Theatre producer to repeat Broadway phone ban at London run of play

When a Pulitzer prize-winning play about a feminist activist opened in New York , audiences had to do something unusual. They were asked to put their phones away – not in their pockets, but in specially designed pouches, which they could only open at the intermission or after the show. Eva Price, a producer of the play, said repeating the phone ban in London was ‘our intention’. Photograph: Michael Hull One of the show’s producers, Eva Price, confirmed to the Guardian that when Liberation – which is nominated for five Tony awards – comes to London , audiences will be asked to “pouch” their mobile devices for the duration of the performance. Price and the Liberation creative team of Whitney White, the play’s director, and Bess Wohl, the writer, initiated the ban in order to protect actors during a nude scene in the production. But what started as a way to ensure actors were not photographed or filmed while in a vulnerable position became a celebrated moment on Broadway . When asked if they intended to repeat it in London , Price said: “That’s our intention. We haven’t figured out the logistics of it yet or the exact details, but it is our intention to do it again.” Many in Britain will welcome the move. A row about audience etiquette erupted after Rosamund Pike addressed a National Theatre audience when someone used their phone during the denouement of Inter Alia . After her performance, Pike – who won an Olivier recently – returned to the Wyndham’s Theatre stage on Saturday. …