1,351 posts
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Post by CG on the loose on May 27, 2017 15:43:14 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2017 16:19:11 GMT
Bet it was TheatreMonkey sneaking in through the basement that caused the evacuation.  But seriously, I'm glad it turned out to just be precautionary and not anything more worrisome. |
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2017 17:34:03 GMT
Someone on twitter says a police officer told them it's "concerns about something in the theatre" "It's the play. It's total crap. We thought we'd better rescue everyone." |
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Security
May 27, 2017 18:12:38 GMT
via mobile
Post by Deleted on May 27, 2017 18:12:38 GMT
Clearly a very scary incident for those caught up in it - saw some very ashen faced people coming out of the fire exits. Understandable given the Manchester attack
Also made me think about my reaction - in retrospect waking right up the side of a building people were being evacuated from wasn't the right move!
Given my previous rants about the Old Vic front of house staff I should note by what I've read on Twitter they handled this brilliantly
As for whoever (I speculate) assumed "please keep your personal belongings with you" didn't apply to them ... presume this is what happened as the timing (10 minutes or so into the show) implies they found something when cleaning the bars or loos after curtain up
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2017 18:20:00 GMT
Went to Royal Shakespeare Theatre today; armed Police both in town and around theatre. Bag check before performance and again at interval. Small bags only in auditorium,
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578 posts
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Post by michalnowicki on May 27, 2017 19:15:00 GMT
On the subject of Old Vic: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40070521I understand that title "Old Vic evacuated due to a bomb threat." wouldn't be as clickable as "Star Wars actor John Boyega caught up in Old Vic bomb threat" |
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2017 19:39:04 GMT
"Theatreboard poster Xanderl walks past Old Vic bomb threat on his way to much better show"
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4,046 posts
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Post by Dawnstar on May 27, 2017 19:43:31 GMT
My local theatre have announced they're going to start doing bag searches. I find it had to imagine a 600-seat theatre in Cambridge with a usually largely pensionable-age audience is going to be a prime terrorist target! Famous last words. One might have said the same about children leaving a Disney Channel teen-stars pop concert? Better to be safe than sorry. Doesn't the Manchester venue hold something like ten thousand people though? A much bigger target than a 600-seat theatre. |
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Security
May 27, 2017 19:46:39 GMT
via mobile
Post by Deleted on May 27, 2017 19:46:39 GMT
............... Ariana Grande was on Nickelodeon, not the Disney Channel...............
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19,855 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 28, 2017 5:31:14 GMT
............... Ariana Grande was on Nickelodeon, not the Disney Channel............... Oh.  |
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19,855 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 28, 2017 5:34:48 GMT
Famous last words. One might have said the same about children leaving a Disney Channel teen-stars pop concert? Better to be safe than sorry. Doesn't the Manchester venue hold something like ten thousand people though? A much bigger target than a 600-seat theatre. 21,000 but the capacity isn't that relevant is it?. If you let off a bomb it's going to harm people within its range in the immediate vicinity. If that was in the foyer of a 600 seat theatre it would have the same impact. |
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4,046 posts
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Post by Dawnstar on May 28, 2017 11:16:56 GMT
Doesn't the Manchester venue hold something like ten thousand people though? A much bigger target than a 600-seat theatre. 21,000 but the capacity isn't that relevant is it?. If you let off a bomb it's going to harm people within its range in the immediate vicinity. If that was in the foyer of a 600 seat theatre it would have the same impact. I was thinking that terrorists usually pick targets where there are the largest possible number of people are around, in order to get the maximum amount of publicity. |
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on May 28, 2017 16:11:28 GMT
Two armed police men wandering though national yesterday but the lady next to us said they'd come to use the free toilets and since that's what we all do it seemed reasonable!
