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Post by d'James on Jun 30, 2017 13:47:50 GMT
Why, specifically, are ATG Theatres so bad at having cast boards etc.??
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Post by TallPaul on Jun 30, 2017 13:56:03 GMT
Why, specifically, are ATG Theatres so bad at having cast boards etc.?? So you spend £4 on a programme, which I refuse to do! |
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Post by d'James on Jun 30, 2017 13:57:32 GMT
Why, specifically, are ATG Theatres so bad at having cast boards etc.?? So you spend £4 on a programme, which I refuse to do! No, it's not that simple. I want to know which understudies are on. |
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Post by TallPaul on Jun 30, 2017 13:59:28 GMT
I get your point. I was being facetious. It's what I do!!
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Post by d'James on Jun 30, 2017 14:03:30 GMT
I get your point. I was being facetious. It's what I do!! Fair enough. It really annoys me. It's like they think that paying he cast is enough and they shouldn't get the recognition they deserve. That, or there's something wrong with seeing an understudy and they should try and hide it. |
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Post by d'James on Jun 30, 2017 15:26:10 GMT
Why, specifically, are ATG Theatres so bad at having cast boards etc.?? They tend to put them on electronic screens, revolving with adverts, so we miss them. I asked the staff at the bar right next to the screen. I'll be annoyed if that screen was what I should've been looking at. The staff at Half a Sixpence were actually very helpful at pointing me to the screen, and that screen was mainly about the show. Oh well. Very frustrating, I'll have to go with the idea that there were no understudies on. I've tried to check with the programme but my eyesight isn't great. |
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Post by zak97 on Jun 30, 2017 16:11:19 GMT
The Phoenix have a sheet in a gold frame at all the entrances. So I think on the left wall for stalls, and right for dress and grand which lists the understudies that are on - I've not seen a specific full cast board though.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Jun 30, 2017 20:32:12 GMT
I have a photo that I took on my phone from when I saw The Girls, of the understudy notice, which by the looks of it is a loose piece of paper placed on the bar.
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Post by zak97 on Jun 30, 2017 20:34:15 GMT
FYI Joanna's last performance (which I now have confirmed) is the Tuesday of the last week. Her last performance with Claire Moore, however, is next Saturday (8th July) as Claire has the Tuesday booked off. Unless for another reason, Shirley Jameson will play Chris at Joanna's last performance.
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Post by daniel on Jun 30, 2017 21:11:44 GMT
Why, specifically, are ATG Theatres so bad at having cast boards etc.?? In fairness, I think the decision on cast boards comes down to the producer, rather than the theatre operator, in the same way that it's the producer who decides whether understudies are announced over the PA/with programme slips/not at all. |
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Post by d'James on Jun 30, 2017 21:21:23 GMT
Why, specifically, are ATG Theatres so bad at having cast boards etc.?? In fairness, I think the decision on cast boards comes down to the producer, rather than the theatre operator, in the same way that it's the producer who decides whether understudies are announced over the PA/with programme slips/not at all. Aren't there rules? Decisions should therefore not be so flexible? |
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Post by daniel on Jun 30, 2017 23:26:07 GMT
In fairness, I think the decision on cast boards comes down to the producer, rather than the theatre operator, in the same way that it's the producer who decides whether understudies are announced over the PA/with programme slips/not at all. Aren't there rules? Decisions should therefore not be so flexible? You know what, I'm actually not sure. It's often spoken about the three things: cast board, slips on programme and pre-show announcement, and it's generally thought that shows are obligated to do one (or two, depending who you ask) of these things. However I'm sure someone a while ago said that it's not actually decreed anywhere that this has to happen, and that it's entirely at the producer's discretion. Perhaps someone with a better knowledge of Equity rules can advise! My personal opinion though is that it's frankly awful that understudies aren't getting the acknowledgement or recognition that they deserve. Sure, most of the audience couldn't give less of a hoot who they are seeing, but it's a courtesy. When I was at Half A Sixpence last week (Five understudies), people were outside after the show looking at the posters outside the theatre (the one with the Flash Bang Wallop scene) trying to work out who they'd seen in each role, because there's no slips or announcement, and the cast board/screen is impossible to spot unless you know where it is, and even then it's not the easiest to read. The point being, as has been echoed by all of you, the understudies put in just as much effort as the leads if not more, and for their sake as much as the paying customer, the hey deserve to be advertised as such. However as with lots of these things, the producer has the power. To a "normal" person (ie not a regular theatregoer who actually understands the whole understudy thing) being told that you have an understudy on is seen as a negative. Especially in shows such as The Girls/Blood Brothers where they cover each other, you can end up with a situation where you have say 2 people off, but on paper there's 5 covers on because people have jumped about. The producers hope is that by not announcing it, people will be none the wiser to the fact that the lead is off. I usehered the hairspray tour with Mark Benton as Edna - he missed a lot of performances but as his cover looked just like him (scarily so), you genuienly couldn't tell. Right and rambling and need to stop, but my overall point is just that to me, it's a huge disrespect to a performer to not credit or even acknowledge them for their performance. [/rant] |
