We’re in the middle of a drenching, heavy rain. It’s been going on all night and this morning was one of those mornings when, despite it being 7:30, the darkness of the sky made it seem as if it was the middle of the night. We really need the rain. It’s been very dry here for quite a while. The rivers are down, plants are wilting, and there are brown patches in the grass. I’m not complaining, as I know what we’re temporarily going through is nothing like the drought out west. Nevertheless, it’s really good to see a steady and heavy rain.
My gardens thank you. And I thank you, as I get a break from hand watering everything.
Have you been reading about Benedict Cumberbatch? He’s doing Hamlet in London – a sold-out run – and they’ve just started previews. He actually had to go outside and explain to theatergoers why they shouldn’t be texting, filming, and/or doing anything with their cell phones during the performance. And a few weeks back, Patti Lupone had to stop a performance to admonish an audience member about the same sort of thing. I applaud them for taking a stand. I am saddened that it’s become a pervasive issue in the theater. I hear about it all the time. I’ve witnessed it.
What have we come to? I cannot tell you how many times I have been watching a performance of a play I’m working on, only to see the glow coming from the screen of a cell phone, while audience members check their email or their text messages. I am ruthless about that sort of thing and I will get up from my seat, go down the aisle, and explain that actors can SEE that. They see the glow of a screen. They see any sort of light emanating from the audience. They find it distracting. And it’s RUDE. Hell, if I see it from my vantage point at the back of the house, of course the actors can see it. People think they’re artfully concealing the whole thing, but they’re not. Or, they simply don’t care because they are tethered to their cell phones and cannot stop.
If that is the case, I beg of you, don’t go to the theater. Don’t go to any live event where the performers are acting or singing or playing their hearts out for you. When you pull out your phone, even for a millisecond, you are disconnecting from the live experience. You are losing the thread. You are saying that your little life that is encapsulated in the tiny screen of your cell phone is more important than a once-in-a-lifetime theatrical performance. A performance, by the way, that you paid a hefty sum to see.
Oh, and by the way, don’t do it in a movie theater, either. Because, if I’m sitting there and can see it, I become distracted. I get angry. And then I have to ask you to turn off your phone. Or, better yet, get an usher to make the request. Edited to add: Please read Martha’s comment and her note of caution as to directly confronting someone, especially in what might be a dicey situation.
I know I’m speaking to the choir here, so the ‘you’ I mention is that ‘you’ that seems completely oblivious to the whole thing, the ‘you’ that is in his/her own little cellular world.
There is a huge and ever widening group of people who are addicted to their phones. It’s as if a cellphone has suddenly come to symbolize a full, rich life. A falsehood, to be sure, but one that a lot of people buy into.
I love the convenience of my smart phone and, being on the road rather frequently, I need it. So I am not one to rant about cellphones in general. I need one. But I am not tethered to it. I shut it off when I’m in rehearsal. I shut it off when I’m in a theater or a concert hall. Heck, half the time, I forget to turn it on when I’m not on the road.
What I’m really talking about is etiquette. There is a time and a place for checking your messages, for making a call, for taking pictures, or shooting a video. That place is not during a performance. It’s rude. It’s disrespectful. And in the case of video and photos, it’s illegal.
Okay. I am now stepping off the soapbox.
But, I have to tell you, this kind of thing can really set me off. And it seems to be getting worse all the time.
The hollyhocks – check out the blossom to the left. What do you see?
If you answered a spider, you’re right. He’s been hanging around that flower for a couple of days.
Oh, and Don saw Henry/Henrietta yesterday. Sightings are rare these days, however.
Happy Tuesday.
I’m constantly amazed at how rude, or oblivious, people can be. And cell phones seems to give these people even more ammo! On Sunday, I sat in church where I young family sat right.in.front.of.the.pulpit with their toddler, who whined and cried during the entire homily. The louder she got, the louder the priest had to talk to be heard over her. I wished he would have just indicated to the family to please take the child out. Infuriating. Whew. Got that off my chest!
