The Theatre Times: Have you ever been nervous about going to the theatre? Maybe you’re unfamiliar with theatre etiquette, maybe you have children, or maybe you find it hard to stay still for hours feeling trapped in your seat. In Shakespeare’s day, theatergoers drank, ate and socialized their way through a performance.
7 comments:
This article is written for people that don’t work in the theater. I also think articles like this, articles that are intended for people outside of theater, are beneficial to read. They make you view theater from a different perspective. They remind you that stepping into a theater can be daunting for theater goes with more conservative views of the world (because some people have never been exposed so content that is expressed in a show). I have only worked on a few shows that also developed a relaxed performance along with the main production and through my work on those I’ve started to understand the importance and impact of these types of shows! Bringing theater to audiences that are intimidated or audiences that can’t enjoy as much spectacle (those with disabilities that are unable to be around certain stimuli) is so important and also valuable for the community where theaters reside. I didn’t know that Canada passed a LAW that makes it mandatory for organizations to create accessible environments and opportunities for disabled citizens! Go Canada. This was a lovely article and I really enjoyed the new perspective.
It is great that there is more demand for these relaxed performances. I have never really seen these presented under that title. I have only heard of them referred to as sensory friendly performances where the sound is less extreme, there are no blackouts, and there are areas people can retreat to if they become overwhelmed. I enjoy the idea of them being relaxed performances that anyone who dislikes the rules and regulations of typical performance can attend, but I wonder if these continue to serve the community that needs them. While the comparison to theater in the days of Shakespeare is amusing, I doubt that kind of experience would serve those with disabilities either. I hope that these performances continue to be useful to those who need them, and that the laws that have been created are upheld and enforced to ensure that people with disabilities get to enjoy more theater.
I really like this new approach to theatre. Their goal is to create a very relaxed and engaging environment to please the audience and the performers creations an overall smooth production. This new concept of “relaxed performance” is making theatre more accessible as well. People with disabilities have been isolated from theatre for forever basically, and relaxed theatre is an effort to make everyone feel included. Relaxed theatre is now being taught in different universities all over the nation as a way to expose growing minds to new and interesting ways to engage and accommodate everyone in theatre and watching theatre. The first and most important rule/element to establish in a rehearsal room is comfort and relaxed performance does that by making the audience feel comfortable therefore making the performer at ease. I really want to go check it out, I’m really interested in what kinds of shows relaxed theatre has to offer and in what ways they put on their productions in comparison to traditional theatre.
I really like the idea of these kinds of shows being marketed as relaxed performances. Like Kaylie, I had only ever heard of them referred to as sensory-friendly performances. I think calling them relaxed performances takes out the idea that they are only for people with specific sensory needs, and makes it more for anyone looking for a more welcoming environment. This article talked about accessibility maps which I think is really important and needs to be more prevalent in every public space. I think that too often people with disabilities avoid some public spaces because they don’t know if that space is accommodating or suited to their needs, which is incredibly unfortunate. But having these kinds of maps and plans available to people before they get to a space will relieve this fear in so many people. Props to Canada for passing a law about this. I love the way theatre accessibility is moving, and how this is becoming more of a conversation than it used to be.
I feel like every week I end up writing a comment about my cousin, but he is truly one of my biggest inspirations, and this article made me think of him. My cousin, Justin, is autistic and has ADHD. My parents often encourage him to join them in going to see whatever production is open at my high school. He goes, but always ends up sitting in the lobby with his headphones and his iPad. Reading about relaxed performances made me smile thinking about a performance that Justin may be able to attend and enjoy the whole thing. Justin often struggles with sensory overloads. Noises are often too loud or lights to bright for him to enjoy any experience. The way relaxed performances push to welcome and include all sorts of people shows me that theatre is going in the right direction. I had honestly never heard of relaxed performance before reading this article, but now that I have I'm going to make it a point to attend on and perhaps take Justin with me to see what he thinks.
I love the idea of making some theatre and performances more accessible to different demographics. As someone who’s been involved with theatre scenes for almost 8 years, and circus performance settings for a few years prior, I don’t often think about how theatre spaces can be intimidating to others who aren’t so used to it. Unlike Kaylie and Annika, I’ve never even heard of ‘sensory-friendly performances,’ but I do agree that labeling them as ‘relaxed performances’ can help take some of the stigma off surrounding them. The more relaxed and intimate setting must be pretty nice for some artists who like that kind of work and audience members who need things to be less flashy and extreme. Personally, I don’t think this kind of theatre is something I would want to work in since one of the biggest things that draws me into theatre is the outrageous spectacle and effects, but I’m really happy that this exists to allow others the same kind of enjoyment.
Currently, theatre spaces are not designed with relaxed shows in mind. The seats are hard to move around in, there is no place to put a cup down without accidentally kicking it over and the seats don’t provide the ease of cleaning necessary if large amounts of food were present. I think those theatre spaces can provide sensory-friendly performances, but I’m not sure how a relaxed performance would function. On the other hand performances in smaller spaces with tables and chairs and plenty of space to move could allow for these types of performances. To me, it seems like a relaxed performance has 2 parts that can and should have different applications. The first is to create information to help patrons before they arrive, like the manuals described in the article. This can be done universally regardless of space or performance. The second part is the performance itself, which could be done in a sensory-friendly manor in a space that allows for eating and drinking and moving.
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