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Post by d'James on Jun 30, 2017 23:37:17 GMT
Yes, I agree daniel. It is disrespectful to the performers and that's my biggest problem with it. (I heard it was two out of the three options but frankly I think it should be mandatory for there to be an announcement and a piece of paper up in the foyer/adjusted cast board. A slip in the programme may go unnoticed, fall on the floor etc. and worst of all, as pointed out above or in the other thread, not everyone buys a programme.) Even if they can't be bothered to go to any of that trouble, if a paying customer is asking, they should either know which understudies are on or find out quickly, without prompting, for said customer. |
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Post by sirdaniel on Jul 1, 2017 1:24:36 GMT
I don't think I've ever seen an understudy/alternate that wasn't better than the lead or at least good enough so I couldn't imagine a situation where anyone else could be better; so nothing riles me more than the lack of announcements.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2017 4:41:12 GMT
Given that loads of people have mentioned the "two out of three" rule but nobody has been able to point to a source for it I suspect this is one of those things that people wish was true and come to believe must actually be true, like the non-existent rule that if a shop mistakenly puts a sticker with a low price on something they have to sell it to you at that price. In the Equity agreement mentioned here it just says "Managers have to inform audiences of understudy performances", and I doubt the Understudy Police are going to make much of an effort to enforce it anyway. |
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 1, 2017 18:37:22 GMT
When I was at Half A Sixpence last week (Five understudies), people were outside after the show looking at the posters outside the theatre (the one with the Flash Bang Wallop scene) trying to work out who they'd seen in each role, because there's no slips or announcement, and the cast board/screen is impossible to spot unless you know where it is, and even then it's not the easiest to read. I agree that the Half A Sixpence cast board is really badly situated. Even if you do spot where it is, with it being so high up if you try to stand near it the angle is too acute to read properly whereas if you stand further back you're too far away to read it, at least if you're short sighted like me. When I saw the show I spent most of the interval trying to work out which understudies were on from all the programme headshots, as I had been unable to read the board. |
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Post by TallPaul on Jul 3, 2017 13:55:30 GMT
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Post by infofreako on Jul 3, 2017 14:55:07 GMT
I don't doubt the closure notice has had some impact, however I don't think weekends have ever been a problem for this one and theatres in general have reported a bounce on Saturday because of the Adele cancellation. I think a house full on Saturday is down to those factors as much as the closure.
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Post by impossibleprincess73 on Jul 3, 2017 17:55:48 GMT
Wow, this tour that's happening next year is growing and growing. On top of the UK and America I see they are tweeting that they are in talks to take it to Germany and The Netherlands.
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Post by TallPaul on Jul 4, 2017 13:21:13 GMT
Don't forget Italy (unless Italien (sic) means outer space), and Ireland, with a full month in Dublin, then Cork, and possibly Poland. The full tour is supposed to be announced mid-September, but it seems everything will be known, via Twitter, long before then. Apparently Messrs Barlow and Firth were in the audience on 29 June. There would surely have been more of a fuss at the matinee, so it must have been the evening performance. Did you see them d'James? |
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Post by d'James on Jul 4, 2017 13:44:17 GMT
No I didn't. Maybe they were in the Stalls and I was in the Dress Circle. I didn't notice much commotion apart from people hanging around a bit longer outside the main doors at the end. I thought people might just be taking their time.
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Post by TallPaul on Jul 4, 2017 13:48:23 GMT
I'm v disappointed, on your behalf. I kinda assumed that young Gary would have gone up on stage at the end. He doesn't usually need much persuading!!
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Post by d'James on Jul 4, 2017 13:53:52 GMT
Maybe the actor playing the husband (John was it?) didn't do his bow because didn't want to see them haha.
They should've got Gary to hold one of the charity buckets at the end.
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Post by d'James on Jul 6, 2017 22:27:25 GMT
I wonder why they're not rush-releasing the soundtrack for the final week or so. Maybe they're not going to bother and save it for the tour.
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Post by sirdaniel on Jul 7, 2017 0:43:13 GMT
I wonder why they're not rush-releasing the soundtrack for the final week or so. Maybe they're not going to bother and save it for the tour. Been patiently waiting for it for too long now. |
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