Now, why wouldn’t they just quietly get up, with the toddler in tow, and go outside? It boggles the mind.
I agree completely about the cell phones. In the library, I constantly had to ask people to step outside to take their phone calls. Imagine people walking among the stacks, loudly talking on their phone. They seemed surprised that anyone would find this disruptive!
Truly unbelievable. It’s a library, for heaven’s sake!
Amen. Concerts, theatre, work meetings, church, etc. it is just plain RUDE and inappropriate. And then restaurants…we don’t go out all that much, but when we do I am always amazed at how many people are on cell phones ignoring the people with whom they are dining. I’m always tempted to go over and ask if they have nothing to talk about together. It is sad. Whew, ok, done for now.
Glad you are getting the rain Claudia. We are too. I woke up at 4 a.m. and it sounded lovely (no AC last night and windows wide open – YAY).
There’s something very sad about watching two people, sitting across the table from each other, with their heads buried in their cellphones. Why bother going out to share a meal?
I was a in a meeting today and one persons phone went off repeatedly, drove me crazy!!! So I can only imagine how annoying it is for an actor. Just turn it off!!!! How did these people manage 30 years ago – oh, yes, they managed just fine!!!! Amazing that civilisation got to this point without mobile phones isn’t it! xx
I know! Almost all theaters now have either a live person or a recorded voice request that all cell phones be turned off – the announcement occurs right before the play starts. And STILL the phones ring!
Claudia, I agree completely with you and the other commenters. I find it so annoying to hear other peoples conversation and don’t they seem to speak even louder. Texting and driving and people can’t seem to live without a phone in their hands, not good. Doris
Texting and driving is simply dangerous! Why would anyone think they can do both things at the same time?
I agree with you regarding cell phones. There is a time and place. One time when I was in line at the grocery store the cashier was asking the woman in front of me a question and she was on the phone and pretty much ignoring her. As the woman walked away I made a comment about how rude that was loud enough for her to hear me but she just kept walking and talking. People seem to have lost touch with what is going on around them. Not to mention it could be dangerous. We were not born with a phone growing out of our ears. I know I don’t want to be on the phone 24 -7.
hugs and have a great day!
Me either, Nancy. Love my cellphone, but I don’t need it near me constantly.
YES!!! This is such a growing problem. My rant is about when my daughter graduated and during the Valedictorian speech (not my daughter) this man was on his cell phone in the stands talking loudly. RUDE! beyond belief. Anyway, theater, movies, church and libraries are not the place for cell phones. I turn mine off. As for sitting at a table with your face turned to your phone and not your companions…just sad. Whew that felt good. We had rain also last night and it was so needed. A day of errands for me today.
Linda
Unbelievable! That is the sort of thing where I have a fantasy about fellow audience members taking the phone away from the perpetrator. If enough of us started to speak out about this sort of thing, maybe things would change?
Remember when “leave the children to their own devices” meant something entirely different??? Something that had to do with interaction, imagination, activity? My daughters are college-age, and they still have NOT asked for (notice I didn’t write “demanded”) a smart phone. We get along just fine with our dumb phone. Not that we wouldn’t like a smartphone, but we don’t need one. I fear that our holdout may be short-lived, however, as it’s getting more and more difficult to find a dumb phone with our carrier.
Good for your daughters! But I fear that carriers will only want to cover smart phones in the future, which is not a good thing.
I wholeheartedly agree with all of the comments above! But I would like to add a few words of caution—if you are in public and someone is inappropriately using their cellphone, please find someone with authority to ask them to stop their disruptive behavior! An innocent request can turn violent without warning. My son, daughter and son-in-law were at a movie theater last year when two girls in front of them kept repeatedly using their cellphones. They were talking on them, taking pictures (flash!) of the screen and recording parts of the movie. After asking the usher several times to talk to the girls (which meant getting up and missing part of the movie to hunt down the usher) my daughter finally asked the girls to please put their phones away. Which they did, but not before texting members of their “gang” to meet them in front of the theater. After the movie, my daughter, son and son-in-law were attacked and beaten outside the theater–all because they asked for people to pay attention to the movie and stay off their phones! My daughter danced at her wedding with two broken ribs. Even as I write this a year later, I still can’t believe it happened. When I go to the theater now, I only speak with the usher.
