Amber Davies, currently starring as Jordan Baker in the West End production of The Great Gatsby at the London Coliseum, has spoken out against an audience member who was caught filming during a recent performance.
Taking to social media during the interval, the 28-year-old actress expressed her frustration with what she described as "selfish" behaviour. In a video message, she explained how disruptive filming can be from the perspective of those on stage.
“The closer you are to the stage, the more obvious it is when you’re filming,” she said. “From where we are, we see a dark backdrop with the outlines of people’s heads — and if someone’s filming, the light from your phone reflects straight back at us. It’s incredibly distracting.”
Davies called out one specific audience member who had been recording during the musical number New Money, saying the distraction impacted not just the cast, but also the rest of the audience.
“To the woman filming tonight – you pulled us completely out of the Gatsby world. You didn’t just ruin that moment for us on stage, but for everyone else trying to enjoy the show,” she said.
The actress urged audiences to respect the experience for both performers and fellow theatre-goers: “Please don’t be selfish. Filming during a performance affects everyone. If you see someone doing it, don’t be afraid to ask them to stop.”
She added a final word of warning for those who think they can get away with it unnoticed: “I will count how many rows back you’re sitting, let the stage manager know exactly where you are and what you look like — and during the interval, someone will come and ask you to delete the footage. So really, what’s the point?”