Short Version: After my awful and avoidable experi...

Short Version: After my awful and avoidable experience, The Shakes should be renamed: The Heartless Managers and their Undisclosed Policy

Long Version: My family and I purchased tickets to attend the Shakes production of Snow White, which was mainly geared toward young children. My husband and children arrived at the theatre first. So, my husband had my ticket waiting for me at Will Call . Since my youngest daughter (age 2) had a sprained ankle, I naturally wanted to ensure that I had everything that she needed, and I wanted to park next to my husband s car...which took longer than expected. This was the cause of me arriving in the parking lot 10 minutes late followed by me driving around the parking lot for an additional 5 minutes like a confused Uber driver in search of my husband s car!

Now, factor in 5 extra minutes to walk into the theatre, I am now 20 minutes late for the show. The Will Call manager hands me my ticket, and he tells me to sit on the couch and watch the production on the smallest of small TVs. With a confused stare, I asked him when I could go inside to join my family. I was thinking that he would ve told me to wait for a character in the show to do some part in the play, and then I d be able to walk into the theatre as most other theaters do. No, no, no he explained. I would not be allowed into watch the play AT ALL inside the theatre because I was 20 minutes late.

I, of course, explained how this is not disclosed anywhere on your website.......others theaters don t do this (small or large) .... you re separating me from my family....etc. He did not care about the logic or the clear rationale but cared only about this undisclosed policy. As I walked toward that sad little couch and even sadder TV, out walks the theatre manager, and she explains the 20 minute rule policy again. She rudely explains that this policy is in place so that the actors are not disrupted. Coincidentally , a mom and daughter walk out of the theatre, and they are able to re-enter the theater while I am talking to this manager. So, I asked how are they able to walk back inside of the theatre if your goal is not to disturb the cast ? She said, well, they were on time, and you were not! So, I asked her plainly : Are you penalizing me for being late, and you re denying me time with my family? She said yes . I was dumbfounded at how rude she could be!! Her tone was rude, and the idea to teach a mom a lesson when I was doing things to take care of my family, which cause me to be late.

I refused to stare at the sad and fuzzy TV and walked toward the front of The Shakes. Since the Will Call manager was staring at me, I said to him that this policy is just awful. As if it couldn t get any worse out pops a random will call employee, and he starts yelling at me and throwing up his arms about how the policy is the policy. The situation was so out of hand at this point that I alert my husband. So, my husband walks out of the theatre at this with my distraught 2 year old, who wanted a mommy s comfort given her ankle. My husband took over the discussion and explained his disgust with the policy from that point onward. Other onlookers later told my husband how unreasonable the mangers were being.

In the end, The theater was full of distractions, and my late presence would not have disrupted their show! However, both managers still refused a mom time with her family that we paid $75 for , and it was all over 20 minutes. They took a family of experience that should ve been enjoyable experience and flushed it away because of an disclosed policy and two heartless managers.