I was in class once and a phone started ringing. It was a weird ringtone. I just sat there letting it ring until someone said "that's your phone". I thought my phone was off and anyway it wasn't my ring. Turns out it WAS my phone, on roam (remember roam?). That was embarrassing.

Not only do I not understand how folks can forget to turn it off; but, why does it take them so LONG to turn it off when it starts ringing?

But, even worse, are the ones who do answer and then proceed to make us listen to their conversation.

I heard a story a few years ago about an opera orchestra where during a particularly emotional moment in the opera the cell phone of one of the violinists started playing "La Cucaracha, La Cucaracha", her ringtone. The conductor pointed at her and said "You're fired".

Even the judge that you admire so much (for hitting people with contempt of court charges for ringing cellphones) had a lapse and left his on (for which he fined himself).

Why is it so difficult to understand that in an audience of hundreds, the odds are good that someone is going to forget?

Exactly Patrick. Though they do usually remind people to shut them off before the concert.

We saw Diana Krall in Victoria BC a whie back. About 40 minutes into the concert, someone's phone rang. She stopped the concert, and said "we'll wait". Everyone laughed, the person was probably mortified, Diana Krall went back and finished the song. Then she left, and never came back! No breaks, no encores, just a great big diva "fuck you".

I don't blame Diana Krall. Or any professional performer. Thing about cell phones is they are much more disruptive at the time they occur but not nearly as annoying as coughing, especially during a classical concert.

My phone has gone off in a couple of situations that were not this kind of embarrassments, but even then I was horrified. Rather than fumble with it trying to do something with the thing, I literally sat on my phone. It was the only way to silence it immediately and keep it quiet until it stopped ringing. Since then I have never made the mistake. I'm terrified of it happening to me.

Now, everyone wish me happy birthday. Go on. You know you want to.

It never fails that when I’m performing, someone fu*king cell goes off. And, it almost ALWAYS in a super intimate or crucial moment in the show where that distraction can COMPLETELY ruin the moment. I wish people understood how hard it is to come back from that distraction as a performer. It’s hard enough maintaining that focus and performance in live theatre; things go wrong. All. The. Time. That’s part of the charm of live theatre. But it makes it so much harder when you have audience members who think that because they bought a ticket that gives them cart blanche to basically do what they want. That not only can affect the performers, but also really distracts the audience. And those tickets ain’t cheap, y’all. People go to the theatre to be entertained and escape reality for a while, not to hear you talk on your phone. Trust me, unless you’re a highly skilled, brain surgeon and the ONLY person in the world who can save the life of the mother carrying the second coming of Christ who just had a major brain trauma and will die right NOW unless you get to her, you’re not that damn important and the world can live without you for 2-3 hours!

Most times, you just try to plow through it. If it seems like an honest mistake (although with all the reminders, I fail to see how anyone can FORGET) and the person is genuinely embarrassed and trying to rectify it, I keep going. I’ve never had a Patti Lupone moment but I’ve had different ways of reacting to cell phones, depending on the circumstances:

Once, an audience members phone had gone off three times in a row. Loudly. The last time, he actually, started talking on it. The ushers were doing their best to get him out but he was being completely belligerent. I didn’t say anything, I just stopped what I was doing on stage. I stayed completely in character but just went totally silent and just stopped moving. My co-star figured out what I was doing and joined me in the silence. Once the rest of the audience realized what was going on, they started yelling the audience member to get out or shut up. He finally left and we just picked up where we left off.

Another time, when a guy actually answered the phone in the front row. Without missing a beat, I actually went into the audience, sat on his lap and started singing right in his face. Then, I took the phone, sung into it for a few notes and then stuck it in the cleavage of my costume. I finished the number, and then reached in and gave the phone back. This was totally appropriate to something the character might do so it didn’t really distract me from my part, but it sure embarrassed the crap out of the guy. I got a standing ovation that night. We always go out and greet the audience after the show and he came up to me and apologized and commended me for taking it in stride.

Once, as an audience member… an old woman’s phone kept ringing two seats down. It was a new iPhone and I guess she just couldn’t figure it out. She kept trying to turn it off but just couldn’t get it to work. And it was LOUD. I mean, it could be heard by the actors BACKSTAGE. I noticed that she also had a hearing device so it explained why she needed her ringer so loud. Now, this was a small theatre; the actors were clearly distracted by it and the rest of the audience was obviously getting upset. The show just could NOT go on like this. I reached over the lady next to me (who I found out later was her friend), grabbed the phone out of her hand, turned the ringer off, and handed it back to her without a word. The show went on but the lady next to me kept shooting me dirty looks. At intermission, she and the lady who’s phone kept ringing confronted me and told me how rude I was to do that. I said “I’m not the one who has a phone that they can’t figure out something as simple as turning the ringer off thus causing disruption for other people in the middle of a performance. Now, would you like me to help you get it silenced again before the second act or are we all good?” They got moved to another seat before second act started. But her ringer didn’t go off again.

