r/Broadway is a place for fans of all kinds of theater to share their love of the performing arts.
It often feels like there's some misunderstanding on what ushering is and how it works e.g. people don't seem to understand the difference between ushers/other FOH staff and the backstage crew + performers.
So I thought I'd make an AMA.
I don't work on Broadway, only in a Broadway sized theatre (>1200 seats) in Europe. We do have productions though that ran on Broadway before and were translated or adapted (mainly musicals like Chicago, West Side Story, Hair, Evita, Phantom, La Cage). I'm obviously aware that there can be differences bc of that, so to the (Broadway) ushers here: please add/amend if something is very different on Broadway specifically.
Throwaway account for anonymity.
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Q&A
What do you believe to be the most unique thing about European theatregoers?
Curious what you do if you see someone on their phone who is wayyy in the middle of the row--do you ever decide to just let it go, as it would be more disruptive to everyone else to shine a light on them and call them out? or maybe it varies based on the behavior itself (i.e., more likely to do something if they're visibly recording the performance) or the timing of the behavior (less likely if the show's almost over or a different calculus if it's at a pivotal emotional moment/climax in the show)
Do you find yourself enjoying the show or are you in work mode?