Thank you for reminding us of taking care when confronting someone – especially in a movie theater, I suspect. I still am shocked that such a terrible thing happened to your family. Yes, indeed. Speak with an usher, by all means. xo I’ve edited the post to direct readers to your comment, Martha.
I agree about the cell phone rudeness. But when you asked me to notice the blossom on the left, all I saw was the upturned hem of the ruffly skirt of a hollyhock doll. We used to make these by the dozens at Grandma’s house in the summer. Doubles like yours were my favorite. How have you resisted making one to visit Caroline for tea?
Apparently, I have! The blossoms are so precious to me, I suppose because they came out of nowhere, that I’m keeping them on the plant! But I absolutely love the idea of a hollyhock doll.
I was at the post office last week and there was a early-40s-age woman who was at the window with a postal clerk and she never got off of her phone once during her multiple transactions. She had a loud, flat, monotone voice and was incredibly self-important, going on and on to whomever she was speaking to on the phone, about having written some book and she was mailing out several copies, barely giving any sort of courtesy to the postal clerk trying to help her. Now, I’m all for having pulled off publishing a book; wish it were me doing it! But I had no interest in hearing her conversation, knowing about her many talents for writing a book and how amazingly full and interesting her life was because she was this amazing person who did all these amazing things and, oh, wasn’t she SO MUCH MORE amazing than any of the rest of us in line or in the town or in the world. You should have seen the eyes roll after she departed. There is nothing that lately drives me more nuts than being in line somewhere and having someone speaking on their cell phone and, you know, most people amp up the volume when they’re on a cell (their voice, that is) because of trying to hear someone on the other end, when there’s other noise going on around them like traffic or wind or whatever. And, of course, the other thing of which you and I have previously spoken and, it then, is on the converse: the trend of silence, with no one looking up, addicted to the small device in their hand, disengaged from the physical world around them…and, God knows what they’re missing out on. I swear, if someone got hit by a car off to the side, the person staring at their hand wouldn’t even notice.
Even with my husband and me, I see how the computer can separate us when we should otherwise be engaging with each other. I might be at the desk computer and he’s off in another room on the laptop. We never used to be like that and I don’t see it as a good trend.
Another thing that pisses me off is when at the movie theater, besides the ever-present rustling and crackling of them pulling out a piece of gum or food (talking and coughing and all the rest), people rush out and never look at the credits. Same thing with a lot of TV channels, where they squeeze the credits at the end and you can’t read them. I have always, always felt it’s discourteous and a real slight to all the people who just made a film or show…not just the actors/talent, but the behind-the-scenes folks, of which there are so many. We shouldn’t take any of them for granted. Even when I was a kid, my parents would sit and read thru the credits before we’d leave a movie theater. Later, my husband and I both were in various aspects of ‘the biz’ and those were some of our friends and co-workers in those credits and you couldn’t know, perhaps, their dedication or education or experience for the jobs they had, which contributed to the film or TV show we all had just watched and enjoyed…not to mention the fact that when reading thru credits you can get a real sense of that framework behind a production, and I always loved to read later on in the credits about the music, or where location filming took place. Isn’t it just all part of the whole thing…that satisfying feeling of just having brought a great film into your life and every last thing about it, especially when you’re not quite ready yet to let go of it or the evening?
Well, with that, I’m off to do some earlier-morning errands before it gets too hot. It’s the last nicer day after a rare couple of cooler ones. We’re supposed to jump eleven degrees tomorrow and then by fifteen degrees by Thursday, so the heat/humidity will force me inside. Right now, we’re in the 60s and it’s bliss. Let the rain fall and nourish, Claudia, and have a wonderful rest of the day. Thank you as always for your posts of substance both in word and photographs.
