Gillian Anderson clarifies front-row request after theatre video backlash
The actor says the women in a video of her remarks are longtime friends, and that performers can see audience members in the intimate West End venue.
Gillian Anderson has asked repeat theatregoers not to sit in the front row during her West End run of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? At Soho Place, where she plays Martha, she said their presence there could distract performers.
A video filmed outside the theatre showed Anderson telling fans they could not keep coming and sitting in the front row. After it circulated on TikTok and drew backlash, she clarified her remarks on social media.
Anderson said the women in the video were friends she had known for more than 20 years, and asked people not to criticise them. She added that, in the intimate venue, performers can see the audience and may find front-row spectators distracting.
Her request concerned where the women sat, rather than whether they attended the show. The source does not say how often they had attended or whether Anderson had raised the issue with them before.
The exchange joins a series of recent disputes over theatre etiquette, from performers asking audiences to put away phones to complaints about texting and interruptions during shows.
