ACTORS TO STAND UP FOR THEATRE ETIQUETTE - ON STAGE

ACTORS TO STAND UP FOR THEATRE ETIQUETTE - ON STAGE

By STEPHANIE LINNING and JENNIFER SMITH FOR MAILONLINE and CLAIRE DUFFIN FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 09:16 GMT, 10 August 2015 | UPDATED: 11:05 GMT, 10 August 2015

Addressing fans gathered outside the stage doors after the show, CUMBERBATCH said starting again was made even harder because he could spot the 'red lights' of filming gadgets in the audience.

He told the crowd that there was 'nothing less supportive or enjoyable' than audience members taking sneaking footage, and begged them to end the 'mortifying' practice of using camera phones.

In the speech - which was filmed and posted on YouTube - the Sherlock star also warned that from today fans caught filming his performances at London's Barbican would be thrown out.

Theatre rules insist that mobile phones are switched off before entering the auditorium but it would appear many audience members are ignoring the guidelines.

Cumberbatch asked if he could 'enlist' fans to help him, adding: 'I don't use social media but I would really appreciate it if you did tweet, blog, hashtag the s*** out of this one for me … I can see cameras, I can see red lights in the auditorium … it's blindingly obvious.

He said after the second stoppage he spotted a 'red light on about the third row on the right and it's mortifying'.

Richard Griffiths ordered a woman to leave a performance of Heroes in 2005, after her phone rang.
He told the audience: 'Could the person whose mobile phone it is please leave? The 750 people here would be fully justified in suing you for ruining their afternoon.'

A year earlier, he had asked a man to leave the National Theatre, after his mobile went off six times during a performance of The History Boys.

James McAvoy stopped a performance of Macbeth in April 2013 when he noticed an audience member filming.
According to witnesses, he shouted at him to put the device away before continuing.

Later that year, whilst playing the Queen in The Audience, Dame Helen Mirren took exception to a group of noisy street drummers outside.
Mid-performance and dressed in full costume she went outside to shout at the group to be quiet, after they stopped outside the theatre during a parade.
She told the Daily Telegraph that she had used 'thespian words' to express her disdain.

Actor Kevin Spacey cast the spotlight on an audience member when their phone rang during the opening night of Clarence Darrow at London’s Old Vic in June last year.
Spacey remained in character, turned to the audience and said, 'If you don’t answer that, I will!'.

A Broadway theatre-goer caused outrage in July, after climbing on stage to plug his phone charger in.
The man, who was waiting to watch a performance of Hand To God, soon realised the plug socket was a prop.