As noted entrance only through main doors and then bag checks through screened off area, Olivier on no play day so all shut up too.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2017 16:24:28 GMT
Two armed police men wandering though national yesterday but the lady next to us said they'd come to use the free toilets and since that's what we all do it seemed reasonable! To quote my neighbour (20 years in the Police) 'If you see a few of us together we're usually looking for a toilet, or food, or both' |
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2017 16:25:59 GMT
............... Ariana Grande was on Nickelodeon, not the Disney Channel............... Oh. C'mon Burley EVERYONE knows that surely.... Actually until these posts I had no idea she was a 'via kids' TV' type. Learn something new and all.... |
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19,855 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 28, 2017 16:27:59 GMT
Oh. C'mon Burley EVERYONE knows that surely.... There's no E in Burly. Well, not for a few years anyway 😮😬 |
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2017 16:30:10 GMT
C'mon Burley EVERYONE knows that surely.... There's no E in Burly. Well, not for a few years anyway 😮😬 haha oops typo! Reminds me of the train announcement this week I heard saying there was a 'trip hazard' between coaches E and F...well if you will take an E on your way to coach F.... |
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1,352 posts
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Post by tmesis on May 28, 2017 19:09:22 GMT
National have erected a search area inside the foyer past the box office. little queue to go through the search area and bags were searched fairly thoroughly. They were making announcements about the increased security every 10 minutes or so whilst I was waiting to go into part 2 of Angels. With any luck that'll deter a few of the people who camp there for eight hours with their laptops. Yes there's quite an epidemic of student MacBook users at NT. Also, I frequently arrive quite early for a Saturday matinee and find the most serene area to read my book is upstairs in the Lyttelton foyer. Without fail at 11.00am a vivacious Japanese lady starts running a language course for some 12 or so students. They all hang on her every word and she's obviously pedagogically gifted. At the end a large bouncer type bloke collects the dosh (in cash) for the course! This has happened every time I've arrived early. I'm totally happy with all this, just wondering if anyone else has noticed this, or similar, and whether they are, slightly cheekily using the NT facilities, or have specifically asked permission. |
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Post by andrew on May 28, 2017 21:56:10 GMT
With any luck that'll deter a few of the people who camp there for eight hours with their laptops. Yes there's quite an epidemic of student MacBook users at NT. Also, I frequently arrive quite early for a Saturday matinee and find the most serene area to read my book is upstairs in the Lyttelton foyer. Without fail at 11.00am a vivacious Japanese lady starts running a language course for some 12 or so students. They all hang on her every word and she's obviously pedagogically gifted. At the end a large bouncer type bloke collects the dosh (in cash) for the course! This has happened every time I've arrived early. I'm totally happy with all this, just wondering if anyone else has noticed this, or similar, and whether they are, slightly cheekily using the NT facilities, or have specifically asked permission. I love hanging around the NT, haven't ever seen anyone using it commercially like that. I would probably have mentioned it to security and see if they kick them out or not, somehow I don't like people taking advantage of the place, it being Our National Theatre... |
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Post by Jon on May 28, 2017 22:28:32 GMT
I love hanging around the NT, haven't ever seen anyone using it commercially like that. I would probably have mentioned it to security and see if they kick them out or not, somehow I don't like people taking advantage of the place, it being Our National Theatre...I think using the National as a free classroom is a bit cheeky. I don't mind students or others using it for a few hours but over eight hours seem excessive especially when it's a theatre that need to serve the needs of the audience who have paid money to see a show and/or use the restaurants |
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2017 1:47:04 GMT
The Apollo Victoria aren't allowing people to exit at the end of the show via the various doors around the auditorium, everyone is being forced up through the foyer and out the main entrance onto Wilton Road (at least, this was the case on Tuesday).
It's sad because I could probably put together a comprehensive guide of how to avoid bag checks at every single West End theatre, and anyone with even minimal knowledge of the London theatre scene could do the same. It does seem a bit like an empty token gesture.
I'm in hospital at the moment (hence why I'm on Theatre Board so much to pass the time) and there were armed police wandering up and down the corridors. I was a bit unnerved as I've never actually seen a gun in real life before except at the airport and asked one of them if I should be worried and they said that they were just on a general patrol. I hope equipping all of our emergency services with firearms won't become the norm, that's one of the things that sets us apart from places like the US.
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2,779 posts
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Post by daniel on May 29, 2017 3:38:31 GMT
The Apollo Victoria aren't allowing people to exit at the end of the show via the various doors around the auditorium, everyone is being forced up through the foyer and out the main entrance onto Wilton Road (at least, this was the case on Tuesday). This actually surprises me. Surely, from a security point of view, forcing everyone to use the foyer exits means that you have up to 2300 people concentrated on two points (the two exits). With the use of fire exits, the audience are much more widely spread which is certainly safer. Although, if the procedure is designed to try and avoid anyone entering the building unauthorised (and I don't mean fans at stage door!  ) then I can see why this makes sense. It can't be practical to have every fire door manned at the end of the show, with all of the other duties that FOH have to do. |
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2017 6:32:00 GMT
Yes, that seems very odd - makes sense to do that at the start of the show so you can do searches, but putting most of the exits out of use seems to me to reduce safety rather than enhance it. And what do they do if there's an actual emergency?
Regarding language tutorials at the National - I've seen this too, was at a matinee and one of the tables in the area near The Kitchen was occupied by a tutor giving 1-1 tutorials, sitting there with a home made sign saying "language tuition"!
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2017 15:56:41 GMT
I'm surprised there is no extra security about at stage doors etc, especially because at the best of times you don't know who the killer could be, and a lot of stage doors are just open spaces where anyone can get to you. Especially the ones at like Wicked and Dreamgirls, where the stage door gets very crowded very fast.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2017 16:17:14 GMT
I'm surprised there is no extra security about at stage doors etc, especially because at the best of times you don't know who the killer could be It seems worth a reminder at this point that you are as likely to die of a bee sting as a terrorist attack. They are exceedingly rare events. "The annualised average of five deaths caused by terrorism in England and Wales over this period compares with total accidental deaths in 2010 of 17,201, including 123 cyclists killed in traffic accidents, 102 personnel killed in Afghanistan, 29 people drowned in the bathtub and five killed by stings from hornets, wasps and bees.” |
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But seriously, I'm glad it turned out to just be precautionary and not anything more worrisome.
) then I can see why this makes sense. It can't be practical to have every fire door manned at the end of the show, with all of the other duties that FOH have to do.