The New York Times: The use of cellphones, the rustling of candy wrappers, and audible murmuring are some of the worst transgressions audience members can make during live theater performances in New York City.
But when a child disrupted a matinee performance of “The King and I” at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on Wednesday, the woman accompanying the child found an unlikely ally.
20 comments:
I am appalled by the actions of the audience in this case. This is a children’s show, and any child making noise during a traumatic sequence should be spared audience bereavement. This would be no worse than someone sobbing during a particularly traumatic sequence of a show and then recovering after the scene had ended, but because members of the audience made a big deal about the child’s reaction, it became an over-arching issue. There is no mercy when it comes to someone spending money, even when it comes to children. I applaud the actor who spoke out for the mother and child and the struggle they had with the audience.
I do have one question though, how did the actor know from the stage that the child was autistic? I would think that would be something very difficult to see and/or determine from the stage with the stage lights on.
I had actually read this article previously to it being on the blogspot, and it sparked a few conflicting ideas that I don't know really know how to calculate. For one, I can understand the audience members who were frustrated, even mean, when the child shrieked during a particularly emotional moment. We go to the theatre to be immersed; if I had a person crunching candy or talking behind me, I'd be sure to whip around in a second and tell them to shut up. Then again, this isn't something as simple as a candy wrapper or a stupid conversation; this is a person we're talking about, and a person who might not realize that their actions affect the general public as well as someone else might. It's difficult to emotionally reason in the moment, especially if you have no idea of the context behind the child's history. Regardless, no one should ever try to deny a person from taking their children to a theatrical experience, especially if they paid for it. The mother is fearless for having the courage to take her child and show them something that might enrich them or make them happy.
The audience had a right to be a little annoyed yes, but had no right to yell out harsh words and make that mother and her son feel as less of audience members as they were. Like the actor stated, the mother was trying but could not contain the situation at hand. I am happy to hear that the performers were not bothered by it because they could have easily gotten annoyed but stuck to keeping the show running. I absolutely agree that special performances for people with special needs should be something that all theatres should consider because then situations like this will be better understood by the rest of the audience, but I don't think that people with special needs should only be aloud to go to these shows because, we are all people, they have just as much a right to be an audience member as anyone else and if theatres were to start discriminating against that, that would be outright crazy. I think that in this situation the audience needed to be more understanding, sure they came there to get immersed in the experience but the child had no intention to ruin that fore them, it was simply a misunderstanding.
I think what Kelvin Moon Loh said was the perfect thing to say in that situation. It is very sad to hear that people were yelling at an autistic kid and his mother during a show. It was probably very difficult for her to bring her son there in the first place and she was probably worried about his behavior throughout the performance. She did not need random people yelling at her and telling her to leave the theater on top of that. Theatre should be for everyone no matter what his or her disability. It is an inclusive art form. People should be more focused on their own experience and not worry about other people and belittle them for trying to experience something magical. I commend that mother for exposing her child to a Broadway show despite difficulties and negativity. It is heartbreaking to hear that she left with her child before the show was over because she should not have had to leave because other people were not happy.
I remember seeing this on facebook a couple days ago, and I'm so glad that a situation like this didn't go unnoticed. As far as noisy audience members go, something like loud whispering is just rudeness or oversight on the part of the audience member. This was noise made by a child at a family-friendly show, and the mother was clearly doing her part to try and quiet her son. I don't see why anyone would find it necessary to embarrass and humiliate a mother and her son in front of so many people just to see one scene. In fact, if I had been in the audience I probably would have felt more upset by the people yelling things at the family than the noises the child was making. That being said, I feel like this kind of situation comes out of a feeling of entitlement. The people in the audience felt entitled to a show that was exactly how they wanted it, and the child was interfering with that so they dealt with the problem.
This was all over my Facebook this week and I'm thrilled that it made it onto the blog. Everyone who shared this on Facebook completely agreed with the author, as do I. I think what I particularly identify with is the concept that we are so focused on ourselves that we forget about compassion. For most of my theatrical career I have worked with children, some with disabilities, some not, and nothing bothered me more than when parents were not understanding of my job and the work a disabled child is doing. I consistently tried to remind myself that everything I was doing, and all my work was so much easier than that of the autistic child I was working with. I think as a community we need to continue to include everyone, and make sure that when others don't, we stand up for those who can't, or are too scared to stand up for themselves.
