• Play Canceled After Actor Breaks The Fourth Wall to Fight an Audience Member
    30 replies, posted
[quote] A Los Angeles-area production of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was canceled after an actor in the show became involved in an altercation with an intoxicated audience member who was heckling the cast throughout the May 31 performance. John Lacy, who played Big Daddy in the Repertory East Playhouse production of the Williams classic — which opened in Old Town Newhall, CA, May 16 under the direction of Brad Sergi — took action when an audience member called co-star Anton Troy a "fag." During intermission, Lacy explained to Playbill.com, "My young co-star Anton Troy, who's playing Brick, came into the dressing room, and he was furious. He said someone was bullying him, and I couldn't wrap my head around it because I was in the beginning of my emotional prep for the second act, which [has] Big Daddy's big scenes… I did my best to console him and said, 'Listen, man, channel it into your performance. Take whatever anger you got right now towards that audience member and use it. That's all you can do, man. Let's get out there and have a great second act. We have to trust each other that we can pull together and make it work.' "Just as I'm about to step on stage, the producer who was in the house that night — his name is Mikee Schwinn [who produced alongside REP executive director Ovington Michael Owston] — whispers in my ear, 'This is the drunkest audience we've ever had.' So now I've got a co-star who is furious that he's being heckled, and my producer has just warned me that the audience is inebriated, or obviously a fraction of the audience." Boos from the heckler in the audience continued during the second act, and following an exchange between the characters of Brick and Big Daddy, the audience member responded, "Because he's a fag." Lacy explained, "Brick tried to respond, and he said it again. I just said, 'What did you say, motherf*cker?' … I went through our fake stage door, took off my vest, went into the audience — as he stood proudly to stare at me with a stupid grin on his face — [and] I pushed him, and he was drunk, so he easily just collapsed… I knew better than to start throwing punches. I had made my point. I silenced the heckler, and thankfully, one of the audience members — this enormous 6'5'', 280-lb. filmmaker named Tim Sullivan, who happened to be gay and was not at all happy with what was happening — reached over and picked this guy up by his shirt collar and literally carried him out of the theatre." Lacy asked the audience if they'd like to see the show continue, and the cast picked up from where they left off in the story. Following the completed performance, Schwinn and Owston fired Lacy for his actions, and Troy — defending his co-star — decided to quit the show. "Some people are very quick to just go to the 'Violence is Not the Answer' card, and that's just not who I am. I've stood up to bullies my whole life," Lacy said. "When I hear or see something that's unacceptable — I'm not the kind of person to go up and punch someone in the face — but I will get in your face, and if I need to put my hands on you to let you know that I don't appreciate what is unacceptable, you are going to feel my physical force. And that's who I am, and I'll never change. I'm not a violent person. I stand up to homophobes, racists, people who are insulting my wife, anyone who threatens my children… "Of course, I could have stopped and said, 'Could we have the house lights on, please? I'd like this gentleman removed.' But when you call my fellow actor a 'fag' in front of [the audience], it's not f*cking acceptable." A press release from the theatre was posted to their website June 2 that read, "Due to unforeseen circumstances, the run of the Tennessee Williams' drama Cat On A Hot Tin Roof at the Repertory East Playhouse in Newhall has been suspended and the show will not be completing its projected performance schedule. The show was originally scheduled to end June 14, however, an incident during the May 31 performance has resulted in cast members leaving the show with no time to adequately re-cast their parts and provide the quality theater experience patrons have come to expect from the REP. "The management of the REP regrets that this situation was not brought to their attention sooner and would like to assure future audiences that disruptive behavior, including disparaging remarks from the audience, incidents of bullying or hate speech, and racial, discriminatory or homophobic utterances, will not be tolerated and offending parties will be asked to leave the theater."[/quote] [url]http://playbill.com/news/article/191903-Homophobic-Slurs-Set-Off-Audience-Member-Actor-Altercation-in-California-Cat-on-a-Hot-Tin-Roof[/url]
lol, i probably would of done the same. I've always said if you can't be nice while drunk you shouldn't be drinking.
I don't understand why drunks go to watch plays while they're drunk. Like that's the most boring way to ever be drunk.
Why was the heckler not removed by the theater staff earlier?
If you ask me the heckler got off too easily, but I suppose it was his good luck.
Don't theatres have security or something?
Thats why video games are a superior form of art did it ever happen to you that a video game character has beat you up
[QUOTE=WhyNott;45000688]Thats why video games are a superior form of art did it ever happen to you that a video game character has beat you up[/QUOTE] I got in a fight with Master Chief and his buddy Mario once while trick or treating.
[QUOTE=WhyNott;45000688]Thats why video games are a superior form of art did it ever happen to you that a video game character has beat you up[/QUOTE] Well, some players would honestly deserve it.
Thanks for the term "fourth wall", shian. I'd never heard it before.
[QUOTE=WhyNott;45000688]Thats why video games are a superior form of art did it ever happen to you that a video game character has beat you up[/QUOTE] I threw my controller once and it bounced off the wall and hit me in the face.
