Rude Stage Door Experiences- Page 4
Rude Stage Door Experiences
#75re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/21/07 at 8:02am
Bwaydoc: I think you said you were at Apple Tree this past Saturday night? My sister and I were there as well. Marc came out about five-ten minutes after Kristin left. (No motorcycle from what I saw, but this was a veryyy cold night and nyc streets were still a little slushy.) Most people only care about Kristin so just leave after she leaves so there were very few of us still out there. However, the guy outside, I guess he is the stage door manager? not really sure sorry, said several times that Marc had not come out yet.
As for the rotating, I loved it. The barricade is not set up well there so instead of a line to go down and sign its just one big mob on either side of the door. My sister and I were right against the barricade on the right side and Brian did come down that way, but Kristin stayed in the front. There is no reason to stay up there if you already have gotten something signed so to leave and make room for everyone else I think is very nice and considerate, and then if you want to stay for anyone else just hang in the back until everyone else is done. If Kristin had walked around the barricade and not just stayed in front, it would have been worse with people pushing to get to the sides and shoving things through. I thought the system worked well, not at all diva-ish.
Marc was very nice of course, but he is also a distant cousin of ours so that may have contributied to his pleasantness. He signed our posters and playbills and took a picture with us.
I will say the only rude experience I had with the Apple Tree door was the crowd that night. Tons of I guess maybe older teens or very early twenties and all very loud and obnoxious. And of course there was the woman behind us who used my head as a table for her poster when Brian was near us. (Being 4'11" really stinks sometimes 
)
Everyone just sort of shoved their way in even though Kristin signed for absolutly everyone there. Even after she left some girl shoved me and my sister over when we were waiting for Marc to come out. I don't understand where manners and common courtesy go as soon as people get to the stage doors (a lot of times, not always but a lot). Why can't people say "excuse me" or "hey thats my friend/sister/brother/whatever, do you mind moving down a bit so I can stand with them?" I mean most people are understanding enough to say sure but when you just shove someone over, not so nice. Okay I am done, sorry for the super long post.
"That boy could use some Prozac"
Updated On: 2/21/07 at 08:02 AM
#76re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/21/07 at 9:52am
If you can't listen to a security guard at a stage door AND you're an adult, the clearly you are a stalker or mentally deficient
friedrichVT, I believe I said several times that I did listen to the manager but was not going to put my book on the ground so there wasn't much else I could do and I had absolutely no problem with the actors, I think it's great that they're willing to take their time and sign anything.
I wish I could go back to college. Life was so simple back then. - Kate Monster.
"Who here feels like they have no idea what they're doing?" - George, Grey's Anatomy
"Who here feels like they have no idea what they're doing?" - George, Grey's Anatomy
IluvNY3
Swing Joined: 1/31/07
#77re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/21/07 at 10:30amI went to see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels last year and unfortunately it happened to be on a night when they had a photo session after the show to take pictures for the new program. Someone (not the stage door manager) came out early on to tell us this and that no one would be coming out for a while. Most people decided to stick around and I guess the stage door manager didn't know that someone had already explained the delay to us and went on to tell everyone out there several times that all the actors had already left or gone out different doors and we should all leave. He apparently wanted to go home because he told us this several times. Of course he was lying to us and all the actors eventually did come out and were very kind about signing and pictures. I just thought it was a little mean that the stage door manager was obviously lying to us to get us all to leave.
IluvNY3
Swing Joined: 1/31/07
#78re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/21/07 at 11:10am
Going back to some of the earlier comments made about the initial post, I got a totally different interpretation of what bwaydoc was saying. She was simply voicing her opinion about someone she felt was unnecessarily rude and it seemed like several people attacked her for it (a few idiots who ignore instructions, stalker and mentally deficient).
As a Broadway fan I enjoy going to shows and sometimes getting actor's autographs as a part of the experience if I've truly enjoyed something, and I wouldn't want my experience ruined by either rude fans or rude security guards. I think it's fair to expect to be treated decently when you do something like that.
One of the reasons I don't post more on this board is because a lot of people are outright mean-spirited and rude and it makes it hard and very intimidating for new people like me to voice an opinion.
