BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / News of Hamlet

**Posted by BabyRose** August 10, 2015 4:20 pm

Today this morning at the work I watched on the news TV that mentioned of Benedict plays the drama of the Hamlet. I thought it was discussed about exciting news about it, but insteads Benedict had given a warm warning about his fans to not film his acting in the Hamlet. Because it would be disbausing him due of his acting. No, I never been there before or anything, since London's too expensive for me to travel there to see his theater, but I am wondering if anyone here who has been visited there to see his acting and you met him and heard his speech about this.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33841067
It was last night from BBC news, but today I watched was ITV news, they said the same thing about this.

You know, I am actually so agreed with Benedict about not filming his theater, because I felt it's too way spolier to show people this who never seen or watched it yet. People post them on YouTube and the other people will see it for free without paying the tickets to see in real life in the theater. I would never ever film or take photos on the running theaters, unless I ask the actors for permissions to take photos. Do you? :/

**Posted by tonnaree** August 10, 2015 4:53 pm

Hey there.

Yes, we've all heard of this news. Sad that BC had to ask people to behave.

Check out this thread for all our Hamlet discusion!

http://sherlock.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?id=6466

**Posted by ancientsgate** August 11, 2015 2:30 am

He's not worried about people passing along spoilers about the current production of Hamlet that he's in, since the show was sold out months ago, and nothing anyone says or does is going to affect the box office numbers.

What he's worried about is trying to play the role while looking out at a sea of little red lights looking back at him from the otherwise darkened audience rows. He finds that discombobulating, plus he really, really wants people to just experience the performance and take away those memories, not something they stared at through a phone.

I presume it's difficult for those sitting in the audience as well, trying to watch the stage and having a sea of little shining white boxes to look over and through and around in the attempt.

If I heard him right, starting next week, theater security is going to put an end to this practice anyway-- no more filming! Something they absolutely should have done from the first minute the show opened.

**Posted by Davina** August 11, 2015 12:28 pm

Sadly filming during theatrical performances is all too common in general. The people concerned have absolutely no idea of how disconcerting, discourteous and off-putting it is to performers and to other members of the audience as well. Both Dame Helen Mirren and Kevin Spacey (amongst many others have had the same thing happen) and handled it in a direct and brusque manner during the performance (quite rightly in my opinion).

From my own experience, I went to see a very well-known stand-up comedian here (Al Murray) who was performing at a local, large theatre. It was clearly stated to the audience at the start to refrain from taking photos etc. but that there would be an announced opportunity during the second part to take photos etc.; despite this someone was still filming! The comedian stopped his act and directly confronted the person. The remainder of the audience then applauded and the performance continued.

It is a shame that this should happen during Hamlet, especially as there will be a special NT Live screening anyway in October. It is a very sad indictment that some people want to spend their time filming or photographing such performances rather than actually interacting directly with what is happening on the stage.

**Posted by ancientsgate** August 11, 2015 7:46 pm

Davina wrote:
Sadly filming during theatrical performances is all too common in general. The people concerned have absolutely no idea of how disconcerting, discourteous and off-putting it is to performers and to other members of the audience as well............

This is the world we currently reside in, where everything is about staring into an electronic device and not looking at whatever it is with your own eyeballs and letting your mind make its own judgements (and memories) about what's going on. Plus a lot of people have grown up with the "me first" mentality, and no one, ever, has ever told them "no" about anything. Very sad.

I was watching a Red Sox baseball game on TV last week, and someone up in the stands caught a home run ball. Naturally he and those around him were very excited, cheering and jumping around; that's to be expected. But sitting right next to him was a boy of about 14 who was grinning from ear to ear, staring at his phone, and busy sending a text about it to someone. He never lifted his eyes to enjoy the experience of those around him, not once, just tappity tapping on that silly phone.

I don't get it, but then, I'm o-l-d, but all I know is, if people sitting in a darkened theater with phones and ipads held up in front of their faces, or worse yet, over their heads, filming something I'd just spent lots of money and time and effort to get my fanny into a seat to see, so that they were spoiling my experience, that would really, really make me angry.

And if Ben and other performers are angry, I'm not surprised. They should be; it's insulting to them and their craft.

I wonder what Broadway's policy is about filming during performances, how they enforce the no-filming rule, because I'm absolutely sure they have some kind of a rule in place about it.

**Posted by REReader** August 12, 2015 9:57 pm

I took my niece to see Matilda on Broadway last week (it's wonderful, go see it!), and the ushers were being super, ultra, mega-vigilant about phones--they were practically climbing over the backs of seats to make people turn them off. To which I say THANK YOU USHERS!

(It's not like it's hard for them to see who is filming in a darkened theater, after all--they just need to stand in back and look for the lights.)

**Posted by ancientsgate** August 12, 2015 10:20 pm

REReader wrote:
I took my niece to see Matilda on Broadway last week (it's wonderful, go see it!), and the ushers were being super, ultra, mega-vigilant about phones--they were practically climbing over the backs of seats to make people turn them off. To which I say THANK YOU USHERS!

(It's not like it's hard for them to see who is filming in a darkened theater, after all--they just need to stand in back and look for the lights.)

Thanks for the info. I'm glad to hear that Broadway is jumping on this problem (in this case, literally!) Did you find it distracting to have ushers moving through the audience, poking people, etc? And was there a warning before the lights went down that they had a zero tolerance policy about filming and photography?

