Sir, – When I was at a play recently in the theatre, a person a few rows behind me developed a prolonged fit of coughing which lasted on and off for the duration of the first act. From the whisperings and stirrings, I could sense the person wanted to leave but could not. The person was in the middle of the row.
At one point when the coughing rose to a crescendo, there was more dramatic tension in this section of the audience than on the stage; the actor who was speaking also seemed to pause.
At the intermission the person left the theatre and did not return. I hope the person has fully recovered.
Before attending the play, the theatre had emailed very detailed information about infection control measures: not to attend if you have symptoms, voluntary mask-wearing, hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette. It also stated that if you became unwell during a performance to bring this to the attention of staff; this is easier said than done given our strong instincts not to create a scene, and not to interfere with a theatre audience’s all-important shared suspension of disbelief.
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In speaking to others, my experience of such dramatic coughing is not unique.
Given that Covid has not gone away and that there are plenty of non-Covid coughs in circulation, I would suggest that theatres adopt and advertise a simple universal signalling system that patrons can use if they need to leave the auditorium. This simply involves the person raising their hand (or a person accompanying them doing so). Staff inside the auditorium who are tasked to be on the look-out for a raised hand can also rehearse how best to discreetly and safely evacuate a person who signals.
It’s wonderful to be able to go to the theatre again, but we need to be able to leave if the need occasionally arises in the interests of public health. – Yours, etc,
CHRIS FITZPATRICK,
Dublin 6.