Every year in metro-Detroit the Jewish Association for Residential Care (JARC) has an outing to one of the national touring shows coming through the area. We would go to these events every year. I don’t remember any disturbances like this one, but I’m sure it happened as part of the event is to expose people with various mental handicaps to theater. I’m on both sides of the fence on the issue discussed in the article. On one hand, I applaud this mother for exposing her child to theater and not backing down when they had an episode and trying to deal with it. (I know from experience this is not an easy thing to do.) On the other hand, I think there is a time and place for exposing people with mental handicaps to these types of events where certain decorum is expected. If this was the child’s first experience and exposure to theater, I might say that it wasn’t the best idea. If this was unusual behavior for the child, I would say BACK OFF people. In the end, I’m torn on the issue; I don’t think there is a real answer to this and it must be addressed on a case by case basis.
I dislike interruptions in the theatre as much as the next person, but for a very specific reason. People who allow their phones to ring, or talk during the show are both disengaging from the show they are seeing, and deliberately tarnishing the experience of those around them. This is rude and unacceptable. This is very different from a mother and child trying to enjoy a show just like anyone else. Theatre is supposed to be an inclusive and accepting theatrical medium, and keeping "that kind of kid" out of the theatre is a disservice to the child, his family, and the theatrical community as a whole, and frankly I am upset and shocked to hear people talking like that. Trying to keep people with mental disabilities away from cultural activities in the arts because it is kind of inconvenient is an unfair and discriminatory concept. I believe that there is away to keep the theatre open and accessible while still maintaining the integrity of the show. We should work on being inclusive, not simple complaining about those who cannot help their behavior.
In Miami, I worked for a children's theater. Mostly every production we did had sensory friendly showings. I cannot begin to explain how happy I would be after those shows. Being able to make theatre inclusive and autism friendly is so incredible. I commend the woman who took her child to a Broadway performance. Theatre and the arts have proven to be appreciated by a large part of the autistic community and anyone who attempts to make theatre all inclusive and not discriminating, should be applauded. Mr. Loh shows great compassion in is facebook message and highlights the behavior of the disgruntled audience as unacceptable and wrong. I hope that the mother isn't too discouraged and feels comfortable in taking her child to another show. As mentioned above, we should think about our actions before we judge and complain about others actions that can't be controlled. Inclusion is necessary in theatre.
This article, for some reason reminds me of a fairly famous performance piece (some call it music, others hate the idea of it being called that). John Cage’s 4’33”. I don’t know how many of you are familiar with it, but it’s a piece that is four minutes and thirty-three seconds (hence the name) where John Cage, dressed in a formal concert wear, walks out onto the stage and sits at a piano without playing a single note for the duration of the piece.
‘How does this relate?’ one might ask. Fair question. The point of the piece was to emphasize the noises surrounding the performance, someone coughing, the ruffling of clothes, a siren going off outside the theatre somewhere. They, for better or worse, are part of the experience that the audience is coming in to when they see a work of art in a theatre or concert hall.
There are other examples of this in performance, any examples of audience participation. In certain performances it is expected and hoped that the audience will bring something to the performance. A good of example of this is The Rocky Horror Picture Show (and the musical it is adapted from), watching it without participating just doesn't seem right.
I know nothing about this particular production of The King and I, and I will not pretend to do so. What I will do is present the perspective of someone who believes that art, including theatre, should be for everyone. Even autistic children.
I admire the actions of Mr. Loh. Though I understand the dissatisfaction of the audience with the situation, and even empathize with their reaction, I do believe that the potential for the audience to disrupt a performance is something that is to a certain extent unavoidable. Many times you will find no sympathy for those who get shamed for interrupting art, particularly times where a person selfishly (and maybe even mistakenly) ruins a moment because there is an aspect of their life that is more important to them than preserving the moment. Actions like haggling, unwrapping candy, leaving your ringer on, all of those are deplorable.
