LuPone, as reported by Playbill.com, seized the cell phone of a woman who was using it during the July 8 evening performance of her latest play, Shows for Days, at Lincoln Center.
Patti LuPone and Michael Urie Explore the World of Community Theatre in Douglas Carter Beane's Shows for Days
Ironically, the play is about the joy of working in the live theatre.
Here is the complete text of LuPone's statement, issued to Playbill.com July 9:
"We work hard on stage to create a world that is being totally destroyed by a few, rude, self-absorbed and inconsiderate audience members who are controlled by their phones. They cannot put them down. When a phone goes off or when a LED screen can be seen in the dark it ruins the experience for everyone else – the majority of the audience at that performance and the actors on stage. I am so defeated by this issue that I seriously question whether I want to work on stage anymore. Now I’m putting battle gear on over my costume to marshall the audience as well as perform."