[QUOTE=UntouchedShadow;44998957]I don't understand why drunks go to watch plays while they're drink. Like that's the most boring way to ever be drunk.[/QUOTE] It seemed like a good idea at the time.
[QUOTE=lonefirewarrior;45002700]I threw my controller once and it bounced off the wall and hit me in the face.[/QUOTE] I've bent, twisted and broken the solid-steel frame and side-panel of my standing computer rig in various fits of rage due to various triggers of my extreme manic depression and PTSD-style venting of fury that I keep bottled up inside, resulting in bloodied, broken knuckles and a ruined day when Im fuming for hours due to some completely minor trigger that is completely forgotten about. The point is, people are assholes. They always will be. Stupid drunks heckling people on-stage for "being a fag" is just not on. Sometimes violence is justified. It may be wrong, but it is justified. At the end of the day though, there seriously should have been more done 'prior' to this incident occuring. Why was the drunk person not removed from the area by Theater staff earlier? Why did no one else intervene before the situation came to a heated point? Most likely the bystander effect, but even in a 'professional' Theater environment? Its appalling that Lacy was fired and Troy had to quit, simply for 'defending' themselves in an adequate manner in the face of adversity. Its such a shame, on all accounts where people suffer - but the instigator, the drunken lout, just goes along on his merry way with 5 seconds of trolling giggles, not caring for the severe problems he's caused for numerous others. Oh wait, no, he got pushed before being forced to leave the Theater. Better call the Lawyers and start pretending he was 'violently assaulted, maimed and lynched by a 'fag' in a dress wearing pretty rainbows' and all sorts of stereotype shit. Its just disappointing when these sort of events occur and the real people to blame get off without even an ounce of punishment.
[QUOTE=UntouchedShadow;44998957]I don't understand why drunks go to watch plays while they're drink. Like that's the most boring way to ever be drunk.[/QUOTE] Depends on the play, imo. I saw Avenue Q while pretty drunk (~75% of the audience was too) and it was one of the funniest nights of my life. That being said, I wouldn't exactly want to see something like The Sound of Music after drinking
[QUOTE=confinedUser;44998884]lol, i probably would of done the same. I've always said if you can't be nice while drunk you shouldn't be drinking.[/QUOTE] Well, if you can't be nice while drunk, you should drink in private seclusion, where you can't hurt anyone. That said not every drunk can afford to build a panic room, but if you could it could certainly double as a "tonic room".
[QUOTE=timmah638;45002880]Depends on the play, imo. I saw Avenue Q while pretty drunk (~75% of the audience was too) and it was one of the funniest nights of my life. That being said, I wouldn't exactly want to see something like The Sound of Music after drinking[/QUOTE] Agreed. I dont really know all that much about Plays and Theater performances and all of that sort of Performance-Drama, but the the reason why some people go to Plays whilst Drunk can largely be attributed to the content provided and seen within said Play. A large majority of people, when drunk, due to the lowering of inhibitions, find things funnier. They relax. They unwind and "have a good time". Thus, if its a comedic play, it can be beneficial to be lightly inebriated in such an environment. They relax and enjoy the jokes and have a good time. Unfortunately, like with all things, there is a time and a place to do or not do things. There are variables. Some people, when drunk, get sleepy. Others get sick. Others get violent. You shouldnt be drinking (in a casual sense) if you're watching a "Serious" play, like a Tragedy or Non-Comedy Drama or whatnot. "Violent" drunks can vary all the way between the heckling verbal-harassment types to those who are looking for a fight and will start a full-on brawl at the earliest opportunity. Furthering this problem though is the sheer variability of it. A normally nice person might be a bit of a loud-mouth and annoying heckler when lightly drunk, but then pass out if he drinks any more. Another person might turn savagely violent if he tends to drink past 'mildly tipsy' levels too. Obviously people should drink in moderation and not go overboard either, but its the violent-drunk types that really are not welcome and should learn by themselves not to drink in public environs.
[QUOTE=UntouchedShadow;44998957]I don't understand why drunks go to watch plays while they're drink. Like that's the most boring way to ever be drunk.[/QUOTE] Yeah that's a bit weird but being drunk at a play is way different than just being at a play. I would imagine things would be a bit more interesting then. However if the person can't keep quiet and is a nuisance then they shouldn't drink in public. I hate those people.
[QUOTE=Amez;45003059]Yeah that's a bit weird but being drunk at a play is way different than just being at a play. I would imagine things would be a bit more interesting then. However if the person can't keep quiet and is a nuisance then they shouldn't drink in public. I hate those people.[/QUOTE] Like that person who caused a huge fuss by drinking too much on an airplane and drunkenly stumbling up to bang on the cockpit door. They thought a hijack was in process and the entire flight was re-directed whilst teams of enforcement swarmed the airstrip and took him off-board when they landed. Its kinda off topic, but I really dont see why Alcohol should be served AT ALL on air flights. You really cant do without booze for roughly a day at the most, on the very longest flights? Just drink when you land. People shouldnt have to deal with the security concerns of belligerent drunks when in a tight, confined space inside a vehicle, travelling at extreme speeds in inhospital climates (like several miles in the air).
