HowlRound: I’m working as a House Manager for a production of A Bright Room Called Day. Halfway through the first act, a woman walks up to me and tells me that there is someone making an irritating noise, and I should tell them to stop. I assure her that I have noticed it too and I will inform the person responsible. What she doesn’t know is that I don’t have to find the man making the weird noise. I have Tourette’s syndrome and that person is me.
3 comments:
I think part of the problem when it comes to movement/tic disorders and theater is that as a society, we don’t really understand/ discuss movement disorders in an accurate way. When people think “tourettes” from what I’ve seen they typically think of someone shouting a string of profanity. People make light of it, make jokes about it, and from what I’ve seen, rarely take it seriously. What people don’t picture when they hear “tourettes” is simple phonic tics, which are more common than extreme coprolalia (vocal swearing tics). That means that when in a theater, if someone hears some nearby vocal tics, they are going to think “rude” not “tic disorder”. I think if our culture discussed movement disorders in a more respectful and accurate manner, people would be more likely to realize that what they are hearing/ seeing is probably involuntary, and not really be as bothered by it because they understand it. That being said, there are plenty of advantages to having an area of seats (as long as they aren’t way in the back corner) that are designated as being for people who will have to make noise (whether it be vocal tics, small children, frequent coughing and wheezing, or any other reason) or having an area specifically designated as extremely quiet (perhaps for people who are easily distracted or having difficulty hearing the show if there is much ambient noise). As long as it is implemented respectfully, it seems like that would do more good than harm.
Articles like this make me so frustrated. Shouldn’t theater be for everyone? Back when I was performing in my high school, the surrounding Camphill communities would always bring their residents, who were adults with developmental disabilities to shows. Occasionally someone might mention that they would be in the audience, so that performers would be ready for any unexpected noises or such. But even if they didn’t it was never an issue because theses people were an accepted and valued part of our community and of course, of course they have as much as see shows as anyone else. The unfortunate thing is the people tend to be more sympathetic towards my folks then people with invisible disorders because when you see someone who is clearly disabled your brain subconsciously makes certain allowances, however when someone starts acting in ways that are not within our scope of normalcy and we cannot openly see anything “different” about them, we make judgments about them rather than consider them as a complex human being.
I think the problem here really stems from people's unwillingness to believe in the disorders they cannot see or understand. Handicapped people, blind people, deaf people, etc.: we understand them. We are raised with an understanding of what to expect when we encounter them. But when a man looks completely "normal" and is on staff in a theatre, we tend to assume he will "behave himself" and not make strange noises or curse under his breath. So while the author's idea of a box where those with invisible disabilities that may be distracting is a good one, I would suggest that what really needs to happen is a larger conversation about disability and understanding that not everyone has the same make-up on the inside. Theatre should be for everyone.
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