The phrase “ladies and gentlemen” will no longer be used in United Kingdom theater productions thanks to a politically correct decision by the Equity Actor’s Union, who demanded the non-inclusive phrase stop being used.
Theater productions have begun by shouting out to the crowd, “Ladies and Gentlemen” for hundreds of years. The expression has traditionally been followed with, “Please turn your attention to the main stage for the start of our show” or “May I have your attention, please?”
The Sunday Times reported that the move was designed to make the theater more inviting to those who identify as neither ladies nor gentlemen.
“Last night the National Theatre, which supported Equity in producing the guide, said that it was still using ‘ladies and gentlemen’ in some of its announcements but would make it a priority to phase the words out.”
Esteemed and long-standing theaters in England like the Royal Shakespeare Company and Old Vice Theater in London all agreed to follow the new gender-neutral guidelines.
It is unknown how they will now get the attention of the crowd, but it is presumed that “Hey y’all” will probably not be used by the British theaters.
In related news, it seems odd that the LGBTQ community didn’t feel welcome enough in the theater environment. Who would have thought, that even in their natural habitat, they need the space to be just a tad safer?
