Page 14 | To be LIVID at the National Theatre?

helpmeunderstand04 · 2022-07-17T18:46:17+00:00

I was at the National Theatre festival this Saturday which was advertised as outdoor live music, dance, performance, workshops and family fun. I thought great, perfect way to spend a Saturday. We were there from 6:30 and the drag act on stage was promoting inclusivity and had, what started as a great message. They said... 'We need to teach our children to open their hearts, teach our children to open their minds and to teach our children to open their legs'. The last line was said with the same tone as if it was a risque joke. Both me and DP are just disgusted by what we saw. We couldn't believe it. This act had a short dress on and their bulge was showing through out. It was just plain weird. Fine in a club, not at a festival literally targeted as being good for families. From then the evening just got weirder. There was a drag queen and a drag king contest. Great! I literally had never seen drag king acts and was really excited and thought it was great representation and diversity. However, with every single drag king act they took their clothes off. No drag queens take their clothes off, but the drag kings did and were showing their scars from their mastectomy/gender affirming surgery. I do get the message that they are proud and don't need to hide and really I do agree with that. But it just felt weird that women who now identify as men are still having to take their clothes off, where as the drag queens didn't remove one item of clothing. AIBU in feeling angry at the marketing team at the national theatre?

nolongersurprised · 19/07/2022 21:10

That all happened very quickly.

VestofAbsurdity · 19/07/2022 21:17

Impressed that it did and have to say found the statement from the National Theatre good as well, no flim-flam, no excuses, no but, but, but, - straightforward and to the point.

nolongersurprised · 19/07/2022 21:20

Kind of blows out of the water the assertion that it is only the women on FWR S&G Board who found the 'joke' abhorrent

Don’t forget the Daily Mail readers.

HTH1 · 19/07/2022 21:27

helpmeunderstand04 · 17/07/2022 20:05

That is fair, looking at it now I wouldn't have thought it was for kiddies.

I just saw it advertised in time out and it didn't sound that bad and had a lot of emphasis on family fun.

www.timeout.com/london/theatre/river-stage

Nope. Picture of man in a pink woman’s swimsuit and around 20 mentions of “drag” should have tipped you off.

I wouldn’t be remotely interested in attending this and agree the “jokes” were disgusting and offensive but nothing about it says family friendly.

sazza76 · 19/07/2022 21:31

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11027323/Drag-star-banned-National-Theatre-joking-children-taught-open-LEGS.html

Clymene · 19/07/2022 21:45

Good!

And glad that it's clear I wasn't talking bollocks about the stage being easily visible and audible from the river prom. Someone repeatedly alleged that I have no idea where the river stage is because I said you can see and hear what's going on. Glad to have it confirmed that you don't have to crane over Waterloo bridge.

nolongersurprised · 19/07/2022 22:04

Someone repeatedly alleged that I have no idea where the river stage is

It’s almost like a few posters were deliberately trying to minimise and obfuscate the issue, isn’t it?

MichelleScarn · 19/07/2022 22:24

nolongersurprised · 19/07/2022 22:04

Someone repeatedly alleged that I have no idea where the river stage is

It’s almost like a few posters were deliberately trying to minimise and obfuscate the issue, isn’t it?

I know, who'd have thunk it? But remember the posters who were there and heard it were wrong that's absolutely not what was meant, and they probably never said it anyway, and it's just mean and bad posting about this that probably never happened and even so it shouldn't be allowed to discuss this the big meanies mumsnetters are!

AlisonDonut · 19/07/2022 22:30

HTH1 · 19/07/2022 21:27

Nope. Picture of man in a pink woman’s swimsuit and around 20 mentions of “drag” should have tipped you off.

I wouldn’t be remotely interested in attending this and agree the “jokes” were disgusting and offensive but nothing about it says family friendly.

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It literally says 'family fun'.

VestofAbsurdity · 19/07/2022 22:36

Don't forget the accusations of being ridiculous @MichelleScarn, but yes we just didn't understand.

nolongersurprised · 19/07/2022 22:43

MichelleScarn · 19/07/2022 22:24

I know, who'd have thunk it? But remember the posters who were there and heard it were wrong that's absolutely not what was meant, and they probably never said it anyway, and it's just mean and bad posting about this that probably never happened and even so it shouldn't be allowed to discuss this the big meanies mumsnetters are!

