as a semi-working musician....heh.... phones that ring during a performance....we stop until the user notices we stopped while they were talking.... it is a nuisance...

Completely agreed.

Personally, I think people who can't be respectful of the venue they're in, should be thrown out.
Although, I realize with some people, it would probably create even more of a disturbance to remove them.

Perhaps theaters could install "disruptors". So cell phones could be prevented
from being used during performances. Although, I realize that's probably cost-prohibitive.
Pretty bad that people can't trusted to be considerate.

i wouldn’t use my phone in a theater, but i don’t assume people i’m spending time with don’t care about me if they use theirs. seems very entitled. i’m not owed someone’s complete attention for as long as we’re together, and i don’t know what they might need to respond to. maybe they have children or a job that requires they respond quickly to messages. it would be one thing if they were completely ignoring me for long periods of time, but i won’t hold it against someone if they need to have their phone where they can see it.

I feel sorry for people who are enslaved by / to their cellphone. For me, it is a device that can serve me, but I can also turn it off or put it away somewhere. Maybe I'm just a little egotistical, but I value my privacy and my alone time. So, now and then I make myself simply "unavailable." And for damn sure, when I'm in a place where I want to hear good music or entertainment, I do NOT appreciate people playing with their phones or other toys.

My phone is always on vibrate. I like the idea that someone mentioned, to let the other person/people know you are on-call on have a situation where you have to check your phone. I don’t have long conversations on the phone in public places because I think it’s rude. I don’t hold people hostage to my phone calls because I don’t want to be a hostage to theirs. My phone is never on in a theater and I make sure everyone in my groups’ phone is turned off too.

I leave it at home, in the car, or have it turned off. I only leave it on if I expecting a call.

Best thing about a cell phone is that you can leave the damn thing at home.

I concur. I do not even have a smartphone, IPhone or whatever they are. It is rudeness defined to be texting and checking it all the time when you are with other people.

The nicer movie theater I go to , has a short , in addition to the advertisements , reminding the audience members to turn their phontes off during the movie .

Can't say that I'm a person that goes to the theater but I know for myself I shut it off when I go to the movies or to a restaurant so as to not bother other people or if be bothered my self. To me it would just be common courtesy. Make that uncommon.

I had season tickets to a live theatre starting from when my daughter was in third grade. They were our special nights out, and I don't think there's anything quite like live theatre. They always reminded us before the show to turn off our phones, and that pictures were against copyright law. I can understand if someone's phone accidentally went off, but I'm floored that they actually answer it! I love mobile phones, but - like cursing - being aware of time and place is important when using it.

I agree!!! Lin Manuel must’ve impacted Madonna cause I heard she made people use pouches at her latest concerts!

I really dislike cells. They're giving otherwise polite people , a handy excuse to be totally rude. I'm tired of hearing all sorts of vapid conversations just about everywhere and anywhere. And when did ALL phone calls become absolute emergencies, that must be answered immediately !?

I finally got a cell, but since I don't give out the number (use a landline for that), I don't get calls. I carry it for MY use, especially when I go wandering off in the woods, where no one would likely find me. And GPS. And sometimes, the camera. Otherwise, it gets to sit a lot.

I was at a classical concert, where someone's phone rang. The performer stopped cold, and stared in the offender's direction. The audience booed - directing all negative energies towards that person. He was justifiably mortified, and left the theatre. Applause followed, along with the return to beautiful music !

At another concert, a pianist deftly played the ring tone of a phone going off - thus drawing all attention to it - and waited until they cut the call short before resuming.

This sort of stuff sucks. And like you - unless I'm meeting a brain surgeon who is on call, or someone with the nuclear codes attached to our military - pull out a phone and take a casual call ... that's the end for me.

I always have my phone on mute. Never rings. No annoying me or anyone else.

Absolutely. As an avid theater-goer it's very distracting, even if people are just sitting there silently texting; the glare from the screen is annoying enough. It's another reason why they ban flash photography at performances (in Broadway shows, they ban all photography; smaller venues may allow it, but still a ban on using a flash). It's very distracting for the performers.

I understand people may need to be contacted in an emergency. If you're with someone at dinner, let them know that. But keep it on silence, and maybe just use vibrate (especially if you're in a theater).

Mobile phones are a fairly recent innovation. How did those people manage when the nearest phone was in a little box in the street, poor things.

I've seen people in the streets walking with their eyes fixated on their phones hitting signs, falling becaused they tripped on something, falling because they reached the end of the street, I even watched a gory accident of a woman falling to the road and being killed by a passing bus that could not stop in time. The sad part was that witnesses were either taking pics, or were texting while watching, it was scary and surreal.

I always carry my smartphone. I just always have it on mute..... I never answer calls. I totally agree that they're an annoyance, if you let the tech control you, rather than the reverse.
Linda & I are season ticket holders to both the Dayton & Cincinnati opera guilds. We try to never miss a performance.

Could my mate collaborate friend each other facebooking follow tweets twittering date to repudiate the polluter IN CHIEF out of the White House

Theater is becoming less and less compatible with modern lifeatyles. A small group of people don't like cell phone but do like theater. I suspect they are a dying breed, and then so goes theater.

Absolutely