Proctors — Attraction in City of Schenectady

My child's college graduation was here & we had MANY issues! The line to get into the theater was going out both doors of the building, ALL of the staff were standing around the doors of the theater ignoring everything that was happening around them. These were older adult employees who you would think would at least attempt to control the crowded hall, arguments breaking out, fire hazards. My Grandma needed a chair because the doors that were supposed to open at 6 had not, we were there for 2 hrs. by then & she felt she was going to faint from the heat, so I asked for 1 of the 10 chairs they had for just that reason & an usher said "She'll be fine, we're opening soon," it was 6:10. Like the employee knew my Grandma?! 15 min. later we asked again, there were other people sitting in an area they had for this very reason & again were brushed off. When we got in we went to our seats, sat where we were told & then were approached multiple times by very RUDE people saying that we weren't supposed to be there. The area was fairly empty, there was NO reason for us to move. I have 2 kids who had to use the restroom but patiently waited until the ceremony done & when the last grad crossed the stage we tried to leave. When we got to the doors that lead to the restroom there was a huge man standing in front of them. I asked if we could get through, he told me no. I explained the situation & that we would come right back but it was "an emergency" that my youngest get to a bathroom. The man said that NO ONE was to leave the until every graduate left (the grads were still in their seats, someone was still on stage talking) & I said that he could watch us walk to the restroom or escort us if he'd like. He told me that no one was getting out! He was SPITTING in my face & YELLING at me, in a RAGE about a tiny child having to go pee! He SCARED my youngest, she started shaking & almost CRIED! Another couple of people got up with their kids for the same reason so I told them what the man told me. I again asked the man to PLEASE let us go & he SCREAMED at me "No one is getting out of here, if you have a problem with it take it up with the CEO PHILIP MORRIS!!" One nice man who was a guest came to my defense, but we were still TRAPPED. The grads exited (there were hundreds of them, so you can imagine how long this took) & the ushers at the other doors opened them, so I asked the man if we could go & the man actually SCREAMED AT ME "THEN GO TO THOSE DOORS, YOU ARE NOT GETTING OUT OF HERE" & he would NOT let us leave! So I had to drag my little kids through a maze of crowded isles & UNDER multiple handrails while jumping up platforms & steps (my littlest bumped her head). We FINALLY got out another door! To anyone LOOKING FOR A VENUE for a special occasion, I SUGGEST YOU LOOK ELSEWHERE. To PHILIP MORRIS: you may want to have a training day for your employees on how to treat customers. I can understand a person's occasional bad day, but I have NEVER felt so ATTACKED and TRAPPED before. Thank you for RUINING what should have been a happy, celebratory time...

I have been going to Proctors since I was a young child in the early 1960's and have very fond memories of this wonderful venue. HOWEVER, despite the very nice expansion/modernization over the years, and the excellent programming, I believe the experience is downgraded with the recent seat replacement program. The interior is gorgeous, and previously I would not hesitate to give this venue 5 stars....but after attending a Saturday matinee this past weekend I can only assign it 3/5 stars because of the very tight seating. My wife and I sat center stage/orchestra, and do not believe we are physically large (5'-4" and 118 lbs, 5'-6" and 145 lbs respectively), but the seating comfort was still subpar. If you are even slightly taller/wider than we are, I can't imagine what your seating experience is like (not to mention your neighbors on either side). While the foot/leg room is average, the shoulder room/seat width is very tight - you will constantly be vying for arm space with your neighbor on either side. My wife and I leaned towards each other throughout the 2 hour performance, but still banged shoulders/elbows with our outboard neighbors occasionally. If you sit up straight, be prepared to have VERY frequent close & physical contact with your seat mate, rubbing shoulders and elbows. If you know that person, it may be acceptable to you, but it is a bit disconcerting with strangers. To make things worse my wife's neighbor had a bad cold, so the coughing/sneezing and nose-blowing going on 6 inches to her right was not pleasant. The new seats are fine otherwise - they're just way too narrow. The performance was excellent, but the tight seating definitely detracted from the...

Proctors deserve much credit for keeping the old theater alive and vital. We've seen many shows there and participated in several of their kids' programs (what happened to Missoula?). But for me, most of the good is negated by the extremely poor seating they recently installed which ruins the experience, for me anyway. I'm 6'0", 220 lbs., a pretty close to average build and I have no unusual seating needs. But I cannot sit without my knees pushed up against the seat ahead and there's almost no other place to reposition them. As a taller person I'm aware that I may be blocking someone else's view so when possible I also try to slouch a bit, but the seating at Proctors requires I sit up straight in one position for the duration of the show. I'm trying not to be overly dramatic, but the seating is worse than any commercial flight I've ever been on and very much influences whether I can tolerate an hour and a half of this nonsense.

One other criticism I have concerning Proctors is how they handled tickets to the recent run of Hamilton. When ticket sales for this very popular show went on sale, the ONLY way for the public to get one was to also pay over $1200 for a "season pass". No family option, no recognition that Proctors sits in an economically struggling city surrounded by blighted communities (in spite of the city dressing up downtown). This pathetic small-time tactic trying to leverage Hamilton's popularity for their revenue stream cast a shadow over whatever else Proctors has done. And frankly makes the new seating look like a ham-handed attempt to squeeze even more dollars...