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And frothing. Lots of right-wing frothing. And those posters had edgy, dark senses of humour that all of us upright, types didn’t appreciate. You know, child sexual abuse? HA HA!

mackthepony · 20/07/2022 02:02

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11027323/Drag-star-banned-National-Theatre-joking-children-taught-open-LEGS.html

^

Daily Mail thinks so too, op, so someone else has obviously complained. Absolutely unbelievable

RightOnTime2022 · 20/07/2022 02:35

This whole statement is factually incorrect. You have misheard what was said and you have abhorrently taken to this because you were clearly offended from the outset. You also misread what the event was about and did not do your research. There is a strict policy of keeping the statements of the performances clean yet tongue in cheek as is The Glory. It’s unfortunate you felt so strongly of what you misheard to bring it online to perpetuate what feels geared with agenda. Go ahead and email who you need to with your boring statements of what you think was child abuse, it was NOT said. I was there for both of the days, extremely honed in on what was happening. Maybe fact check before getting it wrong and splaying your falsities for personal gain, it’s pretty dire.

Long live the Glory and who gives a flying f if drag kings are taking off their clothes, and showing off their bodies. It’s their bodies. Stop shaming and start appreciating that you were able to sit and watch FREE, yes, FREE performance without going to a drag event. It’s evident you would never walk into a drag event for drag kings, because you would not pay for it. I hope you sit with yourself and think about what truly was said.

it was one of the best weekends the National have done and this comes from someone who has been to The Glory twice in their life and the National, millions of times. Bloody epic and brave to get up there and strip (post-7pm mind you! - another inconsistent fact)

NotBadConsidering · 20/07/2022 04:16

Oh look, another person trivialising jokes about child sex abuse. Why don’t you tell us the following then:

If the joke was misheard, what was actually said?

If something different was said, why has the person that said it been fired?

If there’s a policy for keeping things clean, why haven’t the Glory responded to requests for comment to clarify its position on such matters?

ChagSameachDoreen · 20/07/2022 06:31

RightOnTime2022 · 20/07/2022 02:35

This whole statement is factually incorrect. You have misheard what was said and you have abhorrently taken to this because you were clearly offended from the outset. You also misread what the event was about and did not do your research. There is a strict policy of keeping the statements of the performances clean yet tongue in cheek as is The Glory. It’s unfortunate you felt so strongly of what you misheard to bring it online to perpetuate what feels geared with agenda. Go ahead and email who you need to with your boring statements of what you think was child abuse, it was NOT said. I was there for both of the days, extremely honed in on what was happening. Maybe fact check before getting it wrong and splaying your falsities for personal gain, it’s pretty dire.

Long live the Glory and who gives a flying f if drag kings are taking off their clothes, and showing off their bodies. It’s their bodies. Stop shaming and start appreciating that you were able to sit and watch FREE, yes, FREE performance without going to a drag event. It’s evident you would never walk into a drag event for drag kings, because you would not pay for it. I hope you sit with yourself and think about what truly was said.

it was one of the best weekends the National have done and this comes from someone who has been to The Glory twice in their life and the National, millions of times. Bloody epic and brave to get up there and strip (post-7pm mind you! - another inconsistent fact)

The National Theatre said the comments made by a performer went 'against the festival's content and performance guidelines' and the performer in question would be banned from River Stage in future.

Clymene · 20/07/2022 08:03

You obviously weren't listening @RightOnTime2022

SquirrelSoShiny · 20/07/2022 08:09

RoaringtoLangClegintheDark · 18/07/2022 22:25

I was wondering this, too. It’s very interesting seeing a real consequence of the extraordinary efforts that have been made to embed a form of adult entertainment in popular culture and children’s lives.

All those people saying that this was clearly not a family friendly show are obviously correct. But why were the parents so keen to go along in the first place, without even properly checking the programme? They saw drag and thought, great! Family fun! Ideal for the DC!

And there’s a reason they thought that. The reason being the way drag is being pushed and pushed at the general public, and specifically at children. These parents love Drag Race, I’m sure. OP says they think drag queen story time is great. They’ve completely forgotten (if they ever knew) that drag shows are very much adult entertainment, arising out of adult gay subculture and not remotely suitable for children at all.

Why has it been pushed like this? Why the hell do we have the phenomenon of adult entertainers with risqué names and no experience at all in children’s education, much less any awareness of safeguarding, going into schools and public libraries and reading to children? And endlessly promoted as family entertainment on TV?

It’s not that all these men present a risk to children (though a minority of them undoubtedly do, simply because that’s true of absolutely every demographic of men/male people). It’s that they seem to be being used as some kind of wedge to break down and blur boundaries, to introduce children to adult themes, sexualised content, awareness of a culture that isn’t meant for children at all.

It really does seem like there is a concerted attempt to normalise drag, to make it everyday - maybe connected to a simultaneous push to introduce fetishes into the everyday and normalise them, like the pup fetish at Pride these days, where you see police officers smiling for photo ops while holding the leash of a pup or two; or even kids interacting with and “petting” the pups. (I mean, we used to be clear that transvestism in heterosexual men was a sexual fetish, but now it’s being hailed as being under the LGBTQ+ umbrella and taught to teenagers in schools as something almost venerable.)

