Jan 14th

I have been busy, and did have a couple of auditions. One was for the newly renewed ABC series "Six Degrees." The role of an art proprietor, I did not get cast... I wasn't effete enough. I don't know if that's an insult or a compliment. Either way I didn't get it.

One of my survival jobs... an usher at the Lincoln Center theater, was exciting as usual with star seatings: Bette Midler, Rosemary Harris, Rachel Griffiths, Mike Wallace, and Carol Kane.

BUT... I did have a disturbing experience and this was my statement to the management at the Vivian Beaumont Theater:
Statement by Jeff Goldstein, Usher

January 13th, 2007
8PM curtain of “The Coast of Utopia” at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center.

The aisle I was assigned to was the bottom of 3Low. At approx. 7:40PM I saw a man at the top of the aisle push his way past patrons waiting to be seated by the usher there (Usher 1). He said in a very loud voice “I don’t need to show you my ticket.” Usher 1 said “Sir, I need to see your ticket.” He turned back to Usher 1 and said “I know where I am sitting, I sat there this afternoon, and I don’t have to show you my ticket.” Usher 1 said afterwards “There is definitely a smell of liquor on his breath.”

He approached me (Usher 2) halfway down the aisle. I asked to see his ticket and he replied “I don’t have to show you my ticket, I know where I’m seated.” He went straight to seat G203. I called to Usher 1 to call for security, Usher 1 went to the Directress and asked for security to come.

After a moment of being seated he got out of his seat and lunged toward me, I took a step back into the J row. As he said “Give me a Playbill,” he tried to wrench a Playbill from the stack I held in my hand. When I felt his hand on my wrist I said “Get your hand off me, don’t touch me.” I yanked my arm away from him and he started to run up the aisle toward Usher 1. By that time the Chief Usher was standing next to Usher 1 at the top of the stairs. The man reached down to help himself to a Playbill from the stack Usher 1 had at the end of the N row on the aisle, then he returned to his seat. The Chief Usher followed him to his seat and asked to see his ticket. He replied to her “I was in the same seat this afternoon, why are you being so rude to me?” The Chief Usher replied “Not always are you in the same seat, that happens during the marathon days, May I please see your ticket?” Again the man said “Why are you being so rude to me?” The Chief Usher replied in her usual pleasant manner “I am not being rude.” The man said “Yes you are.” The Chief Usher said “No I am not.” After a moment the man put his arm out with his ticket. The Chief Usher took the ticket, put on her glasses, are looked at the ticket. She said “Yes, you are in the correct seat,” and handed the ticket back to him. The Chief Usher then left.

The man started conversing with all the patrons seated around him. After a few moments I saw him pointing at me in a derogatory manner. Usher 3 from the top of aisle 100 tried to get my attention to inform me him was taking multiple pictures of me as I went up and down the aisle seating people. Usher 3 went to the top of my aisle and called down to me about the picture taking. I turned to him and him arm was fully extended in my face, taking pictures with a black object in his hand, I thought to be a cell phone. At that moment I felt threatened and went to get security. As I rushed up the steps I asked Usher 1 to cover my rows and I went to the lobby to get help. At the ticket taker stand I approached the Chief Usher and said ‘He’s taking pictures of me.” The Chief Usher said something to the effect of “Go back to your work, find someone else to trade with.” I went to the top of aisle 100 and asked Usher 3 to trade with me. She said yes and went right to my area at the bottom of 3low.

I felt threatened, unsupported and fearful; and because of this incident I am very worried for situations in the future (mainly the marathon days where patrons will be seated in the same seats for all three shows) where patrons are allowed to harass and subject the Ushers to a humiliating and possibly physically threatening situation. Feeling secure is crucial in performing an Usher’s job. I did not feel safe, secure or supported in this experience in the workplace.

Jeff Goldstein
Usher, Vivian Beaumont Theater, LCT
January 14th, 2007

It turns out this man is a member of the Outer Critics Circle, and he is a nominator for the awards. I searched the web for an address, or member list, website and came up with nothing for this organization; other than what people write in articles.
Does this allow someone to degrade and humiliate people in the service industry. Has this happened to anyone else?
Thanks for reading and helping me to vent.
-Jeff