I do believe that the actions of this child do not fall into that category of disturbance. For what it’s worth, the right of this child, or any person for that matter, to attend a theatrical performance with the best intentions of being a good audience member is something to be valued. Sometimes there will be an interruption to the art, sometimes that’s desirable. Often times it isn’t. Either way, audience members should understand that possibility, and be forgiving when some people, despite their best intentions, fall short of the expectation.
I can see why the other audience members were upset about the disturbance, but that definitely doesn't excuse their behavior. Yes, it's true that they did pay to go see the show and should be allowed to enjoy it undisturbed. However, there is a significant difference between an audience member talking on the phone and a disabled child having a bad day. My high school was known to have an especially good special education program, so we had a fairly high amount of students with autism. We'd always invite them to come and see special previews of our performances, which was a highly a tech week for everyone. Some of these students would act out, but it never bothered the actors or the creative team. Theatre should be for everyone even if that means the occasional disturbance at a musical. I'm so happy that Mr. Loh spoke up about this, as it shows that people are now become more tolerant of people with disabilities.
I was seeing a production of Betrayal in New York and there were a bunch of young people from France (?) sitting in the row behind us. They had drinks and snacks in a theater that doesn't allow that and they would sip their drinks loudly, stir the ice around, eat loudly and talk to one another. I saw a production of Macbeth in New York and the stage was set so we could see the other half of the audience, and one woman just refused to turn off her phone. The bright light from the screen distracted our entire side of the audience from the wonder production. I can safely say these events nearly ruined the theatrical experience for me. When there is a disturbance in the audience, the defining factor for whether or not it ruins the experience is the intent behind it. Those French kids obviously did not respect the play or any other audience members. The woman at Macbeth was selfishly ruining the experience for half the audience. When a child cries, I am not offended or annoyed because there is absolutely no malicious intent and the mother is just trying to enjoy herself with her kid. The kid isn't disrespecting the play, he just has no idea what's going on and that is not his or her fault. The types of audience members who should be asked to leave are the ones who do not respect the institution enough to consider other audience members. Those are the people who don't deserve to see the show, not the children.
When someone won't stop chewing loudly or texting right in front of you during a show, that is grounds to be annoyed and even angry with the person. But as several people before me have said, the intention of this child was not to disrespect the scene, a whipping scene might be disturbing to anyone, especially a child.
But the part that really gets to me is that the child was autistic and audience members seemed, from Mr. Loh's account to be upset with he mother for bringing a "child like that" to the theater.
I lived in a community for disabled adults for the past four years because my parents worked there. There were three of these communities in the surrounding area and the larger area was used to having residents and volunteers alike at their events and performances. They worked with the Camphills to ensure that everyone's experience was as good as possible. This article mentioned some theaters which are specifically hosting performances for autistic audience members, which I support fully. Although the people I am used to living with are very different from this child, with probably much more severe disablities, I recognize that being at a performance with them is not something everyone would want. They sometimes can't stop talking, or scream, or get up and walk around. At my high school the cast was always told if a group of Camphill people would be in the audience that night so they could be prepared for anything unexpected.
But these differences do not mean we should bar them from seeing theater, if anything, we as the theater community should be making a conscious effort to create opportunities to reach as many people as possible.
I think one thing audiences can often forget is that they are just that - an audience. Quite often it is easy to become consumed in the world of the play as an individual, to feel as if one is the only person in the universe watching. And, yes, this can be amazing. But it also destroys the point of the audience at large. As a body of people, the audience makes an unspoken pact to go on the journey they face together - that means being courteous to one another, and understanding of the unique reaction of each thinking, feeling person. When audiences cast one another out for lack of understanding of each other's differing perspectives, no matter what mental state they may be influenced by, they cease to become an audience and lose their worth as an observing body. Thus, in treating the child at hand as wrong, the entire audience lost its validity. Loh is a remarkable actor for being able to understand this from the other end of the performance space.
I've had experiences as an audience with kids talking loudly behind me and kicking the back of my chair relentlessly with their powerful little feet. If I were in the audience of the show in the article, my first reaction probably would've been irritation or annoyance as well. But after reading this article and Loh's facebook post, I see their side of the story. The kid had no intent to purposefully disrupt the performance, and his mother was "desperately pleading with her child" to stop. If his mother just sat there and did nothing that would've been a completely different story. Being understanding not only allows the mother and kid to enjoy the performance that they bought tickets to with their money, but it also makes your own experience more pleasant instead of jumping to conclusions and frustrations.