[QUOTE=Venrez;45003268]Like that person who caused a huge fuss by drinking too much on an airplane and drunkenly stumbling up to bang on the cockpit door. They thought a hijack was in process and the entire flight was re-directed whilst teams of enforcement swarmed the airstrip and took him off-board when they landed. Its kinda off topic, but I really dont see why Alcohol should be served AT ALL on air flights. You really cant do without booze for roughly a day at the most, on the very longest flights? Just drink when you land. People shouldnt have to deal with the security concerns of belligerent drunks when in a tight, confined space inside a vehicle, travelling at extreme speeds in inhospital climates (like several miles in the air).[/QUOTE] I can admit that I like to drink when on an airplane. A good deal of people in fact drink when on a flight. Most including myself don't drink until full on intoxication, I like to get a good buzz going though. It makes flying more enjoyable. There are many circumstances where I wouldn't drink on a flight, such as having to pick up a rental and driving myself home or to my destination. It's usually when I'm on a flight to go on a vacation where I like to unwind. Even people that do get wasted don't cause any problems most of the time. That guy who startled the pilots and caused a massive response by law enforcement was one in a million. We shouldn't ban alcohol on flights just because of a few idiots.
[QUOTE=Venrez;45003020]Agreed. I dont really know all that much about Plays and Theater performances and all of that sort of Performance-Drama, but the the reason why some people go to Plays whilst Drunk can largely be attributed to the content provided and seen within said Play. A large majority of people, when drunk, due to the lowering of inhibitions, find things funnier. They relax. They unwind and "have a good time". Thus, if its a comedic play, it can be beneficial to be lightly inebriated in such an environment. They relax and enjoy the jokes and have a good time. Unfortunately, like with all things, there is a time and a place to do or not do things. There are variables. Some people, when drunk, get sleepy. Others get sick. Others get violent. You shouldnt be drinking (in a casual sense) if you're watching a "Serious" play, like a Tragedy or Non-Comedy Drama or whatnot. "Violent" drunks can vary all the way between the heckling verbal-harassment types to those who are looking for a fight and will start a full-on brawl at the earliest opportunity. Furthering this problem though is the sheer variability of it. A normally nice person might be a bit of a loud-mouth and annoying heckler when lightly drunk, but then pass out if he drinks any more. Another person might turn savagely violent if he tends to drink past 'mildly tipsy' levels too. Obviously people should drink in moderation and not go overboard either, but its the violent-drunk types that really are not welcome and should learn by themselves not to drink in public environs.[/QUOTE] You said it better than I could have. In this sense, plays are just like movies. Get drunk and watch Airplane! and you're gonna piss yourself laughing. Take 7 shots and watch Schindler's List? You, uh, probably won't have as much fun (not that I've done that and turned into a complete fucking emotional wreck during the ring scene at the end) As someone who greatly enjoys their alcohol (craft beer being my hobby/passion, I've learned to handle my booze pretty damn well), you have to be able to realize when you're being a jackass. It's all about enjoying yourself, and excessive consumption/total idiocy is just dumb.
I've definitively drank through some heavy performances. I watched this Sudanese refugee documentary with a friend and got gin drunk during it. Those were sad times. Immediately after I ended up going to some backyard mud wrestling thing.
[QUOTE=WhyNott;45000688]Thats why video games are a superior form of art did it ever happen to you that a video game character has beat you up[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=WhyNott;45000688] video games are a superior form of art[/QUOTE] [IMG]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=534713&dateline=1388699244[/IMG]
[QUOTE=UntouchedShadow;44998957]I don't understand why drunks go to watch plays while they're drink. Like that's the most boring way to ever be drunk.[/QUOTE] I'll have to disagree Me and my class went to London for a week and we saw spamalot while being loaded it was amazing then again I'm not a drunk so it was only a one-time experience
[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;45000759]Well, some players would honestly deserve it.[/QUOTE] Goddammit you little red shit, hop! Imagine that goddamn coin is a donut you fat faggot!OH GAWD -Itsa me foot in youra ass!
Did he use the fourth wall as a weapon?
[QUOTE=Petrussen;45004943]I'll have to disagree Me and my class went to London for a week and we saw spamalot while being loaded it was amazing then again I'm not a drunk so it was only a one-time experience[/QUOTE] Yeah, but then again Spamalot is a hell of a different experience than cat on a hot tin roof :v:
For anyone who doesn't know that character is meant to come across as being in the closet
[video=youtube;cvkBvzpbBPs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvkBvzpbBPs[/video]
my favorite wkuk skit no doubt
[QUOTE=UntouchedShadow;44998957]I don't understand why drunks go to watch plays while they're drink. Like that's the most boring way to ever be drunk.[/QUOTE] Trust me, given some of the pieces I've seen over the years a quick nick from my hip flask is the only thing to stop me from losing my mind.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.