AIBU regarding theatre experience?

[WildBelle]

I took my DDs to the theatre last night as a treat. I was up to my neck in uni work all xmas holidays so we didn't really go out and do much, so I got us tickets to see a show that I knew they'd both love. I hope I don't offend anyone with this post, I have a dd with a disability so that's the last thing I want to do.

Throughout the first half there was someone in the audience who kept singing happy birthday VERY loudly. This ramped up significantly in the second half, it was pretty much constant and very distracting, and then was accompanied by someone else who was making very loud noises (and sounded quite distressed). i am assuming that they were older children or adults with learning difficulties. Now don't get me wrong, I am completely behind the idea of people with disabilities having access to theatre or anything else, but in the second half particularly the noises coming from that direction were so loud that it was impossible to hear what was going on on stage.

If someone had a baby that was crying, they would have taken them out to avoid disturbing everyone else. I can't help thinking that the carers should have done something about it, particularly when it escalated in the second half. I personally feel disppointed that the show was ruined a bit by not being able to hear, as a single parent it's not something I can afford to do that often. There was probably getting on for 1000 people in the theatre and they would have all been affected by the noise levels.

I probably sound horrible and I really don't mean to, but AIBU?

I did apologise for that, catwoman, and I did feel a bit shit about writing it.

But at the same time, to someone who loves acting and the way actors speak a line, going to the theatre is very similar to going to say a violin concert with a famous violinist to someone whose world centres around music. Or a harp or cembalo concert? Do you really think people should not mind if they went to a concert like that and couldn't hear the music?

Of course there are different types of theatre performances too, which are produced around potential audience involvement, and I go to those too and enjoy them. But then they are produced in such a way as to not to rely too much on the spoken word, so you get something else instead.

YANBU. Recently had a bad experience at the theatre with a group of what I can only assume were bored adults or rich people who find going to the theatre nothing special. They talked and joked loudly through a bit of the first half and most of the second half including a special exciting scene. The staff did nothing even though they noticed. We were so frustrated as we saved for this. It's a every other year treat for us if that. It's just thoughtlessness and disrespectful to others.

Well did you read the thread? This thread wasnt about thoughtlessness and disrespect.

The partial answer from this thread seems to be that theatres (and production companies) should really make more of an effort to support and provide facilities for audience members with disabilities. We would (rightly) be in uproar if theatres failed to have any accessible seats available for wheelchair users. Why should it be any different when it comes to accommodating people with other disabilities?

This may involve having more relaxed performances. It may involve making seats available that are in boxes (but at a reduced price) so that carers or other people with particular needs have easy access to the foyer / loos / are simply in an area that is less likely to disturb other patrons.

If theatres did have those facilities available - and in sufficient numbers - then I would have more sympathy for the view that people should be asked to leave seats if they are making a noise that significantly and repeatedly disturbs the performance so that it is ruined for other people. But until proper alternatives are provided then I think theatres should instead offer refunds or replacement tickets for anybody who complains.

Of course it would be easy for the Arts Council to deal with this in relation to subsidised theatres by making these requirements mandatory for subsidised theatres and companies. It's harder to see how commercial productions could be forced to make the adjustments.

Very good post, andintothefire.

I agree with the sense of that andintothefire

The op and others are talking about commercial venues in the main and many of those are in old, listed buildings where adaptations are much harder.

The theatres trust, ace and others are encouraging redevelopment of existing venues and the new ace strategic plan prioritises this and access.

These are not excuses, far from it, it shows that the arts as an industry is absolutely committed to improving the audience and artists experience where access and disability is concerned, imho, this sector is streets ahead of many other industries and public bodies.

It will be doubly hard with all the local government cuts that have been made and will be made, but it remains a serious priority.

Well this is embarrassing. Must make a mental note to not post on threads like this when upset

PenguinRoar - I completely agree with you (and I formerly worked in theatre so understand the difficulties). However there is a lot of money being made from commercial productions and I don't think there is any reason why there shouldn't be more relaxed performances even if theatres can't afford to make immediate adjustments to the buildings.

By way of example, Hamilton recently opened special booking options for wheelchair users. I haven't seen anything at all about there being relaxed performances that can be booked specifically by people who have a need for them. Perhaps I have just missed that, but I think that (along with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) is quite a good example of a show where people have spent a fortune on tickets more than a year in advance and would justifiably be upset if the performance was constantly disturbed by noise - not least because the prospects of getting replacement tickets are almost non-existent. I would also have thought that both are shows that might be of interest to people who would benefit from the option of a relaxed performance.

I just think it's important to keep up the pressure!

There should absolutely be more relaxed performances, it was tricky enough to find venues online that have autism friendly viewings for films, as it's often not well publicised on the cinema websites.