#79re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/21/07 at 3:19pm
Sounds like most of these rude stage door experiences are because of stage managers, security, and over zealous fans. Doesn't sound like the actors are a problem, I know I've never had a problem with any of them.
just to clear things up, it's the stage-door managers, not the stage managers that you have a problem with. stage managers have nothing to do with it unless their name is ... well.... there's one in particular who's a real asshole. but anyway. i've also had some rude actor experiences and it is their own fault but it's not their job to sign your playbill. it's their job to be on that stage and act. once that's over and they are out of costume, they're done. they can go out whatever exit they want, they can run to their cars, they can sign as many or as few playbills as they want. many actors are extremely generous in their post-show behavior, but it's not their job to do that. get over it.
Plince! Plince! Nein! T-Rex!!
Buscee
Featured Actor Joined: 7/9/05
#80re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/21/07 at 3:55pmThe worst I have any experianced was Mickey Rooney. When he was in Will Rodgers Follies he literally had his car driven right up on the sidewalk in front of the stagedoor jumped out and muttered something to people waiting. He had no intention of signing anything. 2 years ago he did a show with his Wife at the Jewish Rep in the city, and after show he invited the audience into lobby to meet him where he would sign autographs. He would only sign autographs if you BOUGHT something. Like a CD, or Souvineer program. If you handed him your Playbill he said" IM NOT SIGNING THAT, I DONT MAKE MONEY ON THAT! I have a CONTRACT." Totally obnoxious. His wife however signed anything. I told this story to an Aunt of mine who had a friend visiting, and she said she wanted to see the show. She went, and said to him " Mr Rooney you and I were born on the sameday, and year." He replied "Everybody has a Birthday Lady! Move along!"...Could you imagine? How rude can someone be? If he didnt want to bother with the public why invite them to the lobby?... Not a pleasant man.
IluvNY3
Swing Joined: 1/31/07
#81re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/21/07 at 5:06pm
secret-soul
I think perhaps if you read the first sentence of the original post you would find that this was not a thread about actors rude behavior but specifically about the rude behavior of stage door managers, security, etc.
"I was just interested in any rude experiences people had had at the stage door, not so much with actors (I know that thread's been done) but with stage door managers, bodyguards, etc."
#82re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/21/07 at 5:36pmBuscee, I think my heart broke a little hearing that story. Thats so sad to hear.
Happy...Everything!
Kaye Thompson
#83re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/21/07 at 5:45pmI can't believe Mickey Rooney would act like that--I've always thought him to be quite humble considering the dips his career has taken. Guess not.
#84re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/21/07 at 5:45pm
Well, my sister said just about the same thing I was going to say but I will add that we talked to the stagedoor manager a little bit and he was very nice to us. I think that while you were agreeing with him, by not putting your grimmerie away, he probably assumed that you were just going to do what you wanted. Chances are he is more used to dealing with non-complient people than anything else. If you couldn't put it away, another answer may have been to tell him, "I understand, and I won't ask her to sign it, I just can't get to my bag right now to put it away." I get the feeling he was just unsure of your intentions. I mean, the crowd that night was pretty wild. People were shoving each other left and right, shouting at the actors and shoving playbills and posters in their faces. I know the woman behind my sister and I nearly jumped on my sister's head to get her poster to Brian.
I thought the whole thing was handled very well. I mean the rotating was a little odd, but with the way the barrier was set up it really seemed the easiest solution. And I give those actors a lot of credit. Despite a large, rambunctious crowd, they managed to sign for everyone there. I've been to a lot of stagedoors where, with a crowd that size, the actors sign for a few people and then just duck and run (which they are certainly entitled to do!). I was really impressed.
And Marc did not have a motorcycle there . . . or at least not right in the immediate area. He walked up the road with a small group of people.
"I wrote a book: "How to Be Popular". Now I've put together a top ten list of how to help you:
-Elphie, everyday... shower. I mean, who knows? Maybe some of that green is gonna come off!
-Deodorant Elphie. No body likes a stinky witch!
