PETA apologizes to 'One More Chance' attendee who complained about someone using gadgets at full brightness during show
The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) has issued an apology to an attendee of their play, One More Chance, The Musical, after her viewing experience was "ruined" by a fellow audience member who was using their gadgets at full brightness during the show.
On Facebook, a user who goes by the name B Delgado shared that while she enjoyed the first part of the play, the "rude" attendee in front of her started to affect her enjoyment because of her gadget use.
"Wala akong ma absorb sa Act Two until the end na nung nagkabalikan na si Popoy at Basha because there were two phones on full brightness and a freakin' laptop! They weren’t gonna stop until I tapped their shoulder," Delgado detailed.
Delgado nevertheless called out PETA for their impartial way of dealing with audience members.
"When it’s a nobody, your ushers weave through the crowd to stop them, but when it’s a celebrity and friends, dedma na lang? They were seated on the house seats so there was an usher beside them," she questioned.
"On top of that, the short-haired b***h had the audacity to look back, gave me a death stare, and head-to-toed me. Not once, but twice! As in ang tagal ng stare niya!" she added.
Delgado stressed that she is blaming PETA's ushers for not doing their job of managing people with no theatre etiquette.
"You’re not there to watch the show. May trabaho kayo! Bakit hindi niyo pinigilan?" she wrote. "Bakit hindi niyo inisip the audience around these uneducated people? I paid to see the show, not f***ng gadgets!"
In the comments section, some users defended PETA and underscored that it's unreasonable to place the blame on the group alone.
"I think it's unfair to just put the blame on the ushers of PETA when audience members have their own agency," one user wrote.
"Yes to absolutely shaming these people, and I'm sorry for your experience, but as theatre people, we also know that we cannot control how an audience behaves all the time," they added.
Another person who claimed to have been with Delgado during the incident argued that the ushers did not do enough to resolve the issue.
"They were reprimanded one time only but the usage was so long. The only time that they stopped using was when B asked them to stop. Now we are blaming PETA's team because one it caused a tension between our group and the two girls using their phone. There was even a death stare," the user recounted.
"If it was PETA's team who asked them to leave the theater because they can't control what is happening already then the tension wouldn't happen," they added.
"As a supporter of this community who has seen shows from almost all theater outfits, we have seen super strict staff or ushers controlling this kind of behavior. That is why we want PETA to fix this because celebrity, VIP or not, the respect for the actors and audience must be maintained by PETA," they stressed.
Delgado's complaint has since been acknowledged by PETA, who took to the comments section of the post to apologize for her experience.
"Please accept our sincerest apologies for the stress and frustration this has caused you. Rest assured that we are looking into this now and will immediately take the necessary actions," the group stated.
"We only wish a good and positive viewing experience for all of our audiences. Please allow us to give you a complimentary ticket so that you can properly enjoy the show," they added.
One More Chance, The Musical is adapted from the 2007 film One More Chance, which originally starred John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo as longtime lovers Popoy and Basha.
In the musical, Sam Concepcion and CJ Navato star as Popoy while Anna Luna and Nicole Omillo play Basha. Other cast members include Kiara Takahashi, Sheena Belarmino, Jef Flores, Jay Gonzaga, Ada Tayao, Rica Laguardia, Poppert Bernardas, Paji Arceo, Via Antonio, Dippy Arceo, Johnnie Moran, and Jon Abella.