I’m totally with you on the credits. Now, more often than not, the credits (on television) are squeezed into a corner of the screen and are unreadable or move so quickly that, again, you can’t read them. SO disrespectful to all those who have contributed to a television show or movie.
AND, I might add, another pet peeve of mine is those theater goers who jump to their feet after the final word is spoken in a performance and upend everyone else in their row so they can get to the cars first. No applause for the actors, nothing. Why the hell did they go in the first place if they cannot extend the courtesy of applause for those who entertained them for 2+ hours?
Theaters, movie theaters, libraries, church, and meetings seem to be adequately covered…and we all agree. My problem lately is with drivers! The other night we were on the interstate coming home….it was dark. A pick-up truck in front of us was in the right lane, but, swerving between the right and left side of the lane. My hubby passed him while he was to the right side of the right lane…it had to be perfectly timed. As we passed, I looked over, and there he was, texting! People, people…PUT DOWN YOUR PHONES AND JUST DRIVE! PLEASE…before another person dies! ……I love the color of the hollyhock! ;)
Unbelievable! It’s so dangerous and reckless and exhibits such a disregard for everyone’s safety – including their own – that I cannot comprehend it.
I completely agree with you! I think the level of civility is in a terrible decline.
I’m afraid you’re right, Carolyn Marie. It’s very sad.
Claudia, I agree with you, wholeheartedly, regarding the rudeness of some cellphone users. There seems to be a pervasive sense of entitlement, along with a total disregard for other human beings. What have we, as a civilization, wrought?
I read about this interesting tactic: everyone puts their phones down in the center of the restaurant table, and the first one who uses his or her phone pays the bill. Ha.
On another topic: I’m pretty sure that your”spider” is actually a daddy-long-legs. They are arachnids but not spiders. They have those distinctive leg joints, which can be seen in your spectacular (as usual) close-ups. Daddy-long-legs are omnivores and scavengers, and harmless to humans.
I’m writing this in case any of your readers are afraid of spiders. There is nothing to fear from a daddy-long-legs; in fact, they will eat small insects such as aphids. I consider myself lucky when I find one in my garden.
Oh, I know it’s a Daddy Long Legs. We have them inside the house all the time. I have saved more Daddy Long Legs from drowning in the shower than I can count – they like it in there because its damp and dark. I just said spider because it was more efficient at the time I was writing. Spiders and Daddy Long Legs are both part of the arachnid family.
Thanks, Nancy!
Well Claudia, I have nothing to add to the comments here except that I agree on all of points made. I fear the rudeness will only continue to get worse.
Blessings,
Betsy
So do I, Nancy.
I hate cell phones so much that I refuse to have one. People are not only rude and obnoxious with them, they ignore everyone that is with them. I watched a mother ignore her 6 yr old in a restaurant for over an hour as she talked and played on her phone. The poor child only wanted to tell mom about her school day but mom was way too busy to care.
That’s inexcusable! That poor child.
Of course, it’s not the cellphones in and of themselves that are the problem, it’s the people that abuse them and use them incorrectly. As it is with so many things in life, some people take something that can be useful and helpful (especially to anyone dealing with an emergency) and go too far.
Lady Hawthorne…That mother may someday pay dearly for what she is doing…unfortunately..so may the poor child…
I also completely agree with you! I was horrified at reading Martha’s comments of what happened to her daughter and son-in-law. So thankful they are okay and it wasn’t worse. How horrific!
I live in a city of almost 2 million people and let me tell you the rudeness and how obnoxious people can be just blows my mind every single day. We also have a big gang presence here – the Mexican Mafia even – being that we are so close to the Mexico border. So my husband and I are very careful when we go anywhere and/or with whom we speak too.
