In January, I went to New York to go see Darren Criss make his Broadway debut in the musical How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. One of the first things I did as soon as my mom and I arrived in New York was go to the stage door of the theatre. There was a side for people who had tickets for the show that night, and one for people who didn’t have tickets. I didn’t have a ticket for that night’s show and it was already crowded, but I waited, it started raining, and more people kept arriving. My mom waited by the theatre entrance that was protected from the rain. A couple of hours went by, the show was about to end and the crowd was getting incredibly antsy.
Being so far from the front of the barricade, I was feeling a little discouraged, knowing that the most I would get would be a glance. Then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw my mom holding a bag with one of the posters in it. I was confused, but she explained to me that while she was waiting by the theatre entrance, she spoke to one of the security guards and told him my entire story of how I worked all summer to earn money to come here, so he told my mom that we could move over to the empty ticket holders’ side. She said that he also let her go into the theatre to buy merchandise, which is how she got the poster. I think I just stared at my mom for a few seconds then kept asking her if she was joking. She laughed and told me to hurry over to the other side before more people came out and crowded the barricades. I rushed over and was at the front of the barricade. I couldn’t help but have a small smirk on my face when I saw at the girls across from me who had been waiting for five hours. The show had ended and people flooded out to the stage door, and before I knew it, I was being pushed and shoved in places I prefer not to be touched.
Finally Darren came out from the stage door and screams erupted everywhere and I think I went deaf for a second. There were people practically climbing over us and smacking me in the face with playbills, but I managed to avoid any face injuries. Darren made his way down the barricade and I was getting my poster out for him to sign when someone pushed their way in front of me. I started panicking. Darren’s security guard, who was the man who talked to my mom and let us over there saw what happened and took my poster to hand to Darren and handed it back to me. Other than the few bruises I got from being poked and pushed, I got something that I will cherish forever. I’ll never be able to tell the security guard thank you, but I hope he knows that his kindness allowed me to do something that I would’ve never been able to do without his help.
So in case you’re wondering, here’s a list of things you may need if you plan on stage dooring anytime in the future:
– Sharpies
– Something to get signed
– A mom with magical powers in befriending people
– And probably an umbrella for the possible chance of tears caused by overwhelmed fangirls.
Dear Reader: This page may contain affiliate links which may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Our independent journalism is not influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative unless it is clearly marked as sponsored content. As travel products change, please be sure to reconfirm all details and stay up to date with current events to ensure a safe and successful trip.
