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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent

Unions urge UK theatres to limit at-seat alcohol sales as staff face ‘unacceptable abuse’

A photograph of audience members sitting in the stalls and balconies of a theatre
The problem is so grave that theatres are being urged to limit how much alcohol is served to audiences. Photograph: Keith Morris/Alamy

“Speak clearly and don’t bump into the furniture” – so goes Noël Coward’s timeless advice to actors. But for those treading the boards of London’s West End this weekend, there is a new peril: rowdy, smartphone-wielding audiences.

From heckling and screaming to livestreaming and even copulating during shows, theatres have recently been faced with rising levels of disruptive behaviour.

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