**Posted by REReader** August 12, 2015 11:09 pm

I only noticed it at the end of the intermission--the rest of the time they must have stayed on it, because they had had to speak firmly to the teens right in front of us and I definitely would have noticed if the screens had come back on, but I didn't notice the ushers more than once or twice, being engrossed in the show. So they must have the technique down to an art.

Right before the show started there was a warning that no recording was allowed and to please turn off your phones (which reminded me to turn off my--non-smart, non-recording--phone). There's been enough coverage of Broadway actors throwing fits from the stage that most New Yorkers, at least, know that theaters are taking a strong line against it.

**Posted by ancientsgate** August 13, 2015 12:16 am

REReader wrote:
I only noticed it at the end of the intermission--the rest of the time they must have stayed on it, because they had had to speak firmly to the teens right in front of us and I definitely would have noticed if the screens had come back on, but I didn't notice the ushers more than once or twice, being engrossed in the show. So they must have the technique down to an art.

Right before the show started there was a warning that no recording was allowed and to please turn off your phones (which reminded me to turn off my--non-smart, non-recording--phone). There's been enough coverage of Broadway actors throwing fits from the stage that most New Yorkers, at least, know that theaters are taking a strong line against it.

Back in the old (old, old) days, tickets would actually say NO RECORDNG OR PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED IN THEATER right on them. The people at the front would search purses and bags, looking for cameras, and if one was found, you were sent out to dispose of it however you had to before you were allowed in. But nowadays, everyone has a phone in their pocket or purse, and no one's going to take those away. Still and all, I wonder if some shows still have paper tickets with the no recording warnings on them, as well as signage at the front entrances.

**Posted by REReader** August 13, 2015 12:23 am

It's all etickets nowadays...so I still have them. And there is nothing about recording on the part that looks like a ticket, but at the bottom of the page is this:

NO REFUNDS OR EXCHANGES - THE USE OF CAMERAS, RECORDING DEVICES, CELL PHONES, BEEPERS, AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES DURING THE PERFORMANCE IS PROHIBITED. LATECOMERS WILL BE SEATED AT THE DISCRETION OF MANAGEMENT.

Last edited by REReader (August 13, 2015 12:24 am)

**Posted by ancientsgate** August 13, 2015 1:01 am

REReader wrote:
It's all etickets nowadays...so I still have them. And there is nothing about recording on the part that looks like a ticket, but at the bottom of the page is this:

NO REFUNDS OR EXCHANGES - THE USE OF CAMERAS, RECORDING DEVICES, CELL PHONES, BEEPERS, AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES DURING THE PERFORMANCE IS PROHIBITED. LATECOMERS WILL BE SEATED AT THE DISCRETION OF MANAGEMENT.

Ah. So there is a disclaimer there, so that when people get into the theater, no one can say they weren't told ahead of time.

**Posted by BabyRose** August 13, 2015 7:26 am

ancientsgate wrote:
He's not worried about people passing along spoilers about the current production of Hamlet that he's in, since the show was sold out months ago, and nothing anyone says or does is going to affect the box office numbers.

What he's worried about is trying to play the role while looking out at a sea of little red lights looking back at him from the otherwise darkened audience rows. He finds that discombobulating, plus he really, really wants people to just experience the performance and take away those memories, not something they stared at through a phone.

.

Yes, I understand about that. But what was I saying to is that people don't want to see them spoiled when people filmed them and uploaded it on anywhere for 'show off' or 'look at this!!'. I noticed they uploaded the full-filming or part-filming of the Lion King Broadway, I saw some parts of where they started singing in the start, it was beautiful, but for me, I would prefers to visit and see them for myself, to feel like I was already there before. On YouTube doesn't feel anything, it's like just watching the TV or film.

I also understand that Ben wanted to continute to play on the stage while people putting on the camera with the red light flashing, but it could leads to distraction. It's like something caught his eyes that make him to look away to look at it and can forgot about what's next to do playing. I would be feel the same if I were on the stage. Flashing is always distracting me.
I guess people wanted to film is only Ben, it's like when you there and you feel like to meet him there, but really, I am not saying that they shouldn't do that, I understand they want to film it, but they need to control themself with, like you could put it "fan-screaming-inside-like-I-met-Benedict". I know it is exticed to meet him and all, but Ben played there is because it's for you to enjoy to watch him or other people play, I don't think he wants people to get his attendtion. Don't you think? I don't know about Ben very well, that's how I feel about that.

I heard Ben is not the first actor who told people about not filming, there were also other actors who has been given the speech about it.

tonnaree wrote:
Hey there.

Yes, we've all heard of this news. Sad that BC had to ask people to behave.

Check out this thread for all our Hamlet discusion!

http://sherlock.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?id=6466

I am so sorry that I did not realize that they have already discussion about it!
But to tell you the truth, I can be get confused for which topic that has links to this discussion because that link you showed me that I thought it was discussed about the photos of the show of the Hamlet. Then I realized they added about this news. I should have know that, but I would like to have the separted from this about news and that discussion is about anything of Hamlet. It's easier for me to force on one topic, you know?

But thank you.

Last edited by BabyRose (August 13, 2015 7:33 am)