Performance Interrupted Over Filming Concern
A West End performance of Dracula on Monday evening was paused after its lead, Cynthia Erivo, noticed an audience member seemingly recording the show.
A representative for the production, in which Erivo portrays all 23 characters, confirmed that the performance was briefly stopped due to this incident. An attendee shared online that approximately an hour into the show, Erivo "looked out into the audience and said: ‘Are you filming? Is someone filming?’ and stopped the show." Another viewer who attended Dracula at the Noël Coward Theatre the following night noted that additional reminders were given to the audience about prohibitions on photography and filming.
Rising Issue of Unauthorized Recordings in Theatres
Unauthorized recordings have become an increasing concern for theatres. Some venues have adopted measures such as providing audience members with stickers to cover their phone cameras upon entry. This practice is currently in place at Good, starring Sadie Sink and Noah Jupe at the Harold Pinter Theatre, which previously implemented the same for the production Good featuring David Tennant. In 2023, photos taken of James Norton during a nude scene in Uncle Vanya were leaked, highlighting the ongoing challenges theatres face.
Except in rare cases where filming is explicitly permitted, such as during closing medleys in certain musicals, recording performances is prohibited. While it has become customary for audience members to take photos and videos during curtain calls when the cast appears for bows, actor Lesley Manville recently criticized this behavior.
“Clap or don’t clap, but don’t just stick up your phone in our faces,”
Manville stated on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row.
“I find it insulting.”
Manville stars in Ghosts, where signs inside and outside the auditorium warn against phone use, including during curtain calls. She recounted that during the play’s previews she gave an audience member "a bit of a stare" when they took out their phone, noting that "it never used to happen." She also observed that in New York, where she recently performed in the transfer of Oedipus, "virtually the whole audience" would use their phones during curtain calls.
Theatre Policies and Production Details
The Noël Coward Theatre is among the venues owned and operated by Cameron Mackintosh’s Delfont Mackintosh Theatres. Their terms and conditions explicitly prohibit "the use of recording equipment of any kind" and the use of "mobile phones, pagers, digital watches, laser pens or any other electronic equipment, which must be disabled at all times." However, some Delfont Mackintosh venues permit the use of GalaPro, an application providing closed captioning and audio description on mobile devices.
Dracula, directed by Kip Williams, is scheduled to run until 30 May. Similar to Williams’ 2024 production The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dracula incorporates advanced onstage camerawork as part of its presentation.
