A Scots theatre boss claimed staff had been punched and spat at by abusive customers.
Colin Marr, director at the Edinburgh Playhouse, said aggressive behaviour was becoming "far too regular an occurrence". It comes just after a brawl erupted within the audience during a performance of the hit West End musical The Jersey Boys last week.
Staff at the Edinburgh Playhouse were forced to rush into the auditorium to deal with what appeared to be a “full-on fist fight” in the balcony about 30 minutes before the hit show was due to finish.
Now, Mr Marr has taken to social media to address behaviour at the theatre. In a social media statement, he said: "Enough is enough! I am disgusted and angry with the unacceptable audience behaviour that my team has had to endure in recent weeks.
"Two weeks ago one of my staff was punched. This week one of them was pushed and spat on.
"There is a very small minority of people who come to our theatre and choose to sing, dance and talk throughout the show in a manner that disturbs others. They either don't know, or don't care, how much this spoils their fellow audience members' experience.
"When one of my team asks them politely to stop they become verbally abusive and, in some cases, physical. This is not acceptable."
Last week it was reported that one man appeared to throw punches at the workers after the fight broke out at Jersey Boys. Police were called and the show was halted to allow staff and police time to deal with the incident.
Mr Marr had now urged audiences to behave, adding: "I am asking that when you come to our venue that you are considerate towards your fellow audience members and our members of staff so that we can all enjoy the wonderful entertainment on the stage.
"Please be in no doubt that if you are abusive towards our staff you will be asked to leave, and if you are threatening, intimidating or physically abusive we will call the police and you will be banned from our theatre and all ATG Venues."
Mr Marr said he believes the problem is not isolated to Edinburgh Playhouse - but is a widespread issue occurring in venues across the UK.
Last week The King’s Theatre in Glasgow, which was hosting a run of smash-hit musical The Bodyguard, urged theatregoers to not attempt to ‘out-sing’ professionals on the stage.
The King’s said that while it was looking forward to welcoming guests to see The Bodyguard, it “politely” asked that “consideration” was shown to fellow audience members during the performance.
In a statement posted on social media, the King’s said: “We all have a part to play in making sure the theatre is a fantastic experience for everyone and you can help by ensuring the professionals on stage are the only people entertaining us with their performances, and by being kind to our dedicated staff who are here to make sure everyone is safe.
“Anti-social behaviour towards our staff or other customers will not be tolerated.”
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