BLACK SPECTRUM THEATRE CO. INC. — Local services in New York

I genuinely wanted to love this place. I went a few times to see a show and unfortunately the service was consistently poor. First, they stress no food/drinks are allowed in the theatre. At my first show the woman manager/announcer actually singled out an elderly woman and took her bottled water away. I was floored! They will have a 10 min intermission with a concession stand but again you must purchase and eat it outside before the 10 minutes are over. What really baffles me was a couple times they had a brunch theater or dinner theater (so now people are eating inside), but they make the general audience wait until people are finished eating to start the show. Both times the show started over 30 min late. If it's a brunch/dinner theatre why not allow people to eat during the show? That's part of the experience. They're very unorganized from the minute you walk in, getting your tickets, being seated and throughout the show. Not one show I saw, didn't have mic or lighting issues. They rely on the elderly crowds that come in yet are not attentive to them. I brought my mother once and was told there's no senior citizen discount (most likely because that's all that seems to attend the shows). During the show right after intermission they shut the lights out while people are still trying to get to their seats. I actually utilized my cell phone flashlight to help 3 people get back to their seat while the usher approached me to put it away rather than assist them. One of the shows a woman was upset about the poor communication; we were left waiting outside even though the show should have started already and she said it perfectly, "you get what you pay for, this sure ain't Broadway." I just couldn't say it any better. Even in Broadway you're permitted food and drinks and they are 10 times more assistive... it's part of enjoying a show. They announced they're celebrating 50 years- if they dont change a lot of the way they handle things, get organized, renovate a little, advertise more and more importantly treat their audience better, I can't see another 50...

My vending experience for the Winter Festival was horrible. We were told multiple times before the event that the tents would be heated and that was a lie. The outside vendors were upset and we were all told different things but the one thing that didn't differ was that "the tents would be heated". When we first arrived we were told we couldn't park in the front lot we had to unload and then drive our cars back out to the street to find parking which was absurd. Then one vendor came and she told us "they told me to park in the lot" .. one vendor came and she told us she was inside when we had no idea you could even vend inside it was made clear that the event was an outside event and the tents would be heated. They had us so far in the back you wouldn't even know we were there because the tent they provided for the food vendors blocked the view of the vendors in the back. It was only after multiple complaints that nobody was coming to the back that they then started to usher people to the back to ensure the public saw us so we could at least showcase our products and make some money. We asked multiple times to speak with the coordinator to make a formal complaint and the coordinator never came to speak with us. Overall I was very dissatisfied with the unprofessionalism of a known theater company right in my own neighborhood. I (none of us for that matter) didn't expect to be treated that way. To be told multiple times that the tents would be heated was false advertising. I usually bring my own tent when I vend and I could have been more prepared or made the decision not to vend since it was an outdoor event in the winter but instead they took our money and left us out...

I attended there last Thursday, December 11th, with my daughter and the rest of her class for a school trip. We were all excited to see a live play. We arrived there at 11 AM. The show started at 11:15, and without any exaggeration, the show had finished by 11:35 AM! 20 minutes! Huge disappointment and an absolute ripoff! My daughter, along with her class, was so disappointed and as a parent, I felt ashamed that what I thought would be a great experience for my child and I,turned out to be a total scam and it was nothing I could've done about it. All of the parents along with teachers were highly upset and in disbelief. $7 dollars per child, $7 dollars per adult?? For $20 minutes of what?? Actors that clearly just wanted to start the play and get it over with?? I will never recommend this place to anyone! Beyond trashy. I will reach out to all of the parents of the kids that attended this trip. I will reach out to the board of Education. I will reach out to anyone that can put a stop to this. Our children will not be the source of a place that's clearly trying to get money fast! As a lower class community, we should want the best for our children son they can never settle for less. Attending this place is definitely screaming, by all means, that you have no problem settling for less. Huge, huge...