Talk:Lord Chamberlain's requirements

Not so obvious
''"The public may leave at the end of the performance by all exit doors and such doors must at this time be open". The obvious interpretation of this was humorously addressed ..."''

Call me daft, but I don't think I get what humorous about the statement. I'm missing the 'obvious'. Could someone please clarify? -- 18:57, 25 August 2007 (UTC) How can the public leave if the doors are closed? DonJay 01:58, 26 August 2007 (UTC)


 * They can't, of course (which was F&S's point). But it is in the nature of things that architects put doors into buildings that owners and janitors, if left to themselves, will subsequently bolt, bar or seal permanently (for security reasons). The Lord Chamberlain was saying "It's not enough simply to have doors; you must also open them all at the end of each performance (for safety reasons)."


 * The "obvious" bit seems awkward to me, too, but I don't have any good ideas about an alternative.


 * Nat 16:53, 28 August 2007 (UTC)


 * They in fact put settings to all of the requirements except the one regarding standing space, and the last one about the audience leaving was introduced as being 'the gentlest of implied hints', so the humour did not come from the wording.--WJCB (talk) 22:30, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Accuracy ?
This is rather odd. The regulations made under the Theatre's Act 1843 were (I thought) referred to as "the Lord Chamberlain's Rules and Regulations" or sometimes simply "the Lord Chamberlain's Regulations". It is the latter term that is used in the 1957 edition of "At the Drop of a Hat". There were a lot more than 4 requirements to meet under the regulations. Where does this article come from?Francis Davey (talk) 16:19, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

I believe that most British Acts of Parliament have regulations to give details. However, the public only sees the program edition of these regulations which are designated as requirements. This graphic gives the photocopies of three London theatre programs from the years 1963, 1991 & 2003 respectively. Each uses "Requirements". The development of the requiremened by them.

DonJay (talk) 17:16, 23 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Ah, that is interesting. It would be good to make all this rather clearer I think. If/when I get better access to a legal database it might be worth giving some references etc. Francis Davey (talk) 20:48, 23 August 2008 (UTC)

Accuracy (again)
In the Flanders & Swann version, the first setting actually reads "Smoking is permitted in the auditorium ..." - which has so far not got a mention at all in the article or in the discussion! 86.4.253.180 (talk) 23:09, 4 October 2013 (UTC)