I would never say anything to anyone about a cell phone or any other request to them. I would fear for my life of what they would do seriously. Even when driving around rather on side roads or the main interstates we both make it a point not to look at anyone or make eye contact. And you have to be the one to back off in traffic situations and be the one giving to the other. If you don’t then you will certainly be hit and there is the chance of a “road rage” situation. And believe me there have been many in our city that have ended badly with guns even. And then Texas goes and passes open carry! Oh Lord don’t get me going on that one.
It’s difficult and sad to have to live this way for our own safety but we know that it’s only temporary. Husband has five more years on his job and then we can retire and move away. Believe me I am counting the days. For now we are happy to spend our time at home in our happy little bungalow all alone only going out when absolutely needed.
So glad that you guys are getting the rain that you need. How I wish you could send some our way. We are in a terrible drought yet again. I really think we’ve been in one for the last 4-5 years. The ground is so dry that we had to purchase soak-er hoses to place around the perimeter of our home and privacy fence. If you don’t run these often the ground cracks causing your fence to fall and even foundation issues. It’s just unbelievable. I’ve lived all over and have never seen anything like this in my life.
Of course we are on water restrictions as well and are only allowed to water our yard once a week. I’m happy to comply and save as much water as I can but my plants are struggling so much. At least we can water with a pot as often as we need, just more work for us. And don’t get me started on those people who abuse the water rations and water their yards daily! Putting us all in danger with water. What is wrong with people?!
I hope you have a most blessed day.
Thank goodness you two are wise about that sort of thing, but it sounds like you have to be where you live. I so hope you get some sort of rain soon. I can only imagine how tough it must be for everyone dealing with drought.
Your rant about cell phones is so deserved by many people. I have to share a cell phone related story.
When my son and I were touring a possible college for him the group of would be students and parents were herded into a huge auditorium. We listened to the College President, Counselors, and people from financial aid. Part way through this someone’s phone rang. It had to have been set on very loud. The person at least got up and left the area to talk. We eventually took a break and we all went outside. I talked with several other parents. We were all in agreement how rude the cell phone call was. We went back in to finish the information meeting. Another cell rang! Can you believe it? This phone continued to ring several times. Myself and others looked around to see where the offender was located. My son gave me an elbow in the ribs. It was my phone!! I had forgotten to turn if off after our break. Talk about embarrassment,
Sorry for the length of this memory, but I don’t know how to write short.
Whoops! I’ve also forgotten to turn my phone off once or twice, but thank goodness it wasn’t during a performance of any kind. I bet you double check that kind of thing now!
So, 10 or 15 years ago, were we just bumbling idiots wandering the streets and driving in our car because we didn’t know who was out to dinner (and sharing pictures of their plates), who was at the park with their child, and who saw a funny cat video and just had to share? Were we less aware of what was happening in the world because the news was only on at certain times of the day and did that hamper us in some way? Did we really NEED to be connected to every person we worked with 24×7 just in case something earth shattering happened? I guess I don’t remember that much actually BEING earth shattering when we weren’t all connected…constantly. And the work all got done,,,,and we knew what was happening in the world, and on weekends, when we went out with friends and family, we talked and laughed and caught up with what was going on in everyone’s lives.
BOY, do I sound old, or what?????? ?
Amen, Chris! And no, you don’t sound old, you sound wise!
I totally agree about the cell phones. I knew a guy that slept with his cell phone under his pillow because he didn’t want to miss a call. Haha. I know it didn’t work.
Are calls that important? There’s such a thing as voice mail!
For this reason, among many others, I don’t go to the theatre to see movies any longer.
We go, but very rarely. We got out of the habit long before cell phones. People are often loud, and vocal, and it keeps us from concentrating on the film. I’d rather wait to see it at home. Our local theater has matinees that are fairly quiet and we saw a 3D movie there last year.