I think that it would be a good idea for theaters to have some tech assistance on hand for people. Because I know that my parents, for instance, could easily screw-up turning off their phone, or the ringer, because they have no technical aptitude what so ever. And my father is a bit hard of hearing so his ringer volume is set at the maximum, which is so loud that it frightens people. And you can show them how to do these things over and over again, and they never retain it.

But if the theater had a station in the lobby, where people like my parents could take their phones to be set correctly, or checked-in, they would.

Great stories, Sabrina! As an audience member I am devastated by cell phones because I am so focused on the performance.

I have never been bit by the cell phone problem (I'm a classical pianist), but I do have a funny story. I played a recital that was filmed and had two stationary and two hand-helds that often literally hovered over my shoulder. That was challenge enough.

Then I was finishing a Rachmaninoff prelude (Op 23 No 3), got to the very end and the aluminum tent on the hand-held 24 inches to my left fell off and hit the floor precisely as I struck the last note. It was ironically a redeeming factor given the extraordinary timing.

Pikachu, I actually think that's a brilliant idea. Unfortnately, most ushers and box office people are either volunteers or paid too little to care and so, won't really commit to something like that. And, it would cost money to have those stations that most theatres don't have.

Some theatres are now trying to change the way they fight the battle by adapting to today's high-tech, low attention span, audiences. They still want phones silenced, but since they can't win the fight to get people to turn them off compltely, they are now allowing, even encouraging, patrons to tweet or facebook about the show from their seats. The ones that allow this are finding that most audience members will accept the glare of thier neighbors screen, temporarily, more than they will the noise of their phones ringing or talking. I personally do not think I would enjoy a live performance if I was glued to my phone, but I guess this works for some patrons.

I read a study recently (i'll see if I can find the link) regarding anxiety levels of college students when asked to turn off thier cells phones. The study showed that when asked only to silence their phones, most students were happy to comply. They were also more focused, less stressed, and retained more information. The opposite was true when they were asked to turn them off completly and made to comply. The students were angry at being asked to turn them off, less focused, seemed more stressed, and their anxiety levels were high. This was fond to be linked to the phycological need people have these to always be connected, the fear that they might miss something important (to them), and/or the need to at least appear to be available.

Lord. My spelling it atrocious today! Can I blame it on my phone?

Aaron, your story gave me a good chuckle!

I actually have some sympathy for poor wretched souls who forget to silence their phones or don't know how. What absolutely, freaking BLOWS MY MIND is that they will answer the damn thing and HOLD A FREAKING CONVERSATION!

Fortunately most smart phones have a feature that if you decline a call it will text the caller a stock response. I don't care what the caller thinks but if you do, you can make sure they get the touchy-feely treatment.

Manufacturers, designers, and Manhattanites like phones with no physical buttons, but I always liked by older Palm Treos, that came with a separate, physical, slide switch different from the volume buttons, to turn the sounds off completely.

That switch had one and only one function: turn the sounds off. And it was hard to move accidentally, and it was easy to find in the dark.

In 2013, 20 years after ringing cell phones started becoming a real nuisance, I am a bit surprised there are no modern hat check girls at various concert halls that can take your average surgeon's phone or pager during the concert and replace it with some sort of much quieter, vibrating, blinking device that also alerts the ushers as to where the person being called is seated so they can retrieve him should a page come in.

Ahh...the snobbery of so called artists...they want copyrights that last forever, but whine about patents being valid for a mere 20 years. They want millions to live their simple lives playing the same thing again and again while we peasants and scientists and engineers work our butts off every day for mere thousands of dollars a year and keep the infrastructure which enables them to enjoy reliable stuff going like clockwork. They expect people to venerate them as if their work makes a lot of difference to society and improves everyones quality of life, while we scientists and inventors just languish unknown except for some small minority of people who actually care to know about the people who actually made all the wonders of the modern world possible.
Hell, even Steve Jobs would not behave like this if someones cell went off during a launch ceremony of the next version of iphone or ipad or iwhatever. And I think Steve Jobs or Bill Gates or Warren Buffet or Dr Christian Barnard or Thomas Edison or Isaac Newton or Albert Einstein are anyday better than these clowns. And if these people can tolerate a cell phone going off, so can these clowns.

