Cynthia Erivo stopped her one-woman West End show Dracula on Monday night after spotting an audience member appearing to film the performance. The incident occurred roughly an hour into the show at the Noël Coward Theatre, with Erivo reportedly asking from the stage: 'Are you filming? Is someone filming?'
A representative for the production confirmed the brief interruption. Commenters on the forum Theatreboard, who claimed to have been present, described the moment. One noted that the following night’s performance included extra reminders about the prohibition of photography and filming.
Illicit recordings are a growing concern for theatres. Some venues now issue stickers to cover phone cameras upon entry, as seen at the Harold Pinter Theatre for Romeo and Juliet and previously for Good starring David Tennant. In 2023, photos of James Norton in a nude scene from A Little Life were published online.
Filming is generally forbidden except when explicitly encouraged, such as during closing medleys in musicals. However, even curtain-call photography has drawn criticism. Actress Lesley Manville recently told BBC Radio 4’s Front Row that she finds it 'insulting' when audience members hold up phones during bows, urging them to 'clap or don’t clap, but don’t just stick up your phone in our faces.'
Manville, currently starring in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the National Theatre, noted that signs now warn against phone use even during curtain calls. She recalled giving a 'bit of a stare' to one offender during previews, adding that such behaviour 'never used to happen.'
The Noël Coward Theatre is owned by Delfont Mackintosh Theatres, whose terms prohibit recording equipment and require all electronic devices to be disabled. Some venues allow the GalaPro app for closed captioning and audio description. Dracula, directed by Kip Williams and featuring Erivo in all 23 roles, runs until 30 May.
