Theatre Crime in Bristol is on the Rise
Front of house staff worry for their safety as anti-social behavior surges
Going to the theatre is supposed to be a fun experience. For big theatres hosting touring West End shows, it’s certainly an expensive one. But, since venues made a comeback after Lockdown, there has been an escalation in the number of difficult incidents faced by theatre staff before, during and after performances.
“Theatre audiences can be really hard work,” Emma* tells us. “They’ve never been so bad. It’s not just jukebox musicals either, we are used to these shows having an amount of disruption these days. We’ve also been seeing bad behaviour in so many other shows that going to the theatre can’t be fun for the cost of the ticket.”
The front of house staff member from a theatre within the jurisdiction of Avon and Somerset Police, spoke to us about the impact that bad behaviour is having on theatre staff as well as the audiences coming to see shows.
“I think we should all have bodycams at work now. There’s been times I’ve worried about being hurt when patrons become angry and violent. Alcohol has a lot to do with this I think. It’s scary at times and some days I don’t feel like going into work when I think it’s going to be a bad one.”
Theatre union Bectu, was forced to launch a campaign in April this year to tackle the rise in extreme anti-social behaviour from UK theatre audiences.
At the time, Head of Bectu Philippa Childs said: “We’re not just talking here about someone singing a bit too enthusiastically during a performance or playing on their mobile phone. Much of the behaviour our survey uncovered is truly appalling – slurs, physical assault, defacing venues, racially-motivated aggression. No one should have to deal with this at work.
“Everyone deserves to be respected in their place of work – musicals, comedy shows and immersive productions are no different. People are coming to work fearing for their safety, facing regular abuse and struggling with the mental toll this behaviour can take, often with insufficient training or support.”
Bectu found in a survey of staff that more than 1,500 people working in UK theatre venues had experiences of anti-social behaviour to share. Whilst those working at stage door, sound and lighting had negative experiences, the overwhelming number of responses came from those working in front of house, hospitality and and box office.
These included physical assaults, public urination as well as verbal abuse and intimidation. Crucially, more than 70 per cent said they felt the issue was ‘worse’ post-pandemic’.
Bectu found examples of bad audience behaviour across the arts spectrum, including jukebox musicals, comedy, plays, pantomime, opera and ballet.
ATG was also forced to remind audiences that anti-social behaviour towards staff would not be tolerated when sending customer tickets out.
Emails stated: ‘We request that you show consideration to your fellow audience members by ensuring that the only entertainment comes from the professionals on Stage.’
Avon and Somerset Police crime statistics from Police.UK shows crimes logged ‘on or near’ particular streets or locations. It also logs the number of crimes which happen ‘on or near theatres or concert halls’.
The number of incidents on or around theatres and concert halls in the Avon and Somerset Police area has escalated greatly since September 2022, peaking in the summer months.
| Month | Number of Crimes |
| September 22 | 1 |
| October 22 | 1 |
| November 22 | 2 |
| December 22 | 1 |
| January 23 | 3 |
| February 23 | 3 |
| March 23 | 4 |
| April 23 | 8 |
| May 23 | 13 |
| June 23 | 48 |
| July 23 | 57 |
| August 23 | 53 |
| September 23 | 49 |
We’ve put together the number of theatre and concert hall logged crimes for the months with the highest number reported. This also includes the nature of the crime and the status of the investigation.
Some of the biggest theatres in the Avon and Somerset Police jurisdiction – Bristol Hippodrome, Theatre Royal Bath, Weston Playhouse and Bristol Old Vic – are all in busy, central areas additionally surrounded by bars. It’s not possible with this data to extrapolate further on specific incidents and how related they are to theatre trips.
Emma says: “We frequently have to remove people from shows. They often don’t go quietly and we do have to call the police. It wouldn’t be surprising for me or the people I work with if the data shows it’s rising fast.”
Colleague James adds: “We do hear from people that they have had their car broken into which just makes their night feel really rubbish.”
* Emma requested that we withhold her identity
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