A very simple way to ensure that cellphones do not go off...live a simple life, don't charge the moon for whatever you are playing and request people who come to hear you play to turn off their cellphones or give their cellphones to the guy at the door. If you charge a nominal amount, people would very well comply since they come to actually hear things and not for snob value. And people who come for snob value give a damn about your music, so most likely they are the ones who have their cellphones on and get into a conversation. And the art and entertainment world would do well to have some decent role models for society, but that is probably expecting too much from them since the vast majority of successful people from the art and entertainment world show overwhelmingly negative traits.

*crickets*

Bless your heart, Redrajesh.

Do you listen to music? If so, are you prepared to hand in your iPod or whatever you use to listen (over and over) to the rubbish generated by these snobs?

You'll have to stop watching TV, too. And film.

These are just diva performers who contribute nothing to society.

Do you listen to music?

Nope. I only have a phone which is pretty ancient and still works. It does not even have a memory card. The only time I ever get to hear any music is when I am communting to work or commuting back from work and some co passenger on the bus plays something loud on his phone or if the bus itself has a radio and something plays on it.

I do watch TV, but only cartoons. I watch Doraemon now because that is the only cartoon coming on TV now. Earlier I used to watch space ghost, birdman, top cat, tom and jerry, scooby doo, dynomutt, johnny bravo, powerpuff girls, batman tas, extreme ghostbusters, superman tas, justice league, x-men, samurai jack etc.

Film...I watch a film probably once in 5 or 6 years, and that too if it comes on TV long after it has stopped screening in the theatres. I watch only films which feature this actor called Rajinikanth. Else I watch some animated films like maybe a new Tintin film that comes out once in a while.

And since I have said so much about what I watch, I might as well tell you what I read as well. Othet than advicegoddess, I read dr helen at pjmedia, and I read comics like tinkle, asterix and tintin. The only non illustrated stuff I read is sherlock holmes. And maybe I read some news items from publications like economic times, businessweek etc. Mostly these days I just go to the business section in google news.

Oh, and by the way, I have also had cellphones go off when I am addressing people at various occasions(conferences, presentations, meetings etc). I have never told anyone to f*ing shut up, especially customers. Now are the two similar - pretty much. There are times when you have to explain things in great detail and phones do go off at those opportune moments. But when someone who is giving you the money for your existence does something like this, it is pretty much okay to let them be. Nobody on earth is irreplaceable. That is the golden rule of life. Life pretty much goes on no matter who goes off the face of the earth however abruptly. And nobody is perfect. That is another golden rule of life.

Wait? What? They don't know how to silence their cell phones?

Then get a simple model that you do know how to use.

If someone does not know how to turn a phone off why, for Pete's sake, do they have a cell phone in the first place?

It cannot be that hard. Or are some of you going to tell me that you got a cell phone, learned how to turn it on, and have NEVER learned how to turn it off? (hint, push one of the buttons, you can find out which one in the manual that came with it)

I'm not buying that someone doesn't know how to silence the cell phone or even turn it OFF. It is just a lame-ass excuse for being lazy and stupid and rude towards others.

And of course, TV and ipods don't crib about you attending calls while you are using them or if you pause them etc. You are paying for them and how you use them is your prerogative. At least, they treat you more like a customer than live artists.

I'd bet that Springsteen never stopped a show for someone's cell phone ringing. Freddie Mercury performed his last album almost dead and spitting up blood. In Django Leonardo DiCaprio sliced his hand open and kept in character, filming the whole time. We have battlefield surgeons performing their art with bullets whizzing at them. It's all about attitude and professionalism.

Wasn't someone's attorney ranting about how America has become a nation of pussies?

the snobbery of so called artists...they want copyrights that last forever

Most artists dont own the copyright to their work, various production companies do, and its those companies that push for never ending copyrights

The nice thing about Twitter is people like RedRajesh cannot make a fool of himself all at once like this. It takes some real dedication at 140 characters a pop. Maybe he should go there and prove himself.

Hmm. It just occurred to me that I don't know how to turn my iphone off. I'll be learning that today.

Fortunately I've never had my phone go off at an inappropriate time. That's partly because I only receive about six to ten calls a month, and partly because I usually forget to take it with me when I go somewhere.

Actually, I find myself in agreement with Redrajesh. Someone forgot to turn off their cellphone. Get over it.

It's not like his M-60 suddenly went off.

Amy asks, "Why is this so difficult for people?"

If one cellphone goes off in a concert hall, that doesn't mean it's difficult for "people," since evidently most people did remember. It's not even necessarily difficult for that one person whose cell phone did go off. It was difficult for him that one day.

I think we can forgo the Taliban stoning because one person forgot, or didn't properly shut it off.

My phone's always on vibrate or off. I have no reason for a ringtone. I can hear and feel the vibration just fine. (Although, for a time, I was playing with customized ringtones, and gave my sister the driving chorus of Elton John's "The Bitch Is Back.")