The decline in manners and the rise in rudeness is a sad sad thing…Martha..it is just unbelievable that your children would be hurt over a cell phone (how nuts that people value a phone call more important than a human life) Vicki..don’t be too impressed with the book writing lady..anyone can have a book (good or bad) published on Amazon now…and yes it is a shame about the credits not being shown properly..these people have families that are proud of them and would love reading their names in the credits…Belinda…how awful that you and your hubby are afraid to go out and enjoy life where you live…but I certainly do understand it…I have a son who rarely leaves the house…and I mean a few times a year when he has an appointment..he is afraid of people and afraid of being killed…he has one childhood friend left that stops in to talk with him sometimes…It is heartbreaking to me…but I too find myself avoiding some places like movie theaters and huge shopping malls that seem to be favorite targets for the maniacs…Claudia..I can’t imagine that people would be so rude to the actors in a play…The times I have been to a play I am so entranced with watching all of the wonderful happenings on the stage..I could not imagine that a phone call or text would be more important..Do be careful when confronting rude people Claudia…just the fact that they disrespect others means that consider what they want to be far more important than whatever your complaint may be…Take care everyone…
Oh, I only confront them quietly in the confines of a theater – and not a movie theater. Theatergoers are usually fairly civilized, if sometimes they need a lesson in etiquette.
I totally agree. I even get a little ticked at people using them in grocery stores. I realize you might have to ask someone a question, but whole big conversations? and here I am shopping, and someone behind me says a big hello! or where have you been? or something even more urgent, and I turn around, finding someone talking to a phone!!
Who wants to hear a whole conversation, which, frankly, should be private?
I agree with you and all the comments on here. People are just plain rude. Since everyone has a story – my daughter was in the band in high school. You know what’s coming….every time they had a concert, people were on their cell phones. Parents, students..really? These were your children, who practiced very long and hard, just like the actors in the theater do. Why were you even there if you can’t pay attention and listen. It got to the point where I didn’t even want to go, but did to support my daughter. Unbelievable. Good for you for admonishing the inconsiderate theater goers.
Amen! I actually have a neighbor who stands outside on her patio to talk on her phone — so loudly that the neighbors can actually hear her part of the conversation! I live in an older neighborhood and the houses are spaced quite a distance from one another. I work in my garden quite often and I really do not want to hear her personal business. I cannot imagine that she doesn’t know how well her voice carries. It is hard to imagine the lack of manners and just plain old common courtesy in today’s world. It seems to be getting worse.
Two of the saddest things I’ve seen recently; a young mom at the park pushing a two ish adorable baby on a swing. The baby kept looking around at the mom who never interacted with her as she never stopped talking on her phone, a Dad at a restaurant with two little boys completely silent as he never looked up from his phone the entire time. Ugh.
We were at a production of Shakespeare on the Green this weekend ( a comedy of errors) and having a great time until the family in front of us gave their bored son a cell phone. Just because you are outside doesn’t mean it’s not distracting, it still gets dark!
I don’t have a cell phone and still lead a pretty full life. :) After reading the comments I’m reminded of a quote I know I’ll get wrong and will probably give credit to the wrong philosopher but here goes; ” the blade itself incites to deeds of violence”. Homer maybe? Anyway, my 2 cents is no guns, no gun violence, (I live 15 minutes from Sandy Hook so that’s that) and no cell phones allowed, no way to be rude.
Can’t add much to what so many others have said. What gets me is that 99% of what people feel they MUST see immediately is so insignificant. Petty, trivial, inconsequential fluff – in no way urgent enough to justify rudeness and bad manners. Photos of someone’s dessert? A sleeping cat? Some dumb “Wuzzup?” text message? I mean, WHO CARES? Seriously, I’m fine if a brain surgeon or member of the bomb squad gets a call in the middle of a movie. And parents who see calls from their babysitters get a pass too. IF the phones are on Vibrate to begin with. But that’s about it. Everyone else can check their messages AFTERWARDS. They’ll be right there, waiting.
