18 September 2023 , 17:38
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A number of theatre actors walked out mid-way through a performance after a fight broke out among the audience.
A "raucous" row reportedly erupted during Irvine Welsh's Porno matinee over the weekend at the King's Theatre in Glasgow. The act came to an abrupt halt when it was claimed two women created a scene as they "shouted and swore" at one another.
The incident took hold of fellow audience members' attention before the actors were directed off stage moments later as staff and security dealt with the commotion. One audience member, who was looking forward to watching the sequel to Trainspotting on stage, said he was left "shaken" by what he had seen.
He also complained about long queues at the bar and an apparent lack of bag checks at the venue. The 59-year-old, who lives in Glasgow, told GlasgowLive: "These two women started shouting at each other with expletives, very loudly.
"It was right at the back of the stalls and after a few minutes, everyone had turned and were watching that instead of the play which isn’t great. It was getting more and more raucous. They had to put the house lights up, actors went off stage and then all the security and staff had to come and try and get them out."
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He went on: "I have never seen anything quite as bad as that. I was a bit rattled and wanted to get out of there and I think everyone was feeling the same. We didn’t know how it would pan out, if we got something thrown at us then we would get sucked into it. We were shaken by it and taken aback."
The performance was stopped for around five minutes while the women were removed from the theatre and the show could carry on. The eyewitness said it was the "last place" he would have expected a fight to happen and branded the incident as "shocking".
He added: "It’s one of those things that puts you off a bit because if you are not safe in a matinee then when is it going to be okay? You spend a lot of money as well. The production and staff were great but the audience was displaying bad behaviour and we are seeing more of this. There’s no theatre etiquette."
This is not the first time King's Theatre has seen anti-social behaviour affect the mood. In February, bosses shared a message on social media urging audience members to 'be kind' and stay quiet during performances after audience members reported people trying to 'out-sing' the actors and 'chatting' during a production of The Bodyguard at the end of January.
Commenting on the latest incident, a spokesperson for King's Theatre said: “We want everyone who attends our shows to enjoy their experience, and anti-social behaviour towards our staff and audiences will not be tolerated.
"All front-of-house staff are trained to ensure they can safely handle any disturbances in the auditorium, and bag checks are carried out based on the level of security alert in place. At peak times the bars can become busy, and to reduce queuing we have introduced digital At Seat ordering for patrons attending shows to allow them to have refreshments delivered directly to their seats.”