Nice straw man with the Taliban stoning, Patrick. Perhaps you could invoke Godwin's Law and end the thread. Certainly no one wants to hear more of this.

Wrong. Think about how this affects the performer.

Tough cookies. Life is interruptions. Performance artists have no more privilege to spared interruptions than the rest of us. And even transcendental moments of being swept up in glorious music are subject to interruptions. It's rough. It's also life. There are worse accidents that can befall someone.

Also, no one claimed it was his "right" to interrupt the show. I doubt it was a deliberate exercise of some constitutionally protected right. He is, however, human. And as such, he's prone to make mistakes. That fundamental flaw that makes us human means that even concerts are going to suffer the occasional interruption.

You'll survive.

Yes, turn off the damn phone and stay home if you can't stop sneezing or coughing.

But one of the sweetest things I ever saw at a concert occurred when Max Raabe (German singer whose Palast Orchestra plays jazz standards of the 20s and 30s) noticed that a woman in the first row in a small venue was having a coughing fit. She wasn't bothering Max, the band, or the audience; I was sitting right behind her and couldn't hear her.

But Max noticed that she was in discomfort, so he left the stage during the instrumental break, returned, leaned over, and handed her a bottle of water. Amid the usual "wow, that was great" reactions after the concert, several people in the first few rows commented on Max's thoughtfulness.

"Someone forgot to turn off their cellphone. Get over it."

The narcissist speaks!

I have a clue that if you were talking to someone you paid to give you advice, and they interrupted their intricately detailed instructions right in the middle to answer their phone, you'd be mad. You don't pay for your phone service or electrical power to be interrupted - you think that's wrong.

If you can't figure out how to shut your own personal reminder that you are a valuable, vital aspect of society, I fully expect you to be offended at the suggestion that you turn it off. After all, the world's all about you (them, the cell phone people). Why should you take the extra effort not to interrupt a performance which took weeks to arrange?

Here's a great example - see if you like it:

"If one cellphone Rinnnnnng!goes off in a concert hall, thatRinnnnnng! doesn't mean it's difficultRinnnnnng! for "people," since Rinnnnnng!evidently most people did remember. It'sRinnnnnng! not even necessarilyRinnnnnng! difficult for that one person whoseRinnnnnng! cell phone did go off. It was difficultRinnnnnng! for him that one day."

Gee. Your prose is ruined. And it took almost no effort to produce.

I truly admire Lawrence Fishburne as an actor. I can name you off the top 5 great films he was great in. But after Apocalypse Now, if he is bothered by a cell phone, then he has become a bitch.

Martin Sheen had a fucking heart attack and finished the film. Harvey Keitel was the original star and damn near literally murdered Copolla. Not a film for Diva's to participate in.

-Nice story JD. A mensch.-

To summarize, those who forget to silence their phones are only human and should be given a break for their frailties.

On the other hand, those interested in what the cell phones disrupt are merely human and should be condemned for being offended.

Have I got that right?

"The nice thing about Twitter is people like RedRajesh cannot make a fool of himself all at once like this. It takes some real dedication at 140 characters a pop. Maybe he should go there and prove himself."

Whats the matter man? Run out of words to argue and ranting without speaking anything worthwhile?

Redrajesh is just trolling, folks. Nobody from India is really that fucking stupid.

Hate to admit, that without totally agreeing with him, I can see Patrick's point.

In general, I think live performances, like big tacky weddings are becoming one of the things the overprivledged and wanna bes indulge in as a signaling device of their social status.

As in, "I saw Lawrence Fishburne in Tokyo, at a small dinner theatre and he was divine".

Going out to a live performance is already ten times the cost and twenty times the hassle of turning on the damn HD TV for quiet enjoyment, of a superior product, WITH a pause button....for when you get distracted.

Performers who are hyper sensitive to noise or other distractions will eventually kill the goose who laid the golden egg and they are getting very close already.

When you expect a concert hall to be exactly like a sound studio, both the audience and the performer are going to be disappointed.

I am not quite as insular as Redrajesh, but I can see his point too.
The limousine liberals look down on those of us who don't (at least pretend) to share both their values, and tastes.

I'm just glad to see that Redrajesh can get worked up about something other than those evil feminists. He also reads Dr. Helen's blog? Color me shocked.

I'd bet that Springsteen never stopped a show for someone's cell phone ringing. Freddie Mercury performed his last album almost dead and spitting up blood. In Django Leonardo DiCaprio sliced his hand open and kept in character, filming the whole time. We have battlefield surgeons performing their art with bullets whizzing at them. It's all about attitude and professionalism.

These are not even close to a classical concert or live theatre.