-I think we've covered the hair, we'll get to that.
-Clean underclothes. That's all I'm gonna say.
-Look at your posture. That's no way to be popular!
-Bed made, room straightened. We've done that.
-Colors blended. Oookay.
-But the most important thing to have, to make yourself popular, is to keep your beautiful smile."
~Kristin Chenoweth in her last performance of the song "Popular"
ThankstoPhantom
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/05
#85re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/21/07 at 9:52pm
I've seen some interesting things.
At Wicked in summer '05, people stood in front of the walk areas. One actress was trying to walk through and a woman standing directly in front of her would not budge for her. The look on the actress' face was of complete disgust, and justifiably so...
Same day. A man called after David Ayers, who seemed tired, and told everyone he had to go. He called after him by addressing him as "Scarecrow."
Mary Poppins during the last weekend of previews. Some of the worst behavior I've seen. I was standing under the fire escapes waiting for my friend, so I could see the full picture. The stage-door manager set up the baracades and told people to stay off the edge of the sidewalk for pedestrians. The SAME PEOPLE continuously moved to be the pedestrian area to get to the "front." I felt so bad for the manager, he was sweating from stress, and it was totally unfair to him.
How to properly use its/it's:
Its is the possessive. It's is the contraction for it is...
millie_dillmount
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/22/04
#86re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/21/07 at 10:48pm
I'm just curious...did you bring a bag? No where do you say whether or not you have one...I'm assuming you had one since you haven't mentioned you did. The Grimmerie is a large book, I would guess someone would want to keep it in a bag. Especially if the weather wasn't that great. If you did have one, was it really that difficult to store it away instead of holding it out to avoid further confusion?
Folks, bring bags when you go on trips and plan on having larger items that you may need to store away.
"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611
#87re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/21/07 at 11:36pmA group of about 7 people, including myself waited about an hour at the Criterion stage door in London after Mack and Mabel's closing performance to get autographs. My favorite ensembe member did not sign, instead just shouting to us to send an e-mail to her website. Then, when David Soule came out, he was the rudest performer I have ever come across. He did not want anyone mentioning starsky and hutch (even though it was mentioned in his bio), along with not signing anything. Someone wanted to get a picture with him and her camera was not working, so he exclaimed, "JESUS CHRIST!" and ran away in a huff. Janie Dee on the other hand was a sweetheart.
Your fupa is showing.
myManCape
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/26/05
#88re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/22/07 at 2:12am
Mary Poppins during the last weekend of previews. Some of the worst behavior I've seen. I was standing under the fire escapes waiting for my friend, so I could see the full picture. The stage-door manager set up the baracades and told people to stay off the edge of the sidewalk for pedestrians. The SAME PEOPLE continuously moved to be the pedestrian area to get to the "front." I felt so bad for the manager, he was sweating from stress, and it was totally unfair to him.
The stage door man at the New Amsterdam is the nicest person you will ever meet. He is also one of the best at controling the large groups.
"Have they come yet?"
#89re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/22/07 at 2:24am
I have always had enormous amounts of respect for Constantine for what he puts up with. I find his sense of entitlement and arrogance very offputting, but he does deal well with his fans and while he doesn't seem overly gracious, he just strikes me as a guy who keeps his feelings in. He may not show it, but he seems to appreciate his fans....I just think sometimes he seems like he a huge celebrity.
And to turn this around for a second, my BEST stage door experiences are always at the Palace. Richie is the best stage door guy ever. He runs that stagedoor so efficiently and I look forward to stagedooring LB there.
Back to the bitchfest :-P
"Less Of A Marilyn, More Of A Jackie"
www.richardhblake.com
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#90re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/22/07 at 10:33amThe guy at the New Amsterdam (who's been there for a good 7-10 years) is one of the funniest and most approachable people I've ever met. And he's got a great memory.
NathanLaneStalker
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/06
#91re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/22/07 at 10:51amBuscee, I've heard other stories of Mr. Rooney. I always thought he looked like one of those teddy bear, always nice, talky people person. He's not. It's sad because he's a great actor. I don't know how he acts now though. I've never met him.
