Observer: More than just a practical space for a pre-show tinkle, Off-Broadway’s restrooms echo the character of their theater. Spacious or teensy, moneyed or scrappy, downtown and outer borough bathrooms offer a range of experiences. You might have the room to luxuriate in your own stall or you may feel rushed to keep the line moving—especially if you spot one of the show’s actors waiting in it.
5 comments:
I never thought I would be reading an article about off-broadway bathrooms but this actually was a really interesting article. Bathrooms are such an important part of a theater and audience experience. Broadway bathrooms, while known for being really nice most of the time, are also known for their insanely long lines. Off-broadway bathrooms may not be known for having giant lines or being super nice, but this article shows that bathrooms in off-broadway theaters have a lot of interesting character. This kind of character adds a lot to the theater going experience. Different theaters have different personalities and the bathrooms are no exception. However, this is also representative of a larger issue in New York with public bathrooms being rundown, dingy, barely accessible, and that's if you can even find one. The public deserves to have working restrooms when they are out on the town and while an old bathroom may add flair to a theater, if it's run down and inaccessible, what's the point?
One thing about me: I love a bathroom. When I’m in public and overstimulated, a bathroom break is just the thing I need to ground myself and continue having a good time. I’ll take a bathroom break when I don’t even have to go to the bathroom. So naturally, in a crowded theater, nice bathrooms are essential. A standout of the list for me was the Clubbed Thumb bathrooms. First of all, the green chairs provide a wonderful place for me to sit if i'm not actually using the toilet. Not to mention, their coziness is endorsed by the Associate Artistic Director. The free condoms are a great touch and the high ceilings are the cherry on top of a wonderfully constructed bathroom. I also love the St. Ann’s Warehouse bathrooms. The custom boi shades are so beautiful and they add interest to the room and the theater as a whole.
I never know what I will find here, but an article about bathrooms was different from my expectation! I often find it true that restaurant bathrooms are one of the best ways to judge the quality of the said restaurant; it is interesting that this judgment scale also seems to work for off-broadway theaters. However, how do these tiny bathrooms fit crowds during the intermissions or even preshow? Those poor, poor bathrooms. I couldn't tell how many were gendered restrooms, but it seems to me like a fair amount of them were not, and that makes me happy as a genderqueer theatergoer. I have seen theatre taking the lead in the elimination of gendered restrooms. However, I would not go as far as to call it commonplace yet. My personal favorite from the list was number three, The Wild Project bathroom. It seems like an excellent place to use the bathroom and an area with a good vibe to hang out.
I’m not sure that I’ve ever heard of bathrooms being described as they are in this article, but it sure was interesting. I absolutely love that this article not only described the bathrooms, but ranked them; this is important, a bathroom of a venue is very telling in my opinion. I found some of these to be fairly interesting as they told you directly to go to a neighboring business to use the restroom, and while I do not think this should be necessary, it is important to know when and where an alternative bathroom space is! Of course, Signature Theatre Company was the best on this list in my eyes. Spacious and clean-looking! The ones at St. Ann’s Warehouse were also interesting due to the clearly thought out interior design, it actually has a vibe to it. The orange light fixtures were a nice touch. Bravo St. Ann’s Warehouse.
I’m not shocked that a lot of people have written a comment on this article. It is definitely an attention grabber. This article delivered. It’s funny, witty, and actually has some pretty good insight into the bathrooms. I wasn’t expecting them all to be so different. The range in size, color, number of stalls, and even difficulty in the path to get there. I love that each bathroom has a vibe that ties it into the story of the theatre it's placed in. It seems like there is something for everyone; from pristine bright white, cute and simple, to small and graffiti-covered, this article has some deep cuts. So many of these bathrooms reflect a time of struggle in that space's history. It is interesting to know that the bathroom is just as much part of the experience as the rest of the building is. Many people find comfort in a bathroom and others just simply need one around. Off-broadway has everyone covered.
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