‘Phone Free’ Policies Like Dave Chappelle’s Open Door For Better Comedy

It’s no joke. Pulling out a cell phone could get you kicked out of some stand-up events including Dave Chappelle’s arena tour. Also no joke is the fact that locking up your cell phone can lead to a better comedy experience.

Unplugging For Laughs

In a world of non-stop connectivity, many find it hard to believe that some comedians and management are insisting audiences disconnect. But in the world of live performances, cell phones open the door to extreme distraction, copyright violations, and misuse and misinterpretation of content. Phone-free events mean fewer intellectual property challenges, improved performances and experiences, and enhanced comedy development.

Chappelle who snagged the No. 6 spot on Pollster’s Top 10 Highest-Grossing Comedy Tours list between September 16, 2021 and Sept 15, 2022 with gross revenue of $21,499,305.50 and 185,015 tickets sold, seems sold on phone-free performances.

Prior to ticket purchase for 2023 shows, fans must indicate that they’ve accepted the ‘no cell phone’ policy. “THIS IS A CELL PHONE FREE EVENT,” reads the Ticketmaster statement linked to the Pittsburgh, PA performance. “We’re making shared memories. With your confirmation, you agree to place your phone in a locked pouch which you keep throughout the evening. If you need to use your phone, return to the distribution tent at the entrance. Anyone caught using a cell phone during the show will be immediately ejected.”

Positive Impact

Noam Dworman, owner of Greenwich Village’s legendary Comedy Cellar, says the club’s ‘no cell phone’ policy was implemented approximately a year and a half before the COVID lockdown.

“Chappelle started doing it and I had a feeling it was going to become an industry standard and I tried to get ahead of it. But it did not become an industry standard.” Many comics wish it had.

Still, the policy remains in place at the Comedy Cellar and sister showrooms the Village Underground and Fat Black Pussycat where patrons are given padded envelopes for their phones and smart watches, and shows continually sell-out in spite of it all. Devices are sealed in the envelopes which customers keep in their possession during the shows. It may be a nuisance but it hasn’t hurt business.

Larger venues partner with companies like Yondr that provide magnetically locked cases that remain with owners and are opened via unlocking bases after the show.

“We don’t get complaints about it,” says Dworman. “I don’t think they love it, but they’re aware of it before they get there. Very few people are surprised by it.” He notes that beyond the audience, nearly all of the comedians who have hit the Comedy Cellar stage believe the policy has improved the shows.

Engagement = Comedy Feedback

Comedy veteran Judy Gold recalls being on stage at the Fat Black Pussycat for her hour-long show shortly after the ‘no cell phone’ policy was instituted. “About ten minutes, twelve minutes, I’m thinking, ‘What a great audience, everyone’s so engaged.’ And I looked around, and I realized, ‘Oh, they just, you know, they don’t have phones.’ And I almost started crying. Because it was like the old days, where the audience was a unit, where everyone was there for the same reason. They came there to laugh.”

Gold, a two-time Emmy Award winner, author of the critically acclaimed book Yes, I Can Say That: When They Come for the Comedians, We Are All in Trouble and the woman behind the one-woman show Yes, I Can Say That! has become the go-to expert on free speech in comedy. A comedy historian who knows the nuances of the art form first-hand, she says that night at the Fat Black Pussycat, she felt like there was an engaged audience offering 100% of their attention to the comedy. Just like live comedy before cell phones.

When audiences aren’t paying attention, comedians lose the gauge for their content’s impact. Gold emphasizes that comedy is the only art form where the audience is the vital element of the creative process. When audience members are in their seats but distracted by their phones, they aren’t present and the craft of comedy suffers.

“You are a part of our creative process. And you need to understand that if you are going to be in the audience, have respect for the artist— and stand-up is an art. You go hear stand-up for the same reason you go to any other performance, or exhibit.”

Does Gold think there’s any chance that comedy will inspire phone-free policies for other forms of live performances?

“I certainly hope so. Because when you are looking at your phone, you are not present. You are not a part of the audience. You are not not only distracted, but you’re distracting other people.”