Ron Newman (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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davis_square2008-08-22 07:40 am
ron_newman) wrote in davis_square2008-08-22 07:40 am
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Somerville Theatre bans (young) kids from entering after 6 pm. Let's discuss it here
This week's Somerville News has an article about the Somerville Theatre's policy of banning children under 12 8* from entering the theatre after 6 pm, even if they are accompanied by adults.
Is the theatre's policy a service to its customers who want a peaceful movie experience, or is it unfair discrimination against families with young children?
I'm posting this because we can have a more civilized discussion here than on the Somerville News blog comments. Ian Judge, the theatre's manager, reads this community, so we may be able to provide useful feedback to him here.
* Edited 11:55 am to add: I have a serious factual issue with this article. It says the policy applies to children under 12, but the theatre's website and exterior signs say it's for children under 8. That's a significant difference -- maybe significant enough to change people's opinions.
Second edit, 3 pm: Ian Judge has clarified that the theatre's policy is to exclude children under 8, not 12, from entering after 6 pm. He had made an erroneous statement to the News reporter which very unfortunately made it into the published article. Also, here is Ian's response to the specific incident detailed in the News article.
Is the theatre's policy a service to its customers who want a peaceful movie experience, or is it unfair discrimination against families with young children?
I'm posting this because we can have a more civilized discussion here than on the Somerville News blog comments. Ian Judge, the theatre's manager, reads this community, so we may be able to provide useful feedback to him here.
* Edited 11:55 am to add: I have a serious factual issue with this article. It says the policy applies to children under 12, but the theatre's website and exterior signs say it's for children under 8. That's a significant difference -- maybe significant enough to change people's opinions.
Second edit, 3 pm: Ian Judge has clarified that the theatre's policy is to exclude children under 8, not 12, from entering after 6 pm. He had made an erroneous statement to the News reporter which very unfortunately made it into the published article. Also, here is Ian's response to the specific incident detailed in the News article.
no subject
(For the record, I'm a frequent patron with no kids. I suggest the theater run its business however it sees fit, unless of course it tries to keep me out for a beer and a movie.)
no subject
Leaving that aside: Ian, thank you for posting here. After reading your comments and the notes that the policy, in fact, is limited to children entering the theater after 6, I admit that I'm not honestly as concerned as I was before, and I'm actually pretty happy that there's a theater with an 'adult swim' policy this close to my home. There are plenty of other theaters in the area that don't have such restrictions, many of them completely accessible via public transportation, so I really don't have a problem with the Somerville instituting this policy. The original article was clearly much more alarmist than it needed to be.