When a Pulitzer prize-winning play about a feminist activist opened in New York, audiences had to do something truly radical: they had to put their phones away. Not in pockets - oh no, that would be too trusting. Instead, they were sealed inside specially designed pouches that could only be opened at intermission or after the final curtain, like snacks at a particularly strict boarding school.
One of the show’s producers, Eva Price, confirmed to the Guardian that when Liberation - which is nominated for five Tony awards - comes to London, audiences will again be asked to “pouch” their mobile devices for the duration of the performance. The reason? A nude scene. Because nothing ruins a vulnerable theatrical moment quite like the sound of 50 people frantically screenshotting.
Price and the Liberation creative team - Whitney White, the director, and Bess Wohl, the writer - initiated the ban to protect actors from being photographed or filmed during a nude scene. What started as a practical measure became a celebrated Broadway ritual. When asked if they intended to repeat it in London, Price said: “That’s our intention. We haven’t figured out the logistics of it yet or the exact details, but it is our intention to do it again.”
Many in Britain will welcome the move - especially after Rosamund Pike addressed a National Theatre audience when someone used their phone during the denouement of Inter Alia. Pike, who won an Olivier recently, returned to the Wyndham’s Theatre stage on Saturday to deliver a gentle but pointed scolding: “You know who you are and I’m not going to single you out. Maybe it [using the phone] was very important, and maybe you’re a doctor, and you’re saving someone’s life, and I hope you are, but we do see these, we do feel them. I feel I’ve got to hold you all, so when I feel that and see it, it’s hard.”
At present, UK theatre audiences are told to silence their phones and respect performers. There are often several reminders to turn phones off before the action starts, but phone use and interruptions caused by bleeping devices remain as common as forgotten interval drinks. In the aftermath of Pike’s intervention, Ian Rickson, a former artistic director of the Royal Court theatre, called for mobile phones to be banned outright. “I think if we really took ownership and said, ‘We invite you to this unique collective event. It will be a phone-free space, come and take part,’ and people want to do that? Great.”
Price said the phone “ban” for Liberation helped make “inherently a communal experience” and that the process was incredibly simple. Theatregoers scanned their tickets, then put their phones into pouches created by Yondr, which were sealed with a magnetic strip. These could only be opened by Yondr staff, who remained in the theatre and gave access to those who asked at intermission before reopening the pouches for everyone after the curtain call. Price said she wasn’t aware of anyone who had refused to use a pouch. “There was the occasional person who asked why, but the answer was: ‘I’m sorry, but this is the rule here at the theatre for this particular show, and we promise you that if there’s an emergency, you can open it back up.’”
The Liberation approach will be welcomed by many actors. In April, Lesley Manville - who is in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, also at the National Theatre - said it was “insulting” to be filmed during curtain call. “We are all in this room, we are telling you a story, you’re listening - clap or don’t clap, but don’t just stick your phone in our face. I find it insulting.” But London theatres are reluctant to ban phones altogether. Directors and producers hate even talking about the subject, fearing they’ll look elitist or out of touch, or alienate new theatregoers who aren’t au fait with the conventions and expect to be able to use their phone - especially to photograph actors during the curtain call.
Price acknowledges that for some productions, phone use can be, and is, actively encouraged. She is also producing Titanique, the Céline Dion jukebox musical, where audiences are encouraged to film the encore. “That’s a very different experience where we actually invite audiences to take their phone out. The context matters.” Despite Manville’s protests, the idea of banning people from taking photographs of actors they’ve paid often large sums to see falls on the wrong side of the line for many. “For most people there’s a balance,” said one theatre insider. “Phones away during the show, then you give them something during the curtain call. Social media and word-of-mouth buzz comes from that and it’s part of our ecosystem. It’s how we share, enjoy and sell work.”