Those are rock concerts that happen in large stadiums and have (had in Freddies case) the benefit of live guitars, drums, microphones, etc... to drown out any possible distracting noises. And there are HUNDREDS of people present. A few dozen cell phones wouldn't even be noticed. It's not like you'd even be able to talk on the phone anyway because you're likely being blasted out by the sound of the music coming from the stage.
And, really, you want to compare live performance to a Battlefield surgeon? Uuuhh.... no. They are trained specifically for combat truama. It's thier JOB to be able to perform complex medical procedures while bullets are flying by. The title of the profession says it all.

Live theatre and classical concerts are often held in very intimate enviroments (my theatrte holds less than a hundred fifty) where acoustics are key. Every single sound carries. You can see every face. One tiny interuption can and will ruin that experiance for not just the performer, but also the audience. One person does not have the right to ruin it for the other people who paid to be there and actually want to enjoy it. A cell going off isn't the end of the world if it's dealt with promplty. It happens. But it IS a big deal if it happens continually and the offender has an entitlement complex about it.

Artists are the only professionals that are consistently undervalued. Prostitutes are often treated with more respect. Why is that? What makes what we do so much less valuable? Let’s be honest, no one gets into this business to get rich but, it’s still a “job” and like any job, it requires a very specific skill set, immense amounts of time, and a level of accountability. We don't just punch the clock and perform menial tasks that could probably be performed by a monkey with the right training; we are skilled laborers in our craft. We do what the majority of the population or even the government, can't; we entertain the masses. We make it possible for the populous to escape their lives for a while. We create beauty. We bare our souls. We offer our selves to the public. And, we do it with very little to gain. There’s no consistency in this business; every job is different. We work long, irregular hours and often have long commutes. We usually have to supply our own materials to do our jobs and sometimes, working conditions are very poor. We also can't take "personal days" most times to deal with life issues without sacrificing our salary. It is exhausting, soul wrenching, time consuming, highly competitive work that often times leads to long periods of unemployment. We are scrutinized daily on our product, and also on things beyond our control such as our looks or the sound of our voice. There is no annual raise, no Holiday bonus, little to no benefits and no stability. Why then is one of the hardest jobs in the world one of the most under-valued? Live performers are not pussies because we expect you to actually be paying attention to the performance that we've spent weeks preparing for you. Like any profession, it's not unreasonable to expect those in the audience to behave with some decorum.

Wanna talk about professionalism?
This spring, I was one of three actors in a musical. I had also just had a major surgery, had recently suffered a second miscarriage (we've been TTC for 2.5 years), was having major plumbing issues and thus, no water in my home (I'd been showering at the theatre or at my gym). Plus, my dog had just been attacked and was in critical condition. Needless to say, my husband and I were going through a rough time. But I still had a job to do. My personal life did NOT effect my performance. And then, life happened again. One night, on a particularly packed house I lost my footing and fell from a platform after my big solo. I landed on my chin and in doing so, also snapped my neck back. No one in the audience saw it as it happened in the dark. My co-star saw me fall and tried to help me up but I told him to keep going as his solo was coming up. I run backstage and see that I'm covered in blood. I then notice I've split my chin open. And there is a searing pain in my neck and head. Now, this is a small theatre. There is no running crew and the Stage Manager is in the booth. I only had a ten minute window to act. I clean up the blood as much as I can, thanking my lucky stars that my costume is black, stop the bleeding as much as I can, put some bandages on it, and then go back on and finish the show. I did not phone that performance in even though I easily could have gotten away with it. Afterward, I had to be rushed to the emergency room. The inuries were pretty extensive but all things considered I was pretty fortunate it wasn't worse. I still had 5 shows left in that run and did every single one of them without complaint. I also started rehearsals for another show that week before. I didn't miss a single one due to my injury. Now, if I can do that, under all those circumstances, and do it to the best of my ability, certainly, it wouldn't kill you to in the very least, silence your damn phone for two hours of your life. Trust me, you are NOT that important.

When you go to a live artistic performance, you are making a commitment to behave in a manner that allows maximum enjoyment of the event for those in attendance. I am (shocker!) an enormous chatterbox, but I shut up during concerts and plays. My little kids looooove music, but are incapable of sitting still and being quiet for prolonged periods of time, so they stay at home. I could go on, but you get the idea. Why would cell phones be an exception to this? Yes, as a mom of tiny kids still inadvertently trying to kill themselves, I keep my cell phone turned on at all times, but I turn off the ringer and leave it on vibrate when I'm at church or at a formal artistic event while my kids are with caregivers. Life has not ended.