Has anyone ever been on a plane with that crying baby that would not stay quiet? It is hard to get mad at the parents or at the child. And anyone with kids will know the feeling from both sides. If I were a gambling man, I would say the passenger that gets frustrated with the child’s behavior causes more of a distraction than the poor kid. I have been running performances where kids are distracting, but that is an element of theatre that can’t be controlled. It is hard to compare a plane flight to theatre, but kids will be kids. Maybe it was smart for the family to leave, but in the end, I bet that guy is kicking himself for making a comment like that. Take theatre for what it is. LIVE PERFORMANCE is never meant to be perfect and it is nice to see the cast and crew of that show realize that.
This is a very personally emotional topic for me, as my older brother is autistic. I so agree with what the actor said about the hypocrisy of being so concerned about your own experience over that of others in theater. Towards the end of last year, Broadway in Boston had an event where they teamed with Autism Speaks to create an “autism- friendly” performance of the Lion King at the Boston Opera House, through doing things like not dimming the house lights all the way, not making sound effects as loud, etc. Of course, autism exists on a very large spectrum, and my brother doesn’t usually yell out in the middle of shows (he went with my parents to see all of the shows I worked on in high school, and there were never any major problems). However, attending this performance with my family was a truly amazing and very emotionally exhaustive experience. As someone who is used to things like dark, silent auditoriums, the entire atmosphere of seeing this show was completely changed. There was a father in front of us who had to take his daughter out of her seat and back again countless times throughout the show to quiet her down. A parent next to me taking care of their very young son made me want to tell them how things can improve as they got older. The mutual understanding between every non-autistic person in that house was really incredible. I think that, too often, people overgeneralize autism, and see it as something “other” without bothering to further examine its complexities. Things that are obvious in the life of me or my parents is completely foreign to people who don’t know how much of an insurmountable task it can feel like to bring someone autistic out in public. My brother is much better socially now, but when he was younger, every little thing, from going to the supermarket to an amusement park was a fully invested experience that could end in tears or anguish, and it required the complete and undivided attention of both me and my parents to make sure he didn’t get lost or get in other people’s ways. When you are someone who takes care of, in some way, something with autism, there is a constant underlying anxiety of how that person is interacting with and potentially offending or bothering others, and it breaks my heart to imagine audience members yelling at a poor mother who, I can imagine, was in the ultimate state of disappointment and humiliation in that moment. The overlap between things in clear public settings with set social guidelines such as theater, and disability, is something that I am (clearly) very passionate about. I’m so glad to hear that people with more of a public presence are speaking out about things like this.
^^Just realized I made an awful typo, obviously I mean someone with autism, not something^^
There have been a slew of articles recently complaining about disrespect for the theatre, usually in the form of disruptive audience members, and I'm glad to see with this one that we at least know where to draw the line. It seems everyone is in agreement here that neither the child or his mother share any fault in this matter, but in my opinion it isn't even a "Well, shit happens" kind of situation. If you ask me, it is the people who shout their discontent at the offenders who disrupt the theatre. There was a case a little while back where an audience member's phone went off and Patti LuPone stopped her performance to tell the person off for their disrespectful phone usage. I was appalled at this because to me, anyone can make the mistake of leaving their ringtone volume on, but breaking character and destroying the show for everyone who paid for a ticket that night is just unbelievable to me. I think that part of respecting the theatre includes respecting your fellow audience members. Can we honestly show no compassion for others anymore?
I fully respect Kelvin Moon Loh responds to the child watching the Wednesday matinee performance. A performance is put on for audience and with a live audience there will be distraction because of there reactions. The audience may laugh, cry, or scream. It doesn't matter if it's one person who the whole theater, reactions are part of the performance. Even a child crying is part of the audience's responds. The lack of respect for children in the theater seems more disrespectful then a child crying through a performance. It may be annoying to the crowd surrounding that child, but the parent could walk the child out for a second, calm them down and then come back. All in all, a live audience is LIVE. You cannot expect the audience to be perfect. It's also just as much as an experience for the guests as it is for the actors on stage.
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