PS – if I may, a small rant of my own. I’m a HUGE reader of movie/TV credits. I’m the kind of nerd who usually wants to know who composed the soundtrack etc. But I can’t get behind the idea of credits in a general sense [though I think it’s reasonable to provide a cast list]. VERY few of us have our names attached to the work we do. It would actually be great if this WAS the case, because I’m guessing the quality of EVERYONE’S work would significantly improve. But as it is now, other than politicians and other newsmakers, this perk is almost solely seen in the performing arts and other creative professions [publishing etc]. Highways & buildings don’t list the individuals who sweated to construct them. Cans of tuna don’t list the fishermen who risked their lives to pull it from the sea. A new toaster doesn’t list those involved in its manufacture. And none of the 5- and 6-year olds I taught 20+ years ago are walking around with my name on their backs right now. At least, I hope not, LOL. I understand it’s very nice for Moms & Dads to see a child’s name “up in lights” as a costume designer or sound editor, but it would be nice for ALL families to see a child’s work acknowledged – no matter what the field. Movie credits have become ludicrous too. In the 30s, 40s you saw maybe 15-20 names, tops – heads of studio departments generally. Now it’s common to see 100s of names, and they include personal assistants, drivers, caterers, cat wranglers, software developers. ??? We are such a “Look-at-Me” society. Let’s channel some of that interest and energy into solving problems instead and at the same time, reduce the level of celebrity culture in this country. If people are going to be famous, they ought to be famous for something of VALUE that they actually did, and not because they picked up Tom Hanks’ dog at the pet groomer while he was filming a movie.
Wow, you are spot on with your comments about cell phones in theaters. I could sure add a list of other public places I would love to see cell phones banned. I feel so sorry for some one in a restaurant when the person across the table from them is totally absorbed with their phone. Or worse yet, a couple sitting in a restaurant and BOTH of them are on their phones all the time! Why did they even bother to go out??? Love your blog. Keep up the good work. We “choir” members need reminders too.
Hi Claudia, I think this will really shock you–I was recently at a memorial service and the young man in front of me (college age, I believe a friend of the grandson of the deceased) had his cell phone on and his messages, all of which he checked, came in approximately every 15 seconds. I could not believe it!!! I finally told him to go outside or shut it off. Then, last week, I was at the theater, and the young woman in front of me picked up her iPad and started recording! White bright screen, held above the person in front of her, and she was going to record the entire show!! I told her to shut it off too! I did worry about my safety a bit, but I was careful when I left. I can’t believe these people, but I also think the theaters will have to take some action. It’s annoying and distracting to the actors and to the rest of the audience. I really don’t know what can be done, short of stopping the performance and embarrassing the thoughtless person by removing them from the theater. Phew, I feel better knowing that others are appalled by this behavior too! See, Claudia, you always find the best topics to talk about! Thank you! Linda
Claudia, when I read what Patti LuPone had done, I had to silently applaud her as I was at the time, sitting in the East Grand Forks library, reading the paper. Dwain and I have adopted the habit of not carrying our cell phones to the movies, restaurants and evening out with friends. Since I am currently taking a six month sabbatical from Facebook and I am relying less and less on my cell phone and IPad to get me though the day. We have a live theater in downtown Grand Forks and both Dwain and I go quite frequently and I do have to say that absolutely no cell phone usage or filming devices are tolerated by the theater employees. In fact, I’ve never seen anyone not follow their rules. It certainly makes for a pleasant evening.
Wish I could give Patti a big high five!
Claudia, your post has made a difference! I used to never turn my phone off or on vibrate because I just don’t get that many calls. Yesterday I was at a Bunco club meeting when my phone started beeping with a text message. I let it beep and then took it out of my pocket and read the message when my turn to play had passed. The text message was totally unimportant so I put the cell phone back in my pocket. In the next 15 min. four other ladies’ phones started ringing and they all answered their phones and had a conversation, which was distracting to everyone.
I’m making it a habit from now on to turn my phone off when entering a public place! I just asked my son (I’m 60) how to turn my phone off and on. Easy!!! Thanks for your post!
You’re welcome, Lottie! It’s so easy to forget to do that. I certainly am guilty of it from time to time. I think that most messages are relatively unimportant and for the ones that are, we can surely go out of the room to check for them!