Thursday, November 02, 2006
Warning: this post contains words
Guardian Unlimited: "Large signs positioned in strategic places around the building say: 'Please read' and then proceed to inform: 'This show contains: scenes of a sexual nature; scenes of a violent nature; pyrotechnics; smoke and haze; smoking on stage and gun shots on stage.'"
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I think that this is becoming more and more of a problem. There is something to be said, certainly, for keeping the big reveals of the play a secret. But if your sign only says, "watch out, there is smoking and adult situations in this play" then what is that really giving away? Firstly, I suppose, what does 'adult situations' really mean? Thats another topic for another day. But if the signs in the lobby said that, then great, there is a warning to audience members going into it that this play may not be suitable for young children. I also don't really see a problem with putting age rating guides on these warnings. When a movie is rated R for sexual content and language, it certainly does not seem to give away the entire plot of the movie as this woman was suggesting that the posters in the lobby would do. Rather it is a way for an un-informed parent or adult type to determine if a certain movie is suitable for their children to see, given that they know their children, understand what their children can handle and are able to deduce what would be harmful for them. In the same way, seeing a play that you know nothing about can have surprises that you do not want to expose to children of a certain age or mentality. At the same time, there is a duty that a parent taking a child to see a play has which is to understand the type of play and the general sequence of events that the plot has so that they aren't taken by surprise by the very basic things. The short of it being: Being informed is important.
- Jen Owen
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