The London run of the Pulitzer prize-winning play 'Liberation' will implement a phone ban similar to its New York debut, requiring audiences to store their devices in pouches. Producer Eva Price confirmed this intention as the play prepares for its London opening.
Key points
The play 'Liberation' won a Pulitzer prize.
Audiences must store phones in pouches during the performance.
Eva Price confirmed the phone ban for the London run.
The play is nominated for five Tony awards.
The phone ban was first implemented in New York.
Mentioned in this story
LiberationEva PriceNew YorkLondon
When a Pulitzer prize-winning play about a feminist activist opened in New York, audiences had to do something unusual.
They were asked to put their phones away – not in their pockets, but in specially designed pouches, which they could only open at the intermission or after the show.
Closeup of Eva Price: she is in her mid-40s and has long, curly light brown hair.
Eva Price, a producer of the play, said repeating the phone ban in London was ‘our intention’. Photograph: Michael Hull
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 be asked to “pouch” their mobile devices for the duration of the performance.
Price and the Liberation creative team of Whitney White, the play’s director, and Bess Wohl, the writer, initiated the ban in order to protect actors during a nude scene in the production. But what started as a way to ensure actors were not photographed or filmed while in a vulnerable position became a celebrated moment on Broadway.
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. A row about audience etiquette erupted after Rosamund Pike addressed a National Theatre audience when someone used their phone during the denouement of Inter Alia.
After her performance, Pike – who won an Olivier recently – returned to the Wyndham’s Theatre stage on Saturday. “You know who you are and I’m not going to single you out,” she said. “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.”
Q&A
What is the phone ban policy for the London run of 'Liberation'?
Audiences will be required to store their phones in specially designed pouches that can only be opened during intermission or after the show.
Who is the producer of the play 'Liberation'?
Eva Price is the producer of 'Liberation', which is nominated for five Tony awards.
When will 'Liberation' open in London?
'Liberation' is set to open in London following its successful run in New York, although the exact date is not specified.
Why is the phone ban being implemented in the London production of 'Liberation'?
The phone ban aims to enhance the audience's experience by minimizing distractions during the performance.
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At present UK theatre audiences are told to silence their phones and respect the performers. There are often several reminders to turn phones off before the action starts but phone use and interruptions caused by bleeping devices are not uncommon.
Rosamund Pike at the curtain call: she is standing on a darkened stage with the spotlight on her. She wears a pale silk blouse and dark trousers.
Rosamund Pike told the audience at Inter Alia that she hoped using the phone ‘was very important’. Photograph: Dave Benett/Jed Cullen/Getty Images
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, arguing that audiences should be encouraged to shelve their phones for the greater good. He said: “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 then only be opened by Yondr staff, who remained in the theatre and gave access to those who asked at the intermission before reopening the pouches for everyone after the curtain call.
Price said she wasn’t made 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,” she said. “I find it insulting.”
But London theatres are reluctant to ban phones altogether. Directors and producers, in general, hate even talking about the subject. Many fear looking elitist or out of touch, with others worrying about alienating new theatregoers who aren’t au fait with the conventions and expect – at some point – to be able to use their phone, especially to photograph the actors during the curtain call.
Price acknowledges that for some productions, use of phones could be, and is, actively encouraged. She is also producing Titanique, the Céline Dion jukebox musical. Audiences are encouraged to film the encore. “That’s a very different experience where we actually invite audiences to take their phone out,” she said. “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.”