Though, y'know...my life would be a lot simpler if I could take my kids to concerts, plays, etc. They can sit still some of the time, you know. Sure, they'd make some noise, but who cares about that? Those stuck-up performers, demanding "quiet" so that they can "concentrate!" I've produced two future taxpayers; it's not fair that I also have to pay $20/hour for a babysitter on top of ticket costs. Everyone else can just suck it up. Now, what do you think my toddlers would like better, Rachmaninoff, or Haydn?

I am an opera singer. It's my only job and makes me a humble but decent living. I had about 90 performances last season and will do over a 100 this season, with plenty of rehearsals for all of those. So I work more than some, and not nearly as much as others. I never expect complete silence. The stage manager calling the show has a an incredibly important job and I often hear them on the side of the stage doing their thing while I perform. I hear the prompter feeding people lines. I hear coughs and bodily shifts and whispers of the audience (and sometimes fellow performers). All of this can be distracting but it's the inevitable background noise associated with a live performance and it's my job to concentrate in spite of it.

However, a cell phone ringing is not background noise. It is a noise specifically designed to interrupt and draw your attention. That's why it is so destructive to live performances. There is no snobbery in saying a cell phone ringing can wreck both the very hard work of the performer and the emotionally moved attention of audience members in a single instant. I value lectures, movies, and rock concerts but they're not an apt comparison for live classical or theater performances. If you're religious, think of a cell phone ringing during a moment of deep prayer or meditation. Or imagine a ringtone exploding during your wedding vows, the elegy of a dear friend or the christening of your child. Should you just "get over it"?

Most performers get into their art because they want to recreate that level of emotional high for themselves and others. It's THE thing that makes it all worthwhile. The training is long, opportunities scarce, the business side as frustrating (perhaps more so) as any other field, and the vast majority of us make very little money. And the reason many--I won't say all--audience attendees pay good money is to come to feel that emotional high. It's such a simple courtesy to do one's small part not to destroy that.

I get that people are human and forget. I have been mortified by my own cell phone ringing twice in my life, once during a church service and another time during a famous singer's master class. I've never let myself be mortified since. But I can't think of a major performance I've been to lately that hasn't had either an announcement to turn off cell phones or a sample ring to remind people to do it. This is a cue for people to CHECK and make sure they HAVE shut off or silenced properly! And while it can happen, devices don't turn themselves on or un-silence themselves often. So it's baffling to me that this problem happens so often. But it's also unsurprising given how prevalent rude, entitled, rules-are-for-everyone-but-me behavior has become.

Yeah, that's the thing. I go to a concert to hear music, not someone's damn cell phone. If they ignore one, then pretty soon it'll be a dozen. The other thing is, if someone is rude enough to let their cell phone go off during a concert, there's fairly good odds that they are rude enough to actually answer it and carry on a conversation. I've seen it happen.

And BTW, I can assure you that almost no one in classical music is getting wealthy off of it. I've had a bit of insight into the local symphony's finances. Nearly everyone in the symphony has a day job; the symphony itself doesn't pay enough to live on. They have to pay for staff, guest performers (who generally don't make a lot either), rights fees, instrument maintenance, maintenance of the concert hall, etc. The conductor/music director is pretty much the only person who makes a living off of it.

DS, thank you. You've expressed it perfectly.
None of us are getting rich doing this. I still have my day job. And, there are already SO many distractions while performing that we are expected to work through it's not unreasonable to expect the bare minimum of courteous behaviour from the audience.

To the naysayers....Imagine, you're in an expensive resturant for a romantic dinner. You and your partner are involved in a very deep conversation. You're in the moment. Everything is calm and quiet and then RRRIIIIINIG! RRRIIINNGG! RRIIINGG! a cell phone going off in your ear. It's a public place, so some noise is expected, but it is still definitely jarring and can pull you and your lover out of that moment. It stops and you go back to your conversation. Then again... RIIIIING RIIIINNG! RRIIING! Again it stops. Now you aren your partner are a little on edge because you're trying your damndest to get back in the mood but are afraid of being so disrupted again. A few mintues pass and again... RRIIING! RRIIING! RRRIIING! The mood is now ruined. You can, however, get back into it and regain your focus after a walk, a trip to the restroom, or a few minutes of breathing.
That's almost impossible on stage. You can't stop and regain your composure. You can't take a minute or excuse yourself for a breather. You HAVE to keep going. But, if your concentration has been broken, it's hard to get it back to that same place. You might be able to still put on a performance, but it will not have that same feel as it did pre-interuption. And the audience now will have to work to get back into the show. They've been pulled from thier happy place back to the reality they have likely paid a pretty good chunk of change to escape from for a while. What gives anyone the right to do that to them?

