Rowdy Clacton theatre-goers prompt staff conflict training consideration

Theatre staff are experiencing growing incidents of abuse, a general manager said

A theatre manager said conflict management training for staff was being considered amid an increase in "rowdy and potty-mouthed" audience members.

Kai Aberdeen, manager of the Princes Theatre in Clacton, Essex, said the problem was becoming worse.

He said staff had noticed people sneaking bottles of vodka in, instead of bottled water, and workers had been assaulted by an "inebriated" patron.

Theatres should be "a place of decorum", he said.

"We speak to many managers [at] different theatres and it's been noticed across the board," Mr Aberdeen told BBC Essex. "We've noticed more since after the lockdown, it seems to be getting worse.

"We're having a lot of people who are now deciding that instead of bringing in bottles of water, they're bringing in bottles of vodka."

While the theatre serves alcohol at the bar, it is "very difficult to monitor someone just swigging vodka in the auditorium", he said.

The theatre is housed within the town hall

The manager said there had been a number of occasions when the behaviour of theatre-goers spoiled the experience for others, or made staff uncomfortable.

"It's got the point now where we're considering getting our front-of-house staff conflict management training," he said.

"We don't expect them to do the role of door staff, but in order to keep them safer we have a duty of care - they're just normal people, they check tickets and help people find their seats and the toilets.

"They're not there to deal with rowdy people who have potty mouth."

He said that on numerous occasions the theatre had had to book licensed door staff for shows "if we expect the rowdy element".

"It's understandable in a nightclub, but in a theatre you don't expect people to become so inebriated that they don't give any consideration to other people's experience."