HowlRound: At this point, most of us have heard plenty about the event at a recent performance of the Broadway production of The King and I, in which an audience member began making loud noises, which prompted those around him to rally against the boy’s mother and yell for him to be removed. The actor onstage, Kelvin Moon Loh, who posted the much-viewed Facebook post describing the event, determined that the boy had Autism and denounced the audience’s close-minded behavior. It was exciting to witness his defense of the mother and son and the ensuing support as his message went viral.
4 comments:
This is so upsetting and really disgusting. I read the article previously about the young boy with Autism and his mother and the actors reaction. Now this story is a little different because it is about an adult whose condition is not well known and cannot be seen as easily as Autism can. But, it is also just the same. People thinking they are better than others and are therefore entitled to more.
Take a look at sports games - any one can come and no one would be looked at badly for making noises, in fact its encouraged!
Look at concerts - any one can come and you can make all the noises and gestures you want, even be drunk if you so choose!
Yes theater is intimate. Yes theater has live performers. Yes theater you have to listen to closely. Yes-theater is beautiful.
Theater should in no way be cut off from any person, it is an art form that needs to reach everyone and anyone if it doing it job. The beauty of theater is that you can be any person off the street, speak any language, be of any religion, be from anywhere, and sit with others and experience the same thing in a new world. I am so devastated to be a part of theater if this article is any indication of the people we reach. I understand that as an audience member you want to focus on the show and other noises can be distracting. But we need to be accepting. If I see some young boy with Autism I would be proud to share the experience with him, and be proud of the mother for exposing him to the magic of theater. If a man loves theater and makes some noises that ok.
Theater is for everyone. No exceptions.
Tourette Syndrome is one of those things that is made fun of regularly without any consideration as to what it feels like to actually live with it. Comments like, "OMG I feel so bipolar today" are so detrimental and inconsiderate to people who live with these illness. These comments negate their struggles and marginalize the things they have to deal with every day just to pass as neurotypical. As someone who is very close to someone with Tourette, I have experienced first hand the experiences they deal with. Going to places like theaters are a really hard thing for them to do. Even quiet restaurants and coffee shops can be difficult to navigate. However, I really identify with Annie when she said that 'theater should in no way be cut off from any person'. In an age of cell phone distractions, we often forget that people themselves can be distracting too. If you can tune out the heavy breathing of the patron next to you, then you can excuse an involuntary reaction.
I really appreciate articles like this, in which the author has a unique point of view in relation to a situation we’ve already heard much of the same perspective about. Although Tourette Syndrome and autism manifest themselves in very different ways, it was very eye opening to hear from someone who can relate on a personal level to the boy in The King and I performance, since, in a lot of cases, people with developmental disabilities on the autism spectrum aren’t able to process or express their feelings, or complexly understand situations such as this one. I’m touched that Gardiner Comfort was touched by the rallying amount of support for the mother and son which manifested itself on social media. I got very emotional in the part of the article where he talks about his experiences during the Tourette Association of America National Conference when he got to meet many other people in his same situation; in particular, the sentence “It was the first time in my life I ever felt normal” hit me hard. Though a very different circumstance, his sentiment reminded me of when I was very young, and went to a “Walk for Autism” with my parents and my autistic older brother. While he wasn’t able to understand the significance of the event, and I was probably too young to fully appreciate it, I remember feeling a sense of comraderie and familiarity with the other families who had brought their autistic children, siblings, and relatives. When you’re in a difficult situation, it’s very easy to forget how many other people are going through the exact same thing. When my brother ran away from our sight for a few seconds and a stranger found him and was asking around for his family, they totally understood why he was muttering and making strange physical movements, when most others would be taken aback. While the “The King and I” incident deeply upset me, the rallying support which took place afterwards, and stories such as Comfort’s, give me hope for the future of theater as a diverse, inclusive, embracing community.
This article is really interested because the author has such a unique perspective. I guess I hadn’t thought of the possibility of there being professional actors with Tourette Syndrome. With the popularity of the new Spring Awakening revival on Broadway, the idea of actors with disabilities, or generally not fitting into that “perfect human” mold, is becoming a less foreign idea.
I think the author has a very strong will and even stronger devotion to theatre if he’s willing to deal with all the stress associated with going to see performances. It’s sad to hear how mean people can be, even in settings where the stakes aren’t as high (such as the subway). For people with visible or more obvious disabilities, stepping out of their home can mean they have to deal with a whole array of stresses and possible dangers. I think overall society needs to be not only safer but more accepting and understanding of those with disabilities of all kinds, and the theatre industry can help with this effort by pioneering ways to make theatre more accessible to those with disabilities. I think if theatre can be a welcoming place for people with disabilities, that can be really powerful because theatre is so powerful on its own.
Post a Comment