I'm sorry, but it is not ok to have your cell phone going off during a live performance. Nobody's enjoyment of the event, whether it's a live musical performance, or a lecture, should be disrupted because someone who isn't bright enough to remember to set their phone to silent, or off. Also, the venue matters. Friday night I was at the Hollywood Bowl for the Zac Brown concert, a cell phone wouldn't have interrupted anything. Tonight I'm seeing an orchestra with Danny Elfman performing music from the Tim Burton movies at Nokia. I better not hear a cell phone.

In general, I think live performances, like big tacky weddings are becoming one of the things the overprivledged and wanna bes indulge in as a signaling device of their social status.

I'm neither over privileged, or a wanna be - I am someone who enjoys live music, and theatre. I see 3-4 shows/concerts a year. I spend a lot of money on the tickets for a nice evening out and it's rude not only the the performers, but also to your fellow theatre-goers to disrupt their evening. Isab, I doubt you would be happy if you were the one giving a lecture, or a live performance, and someone interrupted you, causing you to lose your momentum.

I wonder if it's possible to design theaters in way that blocks all cellphone transmission, so that calls can neither come in or out.

No transmission, no cell phones ringing. There are plenty of places that block cell signals inadvertently, why couldn't we design something to block signals in a localized area?

While I would LOVE that idea, Patrick, the cost alone for that would be outragous and money in the arts is already tight. And, some really new theatres tech equipment are run on the theatre's internet or wifi connection. We've got a program that can run the lights on ipads or a smartphone. Our lighting board op could be virtually anywhere in the theatre and still run the board. We rarely use it because the wifi there is super slow but knowing we have it as an option is pretty cool. I don't know how the technology works but I imagine blocking signal could interfere with that for theatres who use it regularly. I suppose theatres could set up a private line for that but again, that's expensive. And, why should theatres even be forced to have to invest in technology like that when the simple solution is just for people to behave?

Then there's the good ol' fashion "safety" reason... If someone is injured and they need to call for paramedics... godzilla is attacking... King Kong steals the pretty blonde on the stage and runs away with her... you know, the standard theatre emegencies...having the ability to call at that moment instead of waiting for someone else to do it might save a life.

I wonder if it's possible to design theaters in way that blocks all cellphone transmission, so that calls can neither come in or out.

No transmission, no cell phones ringing. There are plenty of places that block cell signals inadvertently, why couldn't we design something to block signals in a localized area?

Posted by: Patrick at October 29, 2013 11:30 AM

It isn't that difficult or expensive to do, but like everything else, it does have a down side.
Surgeons and others whose livelihood rests on them being immediately available in case of an emergency can be contacted with their cell on vibrate, but can't be contacted at all, if the signal is blocked.
Those people, are not going to put performing arts events ahead of their availability, and I don't blame them.

Want to know what is more distracting than an occasional cell phone?

Doctors walking out of the theater every ten minutes, and then back to their seats to make sure they haven't missed an emergency call.
OR

Stopping the performance to make an announcement, "Dr So and So, will you please call the hospital?"

A technological fix is quite possible, in the very short term future, maybe a google glass like device that will automatically turn off the ringer and alert you silently when it detects the venue, but until then, this is very much a tiny first world problem, that a lot of people seem hyper sensitive about.

To get an idea of what popular theater was probably like historically I recommend watching Amadeus, (the scenes from the performance of the Magic Flute).

People sitting silently with their undivided attention on the performance just didn't happen, except maybe in church, but even there you will deal with coughing, crying babies, and people leaving for personal emergencies.

Classical music and opera isn't some special flower that only the ultra civilized and attentive can appreciate. It was all pop music, when originally performed.
Kabuki in Japan, was the same way. People came for an entire day, wandered in and out, visited and ate several meals during the performance.

I love the movie Amadeus. Yes, traditions change. Wagner introduced the darkened theater and lightened stage, forcing audiences to concentrate more on the performance. This was getting to be normal practice by the time Mahler requested audiences not clap between the movements of some (but not all) of his symphonic works. Now, etiquette says to applaud only at the end of an entire symphonic work by any composer. So these things do shift. Still, focusing on the stage and staying relatively quiet during classical music and theater performances has been pretty standard for 100 years. And I don't think it has ever been considered acceptable for someone in the audience to start yelling "Listen to me! Listen to me!" in the middle of a performance. Or better yet, whip out their own instrument and start playing a different tune. That's the equivalent of a ringing cell phone.

"However, a cell phone ringing is not background noise. It is a noise specifically designed to interrupt and draw your attention."

YES, DS, thank you, this is exactly why cell phones are so annoying. They are meant to disrupt.

And, I agree with you that so many people today think the rules are for other people, not them.

Interestingly, I took a friend to court a couple of years ago (it wasn't for her, it was for a family member of hers) and I had to check my cell phone with the guards outside the courtroom - no electronic devices of any kind were allowed inside. Do we have to have all theaters, etc. start doing that in order to maintain some sort of considerate behaviour?