This thread was an interesting read, from the viewpoint of someone dealing with additional needs. I've often found it a bit disheartening the way people regarding as having high functioning autism are treated, with regards to lack of support - especially as adults. Autism is an incredibly complex condition, and the spectrum is not a straight line that swings from severe to high functioning, despite that being the most common misconception. Being high functioning is merely a description that often means that the person is more able to 'pass' as neurotypical. It's not an indication of the persons levels of distress as a result of their condition. It was a bit toe-curling to read NT people attempting to advocate for special needs, by telling other people with HF ASD on this thread to suck it up. A bit of restraint and understanding would be cool.

It was a bit toe-curling to read NT people attempting to advocate for special needs, by telling other people with HF ASD on this thread to suck it up. A bit of restraint and understanding would be cool.

That's what I was trying to explain (badly) before.

I said that if it came to sucking it up or asking that other people be removed SADLY youd have to suck it up as it wasnt right that others should be removed from the theatre. I stand by that.

If you are determined to twist it into something i didnt mean to feel hard done by, I cant stop you.

You might face issues in your lives but what i said wasn't what you are claiming.

andintothefire

Good post.

Of course I agree totally that there should be more relaxed performances but sadly for many amateur/small scale production companies it just isn't commercially viable

So how would you feel about a classical concert where you couldn't hear the music, LokOut?

I am very uncomfortable with the idea of asking people to leave- and I could certainly never bring myself to ask the theatre to do that in real life. I never have, and I can't see how I could.

But I would also be very upset to miss the performance I had been looking forward to, particularly as the kind of performance I am thinking of would probably be fully booked, I might have travelled a long way, and wouldn't be able to afford to do it again, even if tickets were availably for a later performance (as somebody said upthread, they might well sell out a long time in advance).

I think the answer must lie in trying to think constructively around different kinds of performance as andintothefire said.

There should be more relaxed performances, especially for shows where a bit of background noise wouldn't conflict with the show too much (relaxed Woman in Black wouldn't really work IMO).

There should also be more captioned performances, ideally not the last ones of a 3-month run so that if the captions don't work at least you have a chance at returning! One in seven or even more people struggle without captions, it's a silent box at one side of the stage so often half the audience doesn't even see it. And definitely more captioned cinema screenings (under 1% are, almost all during working hours), because cinemas claim the subtitles are too offputting for too many 'normal' audience, despite the captions only being in showings near the end of a run which would get only about 6 attendees anyway. If you think this is daft there's a survey which may be used to lobby cinemas: Limping Chicken subtitle attitudes survey.

Hamilton allegedly have a captioned performance and a relaxed one planned, but havent tried booking. FWIW dn has quite severe HFA and makes loud noises and gestures in public and people tut in restaurants, but loves theatre and concerts and is silent. Ds also has HFA, appears neurotypical most of the time, but is terrified of most theatre or films, so generally we don't take him unless there's something he actually wants to attend.

Hopefully Lego Batman won't be too crowded by the end of half term...

FWIW many, many theatres and cinemas still only have one wheelchair space (friend or partner also in a wheelchair? SOL.), and many many cinema auditoria and smaller theatres have no wheelchair access. 4/6 and 3/5 of my local screens aren't accessible I think still, and it's only a few years since I got carried by my partner and some stage crew into the Young Vic (could walk a few steps but needed to save that ability in case of emergency!)

I have already said. If the noise was from someone who couldn't help it id suck it up as a one off. Even before i had connection to disability the thought of complaining would have made me cringe.

I'd be disappointed but it would just be life.

People cant help being disappointed but they can help asking people to leave and complaining about them.

It seriously pisses me off that because i said people cant expect others to be removed I am painted as somehow being harsh to people with HFA.

It seriously pisses me off that because i said people cant expect others to be removed I am painted as somehow being harsh to people with HFA.

Well you haven't exactly being empathetic...

I think it is Manchester Palace which has a very tiny amount of wheelchair seats on the back row of circle which are also partly restricted view. Terrible!

I know they are very old buildings but some of the London old buildings have managed.

I said sadly youd have to leave if that was the onky option.

But i wasnt gushing with empathy because i wasnt actually discussing your situation and youre just twisting it now.

Telling autistic people that someone else's disability is more important than their's because it's different is disabilist and just nasty.

Yeah whatever. Thats not what i said but ok alright then

I said sadly youd have to leave if that was the onky option.

And that's what people do.

I said it wasnt possible to ask someone to leave if they were low functioning and made noises.

If someone asked if it was ok for someone high functioning to be asked to leave is say no.

But tbh i think you are just gunning for me and twisting things maliciously for some reason. Not sure what you will gain from it really but whatever floats your boat.