These new type of audience advisories warn of specific plot points that may provoke psychological trauma in some audience members.
Tuesday, July 03, 2018
Edgy theatre content sparks off-stage debate about trigger warnings
These new type of audience advisories warn of specific plot points that may provoke psychological trauma in some audience members.
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From an rising senior's perspective, who values theatre that makes you think and exposes you to the real world, I find that trigger warnings are very useful to not blindsided the audience. However, I think the Royal Court Theatre has the best approach to the situation. By opening up the conversation in a "non-spoiler" way, you allow the message and power from the piece to still impact the audience without hitting them so hard and blindsiding them. The simple 'mature content' warning prompts the audience's brain, so they are unconsciously expecting it. For example, the Boal piece performed on campus Tuesday was very emotionally impactful and powerful. It's content was very mature and it stated that on a simple piece of paper before entering. However, it didn't censor itself; instead, it opened up the conversation into what you were going to see. I think that's the point of a trigger warning and the best way to use it.
The quote from the article, “But some theatre professionals worry these warnings strip theatre of its power to provoke an emotional reaction and are a form of self-censorship” struck a nerve with me. I do not think triggering a panic attack from somebody or PTSD is considered simply as “an emotional reaction”. This pretty much implied such a violent, negative emotional response would be almost a good result from the performance. There is a difference between making someone cry or get angry for a character and causing them actual emotional trauma. PTSD from all sorts of violence is a very real thing. By choosing not to warn somebody who has had close contact with gun violence or sexual assault and then surprising them with a live reinactment of that violence is ignorant and plainly disrespectful. People’s mental health, especially when it comes to trauma, is not something to take lightly. I think everybody should be able to enjoy performing arts without fear of a panic attack or other form of mental trauma.
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