I wonder if it's possible to design theaters in way that blocks all cellphone transmission, so that calls can neither come in or out. -- Patrick at October 29, 2013 11:30 AM

The building can be designed that way. But it would legally questionable. Jammers are blatantly illegal.

Interestingly, I took a friend to court a couple of years ago (it wasn't for her, it was for a family member of hers) and I had to check my cell phone with the guards outside the courtroom - no electronic devices of any kind were allowed inside. Do we have to have all theaters, etc. start doing that in order to maintain some sort of considerate behaviour?

Posted by: Charles at October 29, 2013 5:33 PM

People generally go to court because they have to, not because they want to. Please don't confuse rules imposed by a tax payer funded enterprise with a good policy for a business who I hope is designed to attract customers, not drive them away...

I imagine, the first few theaters to enforce a no cell phones ban, in any kind of an effective way, will rapidly watch their former customers vote with their feet, and stop patronizing them at all.

Maybe when we get rid of the TSA ,(sarc) they can all find new jobs frisking people at the local movie theaters and concert halls.

That ought to encourage people to patronize live performances.

The problem is you are fighting human nature. People are forgetful. It sucks that the performance was interrupted but you would have to take drastic measures to prevent it - like some one mentioned where they took the phones -- imagine the liability there. I personally don't find most ring tones particularly annoying - no more so than candy wrappers, chewing, coughing.

I have had two phones that would magically turn on...well not magically. One you could press on the back in the right spot and get it to turn on. My current phone has a button that is easily pushed by my pants. So even if I remembered to turn the phone off, it still might be on later -- actually I would probably hear its announcement that it was ready -- which is way louder than the wring from some stupid reason.

Building a public place like that is likely illegal...and imagine the liability. I slipped and fell -- I tried to call for help but my phone didn't work. Or EMT: "We tried to call for support but our connection wouldn't work so Johnson ran outside to call while Smith and I tried to keep them alive.

Only someone who has never been thinks that the cell phone is not a distraction at a major concert.

I'm sure if they had, they'd know they paid big $$ to look at the screen of the phone in the hand of the guy in front of them, making a shitty recording of his fantastic experience at the concert.

People suck about this, and the more centered on themselves they are, the worse they are at realizing it.

"Only someone who has never been thinks that the cell phone is not a distraction at a major concert."

I don't think a cell phone is NOT a major distraction at a classical concert or live performance. Rolling Stones? i doubt it.

What I think, is that it is not something that can be controlled, anymore than coughing, chair scrapping or emergency bathroom breaks.
It is the price we pay for living and entertaining ourselves in groups with other humans who are not so perfect as we apparently think we are.

Since I cant control the environment with one hundred percent certainty, I can either enjoy the event as it unfolds, warts and all, (and I have heard some horrendous mistakes at very high level concerts, and theatrical performances). Or I can get my back up about every little annoyance and imperfection like a bridezilla on her wedding day.

I choose to enjoy what I can and laugh about the annoying stuff. It makes me a much happier person, to be more sympathetic than angry towards the person who is probably terribly embarrassed that their cell phone went off at an inappropriate time.

I feel the need to vent about my experience last night at the theatre. First, thankfully I didn't hear any ringing cell phones. Although, the venue is huge and there was an 87 piece symphony orchestra with a full choir, so it's possible that someone's phone went off, just not near me. Now on to my rant.

How is it possible that there is more etiquette at a hockey game than there is at the symphony? If I arrive to a hockey game late, the curtains are drawn while the puck is in play, and I have to wait until there's a stop in play to go to my seat. Yet last night at the symphony, I was interrupted numerous times throughout the concert to allow people to enter and/or leave their seats. Very irritating and it's a distraction being taken out of the moment! Ok, rant over.

"If I arrive to a hockey game late, the curtains are drawn while the puck is in play, and I have to wait until there's a stop in play to go to my seat."

That's not etiquette - it's a safety measure. If you're looking at the seats rather than the ice, you have no opportunity to dodge the puck. Yes, there's a big difference in your vulnerability.

Rad, without being able to cite to an actual NHL rule, or a particular arena's rule re: puck in play, we will have to agree to disagree. I have always understood the reason for not moving about while the puck is in play is because the game moves so quickly, and the puck is so small. As far as dodging pucks goes - I've done it twice - when a puck came hurtling through the camera lens cut-out in the glass, and whizzed by my ear - while I was seated - but I was sitting on the glass, and it's a risk I was willing to take.

Okay, Sara - but that's what the ECHL ushers here told me. I don't know where better to find this out than the very people enforcing the rule.