Monday, February 25, 2008
The importance of being accessible
Guardian Unlimited: "Does it matter if the Royal Court's Scarborough doesn't offer everyone a comfy seat? Some innovative productions risk alienating audiences"
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4 comments:
I sometimes find it really hard to concentrate on a show if I'm uncomfortable in a seat during a show. I can't really imagine sitting the entire time on the floor. It's really interesting that theatres are exploring alternative venues and such, but if the audience isn't comfortable, they're not going to get as much out of it.
During Man Is Man, I know a lot of people who had a very difficult time paying attention just because they were so stiff from sitting on the wooden benches. It doesn't really say anything about the quality of the show, but physical discomfort is really distracting. This distraction, I think, takes away much more than the change of location adds. It's a tradeoff, and unfortunately, audience comfort, I feel, is generally gonna win.
I completely agree with Rebecca. Being uncomfortable is distracting and makes it difficult to enjoy the performance. I like how in the article they talked about involving the audience in the process, which is innovative and interesting. But, when people go to see theater they usually don't care about how the process unless they enjoy the show.
I think that everyone should be able to see a show. Just because the design calls for something that might hinder people from coming is not a good design. It is our main purpose to have people come. So if they are uncomfortable like people have been saying then they should find a differnt way to have a unique space, but one that works with the audience. Designs should never make people not want to come.
I disagree with the comments above. Although sitting through theater on the floor or in a weird space can be painful, if it adds to the play enough it's totally worth it. For example, during the production of Agamemnon at CMU, I ended up sitting on the floor. It was pretty uncomfortable. However, the interesting staging and the ambience the lobby brought to the production were totally worth the minor pain of sitting on the floor. Although unusual spaces might pose problems for some theatergoers, one shouldn't completely compromise art for the comfort of a few.
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