I enjoyed your article (The secret lives of theatre workers: ‘People were having full sex in the stalls’, 9 August). I worked many roles front of house and later as operations manager at a busy regional theatre, and it has provided me with some of the most entertaining stories.
My favourite was working at a performance of The Rocky Horror Show in the large main theatre, while in the smaller studio was a play aimed at teenagers. The programming team had provided some post-show entertainment in the form of a DJ and breakdancer for the studio show, which happened to time with the interval of Rocky Horror. The scene I was met with was an usher crying, a furious college tutor shouting at her because her students had witnessed a man in a corset and thong attempt breakdancing, and his balls had fallen out, exposing himself.
Another moment that stayed with me was locking the building up at the end of the night. I was late doing my lockdown and was on autopilot, knocking on dressing room doors and popping my head round to ensure everyone had gone. As I swung open one door, not giving the recipient time to answer, I walked in on Rufus Hound in his pants! Mortified, I apologised and quickly closed the door, while worrying I may get into trouble. Instead he passed on a message at stage door to apologise for leaving late and giving me a fright. What a nice guy.
Sadly, audience aggression towards front-of-house staff was commonplace, and after three years as an operations manager, I decided it was time to move on.
Cathy Scott-Willars
Prestatyn, Denbighshire
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