"I'm tellin' you, the only times I really feel the presence of God are when I'm having sex and during a great Broadway musical." - Nathan Lane - Jeffrey
#92re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/22/07 at 11:30amThe best stagedoor man that I've met would probably the guy at the Hirschfeld (Neil, I think). He's really nice, and he's funny.
The choice may have been mistaken, The choosing was not... "Every day has the potential to be the greatest day of your life." - Lin-Manuel Miranda
ThankstoPhantom
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/05
#93re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/22/07 at 12:04pmI agree, the New Amsterdam guy is great. It's too bad people aren't more cooperative with him. Even though people were being extremely rude to him, not once did he yell.
How to properly use its/it's:
Its is the possessive. It's is the contraction for it is...
millie_dillmount
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/22/04
#94re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/22/07 at 1:19pm
"And to turn this around for a second, my BEST stage door experiences are always at the Palace."
I second that. When I saw All Shook Up there, the cast was one of the most nicest I've ever met. Same goes with Drowsy cast, though they are at the Marquis.
"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611
#95re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/22/07 at 1:26pm
millie,
I did carry my book to the theatre in a bag but when the show was over two people in my group didn't want to wait at the door and decided to meet us at a restaurant down the street afterwards. We gave them our extra bags and everything so we wouldn't have to deal with them in the crowd. I did have a purse, but the book didn't fit in it.
I wish I could go back to college. Life was so simple back then. - Kate Monster.
"Who here feels like they have no idea what they're doing?" - George, Grey's Anatomy
"Who here feels like they have no idea what they're doing?" - George, Grey's Anatomy
myManCape
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/26/05
#96re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/22/07 at 2:26pm
"I agree, the New Amsterdam guy is great. It's too bad people aren't more cooperative with him. Even though people were being extremely rude to him, not once did he yell.
He would never yell. Half of his job is entertaining the people at the door (especially the young kids). The cast and crew there love him as well.
"Have they come yet?"
#97re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/22/07 at 2:52pmWhen I met Norbert, the security officer told us (me and another Norbert fan that was at the door for DRS LA... eventually more people came) that the whole cast wasn't going to come out and sign because they were eating dinner. About 5 minutes later, when we had not left, he told us to leave, and we stayed because Norbert came out of the door. The security guard told Norbert to go back inside and Norbert told the guy that he was here to sign for his fans. He took pictures and signed for about 10 minutes until the guard FORCED him to go back inside. Norbert is my hero.
"Broadway is a very special place, filled with very special people, people who can sing and dance, often at the same time!
They are a different people, a multi-talented people, a people...who need people...and who are, in many ways, the
luckiest people in...the world." --Spamalot
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<^>WICKED is LOVE<^>
<< Me and Norbie. I look icky becuase I was FREAAAAKKKIIINNNGG out.
<^>BROADWAY is LOVE<^>
<^>RENT is LOVE<^>
<^>WICKED is LOVE<^>
<< Me and Norbie. I look icky becuase I was FREAAAAKKKIIINNNGG out.
#98re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/22/07 at 3:07pmThe stage door guy at the Imperial is a bit odd. When I went to see DRS there was no barracade and he wouldn't stand out there, he'd come out and bark orders for us to clear a certain area and disappear for 10 minutes. Then come back out and bark again and go back. And each time he would shout "Joanna, Norbert and John have already gone home!" and then lo and behold, the three of them came out 20 minutes later.
I got rid of my teeth at a young age because... I'm straight. Teeth are for gay people. That's why fairies come and get them
#99re: Rude Stage Door Experiences
Posted: 2/22/07 at 3:09pm
i don't remember any particularly bad ones, HOWEVERR--
i've seen spring awakening twice, and both times they were GREAT! the first time was with my school, and skylar astin came onto the bus to talk to us, which was awesome of him. the second, skylar astin and jonathan groff (separately) had pretty long conversations with my sister and i about...everything. they took TONS of pictures with us and another group of teens, and seemed really appreciative and all-around fun. they came out just to sign, because it was a VERYYY COLD! afternoon matinee and they just went backstage after. great experience from a great show.
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