It's no Vegas: What happens backstage doesn't stay Backstage

Moments before an artist’s appearance on stage is spent in the privacy of the backstage. It’s no secret that the audience’s interest is more vested in what happens backstage. Media outlets such as CNN would provide footage of overheard comments backstage at the 2013 Oscars, and even MTV has released an online game to tour a concert’s backstage. With all eyes (and camera lenses), ears (and microphones) making a permanent home behind the curtains, is there a “private backstage”?

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On Sept. 24, 2012, TV personality Joan Rivers was sued for invasion of privacy when a 16-second conversation clip with fan Ann Bogie made it into her documentary, “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.” Bogie, who has a deaf son, approached Rivers because of an allegedly offensive joke on Helen Keller. The court ruled in favor of Rivers, claiming that the backstage area is not a place that can be considered as private:

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“[Bogie] voluntarily approached a celebrity just after a public performance.  Any reasonable person would expect to encounter some kind of a security presence, and indeed here that presence was visible.  Furthermore, the camera crew must have also been visible to Bogie as they were filming both Rivers and, of course, Bogie.  Courts have found that even performers themselves cannot count on a reasonable expectation of privacy in their own backstage areas.” (Bogie v. Rivers, 2012).

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According to Christine Ann Iglesias, CEO and creative director of C Sharp Videos Productions, there can be a grey area between what is considered private or not. “It’s best practice for filmmakers to have release forms,” said Iglesias on the filmmakers’ approach to Rivers’ documentary. However, Iglesias also agreed that in a “public place, where everyone present is expected to be filmed,” it was not fair for Bogie to have filed a suit on her being filmed backstage.

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Even with the absence of paparazzi or documentary film crews, the case of privacy invasion can also apply to artists backstage. Model Magda Laguinge experienced firsthand what it’s like to lose privacy as an artist. In a 2012 interview with New York Magazine, Laguinge admitted to being surprised by photographers’ presence backstage, even though the photographers are also working for the show. According to Laguinge, who prefers to “sit down, be quiet, and read a book” before a show, backstage photographers constantly ask for her picture, implying that the situation is less than ideal.

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It appears that what happens behind the curtains turns out to be transparent after all. “[Artists] should always maintain professionalism,” explained Iglesias. Even though there is often an underlying expectation of privacy, as with Ann Bogie or for an artist such as Magda Laguinge, perhaps it would be good to note that what happens backstage doesn’t stay backstage.