. If a professional such as a doctor is on call and their phone rings - granted it should be on silent - but is it fair to fine someone who has to go and possibly save someone’s life? The same reason applies for the signal blockers. It requires a great deal of thought as in all cases there are going to be exceptions but it is finding the one result which doesn’t affect as many as the others. I’ll never forget the time when the Vicomte de Valmont was dying in my arms when out of the audience came the sound of The Muppets theme tune on a mobile phone. The title says it all!” Will Millar
“I would support anything that stops people having their phones on in a theatre, something that really annoys me is those who keep their phones on but on silent, and then continually check them. Don’t they realise how distracting the light from the phone is? The worst theatre mobile phone incident I’ve witnessed recently was when I went to see Jane Eyre at Trafalgar Studios. A couple in front of me both kept taking out their phones and texting people - unfortunately they were a bit too far away from me to be able to say anything to them. I was hoping that the front of house staff would intervene but nothing happened. The final straw was when just behind me a phone started ringing and when I looked round it was the usher! She rushed out of the auditorium noisily. I gave up a the interval and went home - I hadn’t been able to follow the play properly.” Jo
“I would prefer it if mobile signals were blocked in theatres completely - I get neurotic sometimes about whether or not I have switched off my phone, and that spoils my enjoyment as much as someone else’s phone ringing.” Jacqueline Mezec
“I think the best option would be for theatres to have phone blockers. Everyone can make odd mistakes - my own phone went off once in a performance of Blood Brothers, even though I had turned it off. I must have kicked my bag at some point during the performance which turned it back on. Luckily I always put my phone on silent before turning it off, just in case, so it only vibrated, but ever since then I have not only turned my phone off but have removed the battery.” Emily
“I virtually expect it to happen now. I’m so paranoid about making sure mine is off that I find it difficult to understand how others do not. Particularly during musicals, the glow of people texting and in some cases even calling is ridiculous. I swear they think nobody can hear or see them.” M White
“I’m so paranoid about my phone going off (and it rarely rings, only about once a month!) that I make sure it’s off even before I enter the theatre, on principle. I also used to take the battery out of the back but I’ve finally weaned myself off that. It’s just such a distraction when they go off and must be hugely offputting for the cast. The last time I heard one go off was at the Saturday, July 15 matinee performance at the tiny studio upstairs at the Royal Court. Naturally it was at a critical moment towards the end of the play. I don’t know how the actors continued, seemingly undisturbed. Full marks to them.” Louise Dodds
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