48 replies to this topic

[Honoured Guest]

fringefan, on 07 November 2012 - 04:37 AM, said:

HG also makes a fair point about the booking of single seats BUT what about those of us who are, or attend the theatre as singles and who genuinely need and want just the one seat?  Why should we be stigmatised and suffer discrimination in this way?  And if box offices really did have discretion, fine, but then in that case the online booking systems should say "for single seats ring the box office to book" AND said box office should then be both willing and able to do this.  Though I still think it shouldn't be necessary - and why would any theatre prefer to use a more expensive booking system?

Actually, it's all about leaving a single unsold seat, not booking a single seat! For example, where a block of three unsold seats exists, a couple can't book two seats, because they would leave a single unsold seat, but a singleton can book one seat, because that leaves an unsold pair of seats.

Matthew Winn, on 07 November 2012 - 06:13 AM, said:

That's only a problem if everyone can choose any seat they like. All you need to do to prevent that is add a restriction to say that in any run of, say, eight empty seats or fewer you can't break the run: you have to fill it in from one end or the other. This allows people to sit wherever they want to within three or four seats but prevents fragmentation.

I'd be annoyed by Matthew Winn's proposed restriction because I can currently book one to four seats anywhere within the central four of an unsold eight-seat block, because I don't then leave any single unsold seats, but he would deny me this for some reason!

[Pharaoh's number 2]

Honoured Guest, on 07 November 2012 - 10:50 AM, said:

Actually, it's all about leaving a single unsold seat, not booking a single seat! For example, where a block of three unsold seats exists, a couple can't book two seats, because they would leave a single unsold seat, but a singleton can book one seat, because that leaves an unsold pair of seats.

And that's because theatres seem to think no one goes to the theatre on their own. It's like all those 2for1 deals around- you can't just book one seat at half price. The Delfont woman said if I'd booked 1 of the pair in the stalls, they wouldn't be able to sell the single remaining seat. Really? It's not like the show is selling badly.

[Matthew Winn]

Honoured Guest, on 07 November 2012 - 10:50 AM, said:

I'd be annoyed by Matthew Winn's proposed restriction because I can currently book one to four seats anywhere within the central four of an unsold eight-seat block, because I don't then leave any single unsold seats, but he would deny me this for some reason!

And what happens if you book four seats in the middle of those eight and then two parties of three turn up afterwards? Huh? Huh? There's method in my madness. Usually.

That's the point, though. It's not leaving any particular number of seats that's the problem, but leaving a large number of small blocks. Very few theatregoers are so keen on particular seats that they need those four right there, and not four seats displaced two to the side. Filling in from the middle outward and from the ends inward optimises the seating with no need to discriminate against lone theatregoers, but it does depend on there being no more than an insignificant number of people being difficult for the sake of it. And if they do insist on being difficult: "There are four types of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable and praiseworthy".

Pharaoh, on 07 November 2012 - 11:03 AM, said:

And that's because theatres seem to think no one goes to the theatre on their own. It's like all those 2for1 deals around- you can't just book one seat at half price. The Delfont woman said if I'd booked 1 of the pair in the stalls, they wouldn't be able to sell the single remaining seat. Really? It's not like the show is selling badly.

It's an outright lie to say that the single seat can't be sold. They may not be able to sell it to the very next customer but they can sell it the next time someone asks for a single seat. Unless they're seriously suggesting that once a row is almost full they start allocating seats from the next row and never, ever allow the empty seats in the previous row to be sold.

And even if it can't be sold, so what? It only matters if it prevents them selling a seat to someone else, and that can only happen if the show is extremely close to selling out completely and almost nobody buying tickets can choose to come on a different day.

[peggs]

Honoured Guest, on 06 November 2012 - 11:09 PM, said:

Many booking systems don't permit bookings which leave one or more single seats unsold within a row. If they did, many selfish people would routinely leave a single seat free so that, if it remains unsold, they can put their coats on it or shuffle on to it if a particularly obstructive or annoying person is seated in front of them.

Feel rightously selfless now for never expecting my coat to have its own seperate seat

[Honoured Guest]

Next time you're in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, notice how very many people sit on the banquette and then plonk their coat and handbag to their side.

[Honoured Guest]

Zoe Wanamaker in Passion Play must be feeling pretty chuffed that she's inspired 36 posts before even starting rehearsals.

[peggs]

Honoured Guest, on 07 November 2012 - 06:22 PM, said:

Next time you're in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, notice how very many people sit on the banquette and then plonk their coat and handbag to their side.

Did you notice this last week Latecomer? I'll admit to being distracted by the fish but didn't notice this, we dutifully sat on ours. Does banquette refer to benches? Surely you just get them to move them, granted it would be nice to not have to ask but i don't see how this is proof of the selfishness of people booking single seats in order to increase the odds of their being one next door for their coat. Does this mean the single dilema is better in the summer when we're not all bring coats?

[Epicoene]

This debate about ATG and their stupid policy where you can't make a booking which leaves a single seat can be easily worked around in some circumstances by booking on-line. For example I have booked two seats out of a block of three by first booking one of the seats, then booking the remaining pair, then deleting the first booking from my basket and continuing.

[jaqs]

Honoured Guest, on 07 November 2012 - 06:22 PM, said:

Next time you're in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, notice how very many people sit on the banquette and then plonk their coat and handbag to their side.

Once at the Menier a couple laid out a picnic of sandwiches and crisps between them. Far easier to get someone to move a coat.

[xanderl]

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