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‘I’ve been spat at’: half of UK theatre staff
consider quitting over audience behaviour
Bectu launches safer theatres charter as survey
reveals 45% of workers may quit due to shocking levels of antisocial behaviour
by drunken theatregoers
Tom Ambrose
Tue 28 Mar
2023 10.33 BST
UK theatre
staff have been attacked, sexually harassed and abused by drunken audience
members during performances, a new survey has revealed.
Front of
house staff facing violent assaults, theatregoers urinating in fire exits and
mass brawls breaking out in auditoriums were among the incidents uncovered by
the report from the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre
union (Bectu).
With fears
that antisocial behaviour at shows is on the rise, it has called for venues
across the UK to sign up to a new charter to help protect workers.
Almost 90%
of theatre staff said that they had experienced or witnessed bad audience
behaviour, while more than 70% believed the issue has worsened since the Covid
pandemic.
Shockingly,
nearly one-third of respondents said they had been involved in or witnessed an
incident where a venue had to call the police, with 20% having feared for their
safety at least once.
“I have
been physically assaulted by a patron who then caused further problems while
security tried to remove her,” an anonymous theatre worker said. “I couldn’t
come in to work for a while due to the effect it had on me and then, even
longer still, I couldn’t go into the auditorium.”
Another
said: “The younger women in my theatre, including myself, were regularly
sexually harassed by male audience members. We had to introduce a code word to
be used in radio communications as we felt so unsafe.”
A common
theme among theatre staff was dealing with drunk audience members, with the
police having to be called out to venues in many cases. One worker said: “A
brawl broke out at a jukebox musical involving 20 or so drunk people. [It was]
a dispute over some people singing along to the show. Security, police and
ambulances [were] involved.”
More than
1,500 theatre staff – including those working in front of house, hospitality,
box office, stage door, sound and lighting – took part in the survey, with
respondents working across all types of shows. Almost half (45%) said they had
considered leaving the industry due to poor audience behaviour.
One worker,
speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that they believe theatregoers
drinking alcohol before arriving for shows was a big reason for disorder.
“Because the price of drinks is high, people tend to come preloaded or smuggle
things in,” they said, adding that the worst offenders included hen parties.
“We’ve had
people refusing to leave, people hitting the fire alarm on their way out.
There’s been assaults, too; staff being grabbed, swung for and even, on
occasion, people acting inappropriately and being creepy.”
Philippa
Childs, head of Bectu, said the survey demonstrated that bad and aggressive
behaviour was not limited to any one type of theatre and is happening across
all forms of performing arts, including opera and ballet.
“I’m
shocked by the number of incidents and the extreme nature of some of them,” she
said. “It is now very clear that there is an issue, which the industry needs to
address and take steps to resolve.
“Some of
the lowest-paid people work in the industry. Nobody should go to work and face
those issues. It is really concerning to me that people think this is
acceptable when they go for a night out.
“The
threats of physical violence are particularly worrying, although none of the
things described should be happening. We are really concerned for the health
and safety of our members.”
One of the
key findings in the report was 90% of theatre workers feeling people arriving
to shows drunk was a contributing factor in declining audience behaviour.
Childs
said: “I’m sure quite a lot of it is drink-related. When people are
intoxicated, their barriers come down and they behave in a way that they
wouldn’t normally. I do also think more broadly there is an issue about how
society speaks to people in public-facing roles.
“I don’t
know if it is post-pandemic rage but it does seem that people have forgotten
how to be nice and respectful when people are at work.”
She added
that venues and theatre management companies ought to do more to “set clear
expectations” of what is expected from audiences, with other issues raised
including theatregoers filming, talking loudly and rustling sweet packets
during performances.
Bectu is
launching a Safer Theatres Charter in the UK, demanding theatre management
companies do more “to provide a safe environment for audiences and workers”.
Venues are
being asked to commit to five pledges, including making announcements before
shows and on tickets about behavioural standards expected from audiences,
publishing risk assessments relating to safe alcohol consumption in theatres
and enforcing a zero-tolerance policy on antisocial behaviour.
It is also
calling for theatre management companies to provide staff with necessary
training and to ensure “adequate and safe staffing levels”.
Five
responses from the survey
“I have
been spat at for refusing entry – their group did not have enough tickets for
the performance and we did not have any available seats to put them in.”
“My
colleague was punched in the back of her leg while trying to assist a drunk
person with getting out of their seat. She was then threatened and almost
choked.”
“Sexually
assaulted by a patron. I have been kissed on my neck by a very drunk patron.”
“Been
scared to walk to my car after a shift as customers told me they would wait for
me. Had my staff abused and racially abused. Mostly for telling people to stop
singing or because people were drunk or had taken illegal substances.”
“People
have stated that because of how expensive their ticket was they are ‘entitled’
to act in a certain way.”
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