We at Payson Community Theatre welcome and value your patronage and it is certainly not our policy to deny anyone admission to our productions. However, it is our sad experience that babes-in-arms create a major distraction at theatre productions, WITHOUT EXCEPTION. This is particularly true during more dramatic scenes which are usually very quiet and intense. Babies somehow sense this tension and start to fuss or cry. This immediately distracts the actors and destroys the mood that has been set for the audience. No matter how quickly the baby is removed from the auditorium (and it never occurs very quickly), the mood has already been broken, critical lines are missed, and everyone (including the Director) is upset.
We have received numerous complaints from other patrons who request that we PLEASE enforce a "no babies" policy. In fact, we receive far more complaints from people who are disturbed by babies than we do from people with babies who are denied admission.
We have also found that certain young children who do not understand what is happening become bored and begin to fuss, talk loudly, or simply run up and down the aisles. We therefore request that you do not leave young children unattended or allow them to sit together. Our ushers are instructed to remove unattended children to the lobby until an adult supervisor comes to claim them.
We feel that these policies are fair and that our admission prices are competitive enough to allow room in the average household budget for a babysitter.
We are sorry for any inconvenience these policies may cause you but hope that you can understand the point of view of our other theatre patrons. Thank you for your cooperation.
Those choosing to ignore this policy will be charged full admission price for each baby.
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