If you’re not worried, by this trend, it seems to me you actively don’t care about safeguarding, or you’re very naive.

I mean, WHY drag queen story time? Just why? What on earth have sexualised adult entertainers got to do with pre-school and primary school aged children? Why are they suddenly in practically every school and public library? Are we going to have stripper story time next? They sometimes have fabulous glittery outfits too, after all.

OP thinks it’s harmless. But this right here is part of the harm. Parents misguidedly taking their young children to an event that’s completely inappropriate for them, and where one of the performers actually made a joke about CSA. And people on here are defending making jokes about CSA in front of children.

Because we’re being told all the time that drag is great, and family friendly, and sooo much fun. And only bores and bigots and prudes don’t like it, don’t want it pushed on them on TV, pushed on children, constantly normalised.

Hmm.

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Excellent post.

RufustheFloralmissingreindeer · 20/07/2022 08:28

Clymene · 20/07/2022 08:03

You obviously weren't listening @RightOnTime2022

But they were honed in and everything!

can’t believe someone can read the thread…see the update and STILL post that 😀

RufustheFloralmissingreindeer · 20/07/2022 08:28

And right on time at that 😀😀😀

RufustheFloralmissingreindeer · 20/07/2022 08:29

That’s actually really funny

VestofAbsurdity · 20/07/2022 08:30

RightOnTime2022 · 20/07/2022 02:35

This whole statement is factually incorrect. You have misheard what was said and you have abhorrently taken to this because you were clearly offended from the outset. You also misread what the event was about and did not do your research. There is a strict policy of keeping the statements of the performances clean yet tongue in cheek as is The Glory. It’s unfortunate you felt so strongly of what you misheard to bring it online to perpetuate what feels geared with agenda. Go ahead and email who you need to with your boring statements of what you think was child abuse, it was NOT said. I was there for both of the days, extremely honed in on what was happening. Maybe fact check before getting it wrong and splaying your falsities for personal gain, it’s pretty dire.

Long live the Glory and who gives a flying f if drag kings are taking off their clothes, and showing off their bodies. It’s their bodies. Stop shaming and start appreciating that you were able to sit and watch FREE, yes, FREE performance without going to a drag event. It’s evident you would never walk into a drag event for drag kings, because you would not pay for it. I hope you sit with yourself and think about what truly was said.

it was one of the best weekends the National have done and this comes from someone who has been to The Glory twice in their life and the National, millions of times. Bloody epic and brave to get up there and strip (post-7pm mind you! - another inconsistent fact)

Oh dear @RightOnTime2022 seems you are out of the loop with the National Theatre as they don't agree with you.

Are you going to ask them to sit with themselves and think about what was said?

What a revelation it must be to some posters that they must now put the National Theatre on the same bench as the people they call ridiculous, right wing frothers, without a dark, edgy sense of humour, who just don't understand. I'd suggest that the ones who need to take a long hard look at themselves and really think and engage some understanding are the ones twisting themselves into pretzel shapes to excuse the inexcusable because it came from the mouth of one of their favoured, above any and all criticism or scrutiny, sacred caste.

VestofAbsurdity · 20/07/2022 08:32

RufustheFloralmissingreindeer · 20/07/2022 08:29

That’s actually really funny

It is, way to make an absolute fool of yourself in one easy lesson.

EntertainingandFactual · 20/07/2022 08:36

@RightOnTime2022

What WAS said then? If it wasn’t what people heard?

grey12 · 20/07/2022 08:43

LoudingVoice · 17/07/2022 19:54

How utterly bizarre, I think you should contact them about the content tbh, were there people with kids there?

So now peadophile jokes are ok if the audience is adult?! 🤨

arrogantorwhat37 · 20/07/2022 08:52

mackthepony · 20/07/2022 02:02

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11027323/Drag-star-banned-National-Theatre-joking-children-taught-open-LEGS.html

^

Daily Mail thinks so too, op, so someone else has obviously complained. Absolutely unbelievable

No, the DM picked this up from MN because they are too lazy to get their own stories. Then they made a mountain out of a molehill
But as an aside, when are adults allowed to be entertained? Children used to go to matinee performances of stuff, and it was generally understood that evening performances (apart from obv kids things such as fecken Frozen) were for grown ups. Even the Moulin Rouge's afternoon performances are toned down, but are approrpiate for adults in the pm.
Sadly, so many parents think it's ok to have kids out and about late, and that grown ups should modify their behavious accordingly