Theatres are fitting staff with cameras in an effort to tame drunk and disorderly audiences, as they look to address a rise in anti-social behaviour.
A spokesperson for Trafalgar Entertainment, whose 14 venues across the UK include the Trafalgar in Whitehall, told The Stage that bodycams help “lower the temperature when customer interactions become heated”.
This comes after a performance of The Bodyguard at the Palace Theatre in Manchester was halted to allow police to evict rowdy audience members.
Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton was drowned out by a few tired and emotional revellers, though she “fought really hard” to finish the ballad ‘I Will Always Love You’.
Kenny Wax, West End producer of Six and The Play That Goes Wrong, blames boisterous singalongs on booze: “Occasionally we eject drunk and disorderly patrons and it’s the booze that seems to generally be at the route of the problem.
“I’ve seen customers swigging from a full bottle of wine during the show.”
A recent survey of over 1,500 theatre workers conducted by union BECTU found that 90% of respondents had experienced physical or mental abuse from audience members.
Will cameras help bring down the curtain on abuse?
