Kristin Scott Thomas Finds Bad Theatre Etiquette Hard to Tolerate
The actress admits she must 'really control' herself to avoid confronting disruptive audience members during performances.
Kristin Scott Thomas, currently starring in a revival of Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" at the Harold Pinter Theatre, has expressed her strong dislike for poor theatre etiquette. The 66-year-old actress stated that she "can't stand" it when audience members are disruptive and finds herself needing to "really control" her impulses to address them directly.
Scott Thomas, who plays Madame Ranevskaya in the production alongside Stephen Mangan, shared her frustrations ahead of the play's opening night. When asked if she would personally intervene, she responded, "Probably not because that would interrupt what I'm doing. It's really hard sometimes. I can't stand it. I have to really control myself."
Despite these challenges, the actress praised London audiences, calling them "particularly brilliant." She attributed this to a deeply ingrained culture of theatre-going in London, noting that it is not seen as a significant, difficult undertaking but rather a natural pastime.
Her co-star, Stephen Mangan, echoed similar sentiments, acknowledging that disruptive behavior is annoying. "We're no different from other people. We find it annoying if people aren't paying attention," he said. He added that the recent public discussion about the issue indicates a shared concern for the theatre experience and expressed hope that their current production would continue to enjoy attentive audiences.
Scott Thomas's comments align with recent sentiments expressed by other prominent actors regarding audience behavior. In November, Gillian Anderson approached a group of superfans outside London's Soho Place theatre, asking them to stop buying front-row seats as their repeated presence was distracting during performances of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Anderson politely requested they cease this practice, despite the fans having attended the play numerous times.
In September, Cate Blanchett appealed to the audience at the National Theatre not to film her on stage during a performance of "Electra/Persona," stating that it diminishes the experience for others. She emphasized the value of shared presence in live performance and asked that filming be avoided to preserve the integrity of the show for subsequent audiences.
Earlier in the year, Rosamund Pike addressed an audience member for using their phone during the finale of her West End play "Inter Alia." She explained that such actions disrupt the emotional connection between the cast and the audience, although she acknowledged that some communications might be emergencies.
Cynthia Erivo also halted a performance of "Dracula" in April after spotting someone filming the production. The actress stopped the show for nearly ten minutes at London's Noël Coward Theatre, a breach of theatre etiquette that led to the production being paused.
Other actors, including Amber Davies and Lesley Manville, have also spoken out against disruptive audience behavior. Davies recounted having a theatregoer removed from her show for filming, while Manville criticized photo-taking during curtain calls as "insulting" and advocated for a more present, less digitally-documented theatre experience.
Kate Rockwell, an American actress, has also addressed unruly audience members, differentiating between passionate fans and those whose behavior, such as singing along loudly or heckling, detracts from the performance.