The Theatre Times: My most common access need attending the theatre, after bringing a companion, is to sit at the end of an aisle, preferably close to the exit. This is to manage my anxiety, which fluctuates in intensity, and when booking a show weeks in advance, I don’t know how I’ll feel that day. It gives me the ability to make a quick exit if my anxiety flares up − it’s too loud for me today, too bright, too crowded. Or, if the show itself is too disturbing or triggering in its content. Triggering content is by far the top reason that I do make good use of my requested aisle seat to make a dash for fresh air and a place of calm.
6 comments:
This article raises important question regarding whether or not trigger warnings are needed. I agree with the article that trigger warning are a subjective matter often times, people find different things disturbing, therefore people have different triggers. I think that their has to be an imminent need for the trigger. It has to be greater than just subject matter sometimes. Most directors would stray away from using too many trigger warnings simply because of the marketing and ticket sales of the show, although I understand why holding back on a warning might seem like the proper thing to do in terms of keeping the plot of the show rather secretive, its imperative that a show does not give its audience members any type of anxiety or panic attack. The article is a great highlight that most directors and actors should bring into the initial meetings, rather than a decision that happens right before a show opens.
I am a strong proponent for trigger warnings. I think they should be everywhere. I do slam poetry and it is a place where people expose their trauma all the time. I personally think people should give trigger warnings before they start their poems. The amount of times that I've been put in a space where I was uncomfortable because someone else was divulging their trauma are innumerable.
However, I think that giving audience members clips of the more triggering parts is not wise. A.) as mentioned it gives away the magic of theatre, that beautiful anticipation of wondering what comes next. B.) That could potentially be more triggering. Asking patrons to watch a clip that could possibly trigger them in their home by themselves is dangerous. It is unsafe to be panicking and alone and I think that this idea could lead to a lot of that.
I think telling people what is going to happen in a show is important if it is sensitive material. But I don't think it needs to be anymore than a bold printed message. It is clear that people need this help. But I think the idea of sending clips would hurt more than help.
I think providing sufficient warnings for people to decide whether or not a production will be okay for them is important, and I think there is a way to do that without revealing too much of the show. I think part of that can be putting trigger warning information in a place where it can easily be looked at but can also be avoided, and clearly labeled. For example, when buying tickets online there could be a vague warning (ex: Contains strobe lights and adult content) and then a “see more” tab that gets into more specifics, when there is a warning on the see more tab itself saying it contains spoilers. That way, people who aren’t concerned about how the content will affect them can avoid knowing more than they want to, and people who need that information can access it. There could be a similar page in the program, and perhaps something similar in the lobby as well, though that gets more difficult logistically as there would need to be a way to see something that isn’t able to be read on accident. I think this becomes especially important for newer works where there is less info available for them online. For movies, people can go online and figure out exactly what happens in the movie, and figure out exactly what happens in scenes that might trigger them, but people who don’t need this information can avoid it entire. For newer plays, there might be little to no information about the play online aside from what the producing theater provides, and even for more well known plays, there is no way an audience member can know how you staged your production. If we assume that most people who want trigger warnings are willing to (and likely already) put a bit of time into looking into a production to make sure it will be okay for them, at that point it seems more than reasonable for a theater to make such information available for those who ask.
I think this really is an interesting topic and something that I would like to hear more opinions on. I think it is very important to given warnings about what show someone is going to walk into. After a concussion I had about 2 years ago, I have a huge aversion to strobe lights and the quick flashing lights make me pass out. This is a very common warning and normally easy to find and tell based on the show if they will be used. It gets a lot more hard with the idea of sensitive content. That is a very large blanket statement that is honestly not too helpful. I think one of the best solutions for this is to have a place online where people can choose to see a full list of what the show contains. That way those that are wondering if their is triggering content can look, and those that want to remain surprised. I have always found to that you can talk to ushers for someone in the box office and they are normally very familiar with the show and can answer questions about content.
I agree with Annie that this is a topic that I would like to hear more about, but not very often gets brought on. As the article mentions, it is really difficult to walk the thin line of offering proper warnings and withholding important show plots. And no matter how hard you try, there will be criticisms from certain group of people that it was not enough. I believe that the important thing is that theater makers should be aware of trigger warnings, and diligently put an effort to make the warnings known. The purpose is to communicate with the audience transparently so the audience members can build trusting relationship with the theater in a long run. Some people may be discouraged to attend productions with certain warnings, but it is better than them walking out in the middle of the show, having medical emergencies during the show or leaving somebody with lifelong mental trauma.
Trigger warnings are an area of great complexity and concern in art. In some aspects art is meant to be challenging and difficult to experience. Controversial ideas and themes are often explored. On the other hand, preventing audience trauma is certainly a noble goal that can come into conflict with this idea of provocative and controversial art. At the same time, it is crucial that we do not allow trigger warnings to silence artists, because it could lead to a slippery slope. A consequence of trigger warning over-reach could very well inhibit artist creativity for fear of exploring and presenting themes or ideas that are deemed too controversial, because they trigger audience members. I feel that a happy medium could be achieved if trigger warnings were approached in the same way that movie ratings are dealt with. The thinking behind movie ratings is that we do not want children to be exposed to graphic horror and violence or adult themes that could be emotionally scarring for them to understand. It is probably not advisable for a five year old to see Saving Private Ryan given the horrific level of realistic war violence and gore. In the same way, creating a simple and non-controversial (standardized) ratings disclaimer before theatrical productions or artwork that identifies specific areas of controversy that might be disturbing for certain viewers is a happy medium. It does not suppress artist creativity, but at the same time ensures audience members are aware of potentially triggering moments.
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