Taking babies (under the age of 1) to the theatre?

[user1493715321]

So....
I know this has been discussed before but I wanted a more up to date opinion of how people feel towards taking your lo to the theatre?
I recently took my daughter (she is 9 months old) to a show at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, it was an adult show not a children's. Luckily she was very good and made hardly any noise, and when she did I would leave to ensure no one was disturbed (i was sat near the door).

It got me thinking that there should be a specific viewing, like relaxed performances, for parents/carers who want to go to the theatre but feel they can't because they have a young baby.....
What is everyone's views on this?

I doubt there would be enough demand. Noone likes playing to an empty theatre. It is also distracting for performers. You could go to a relaxed performance or get a babysitter. Some cinemas do baby friendly sessions but they tend to be daytime midweek.

So do you think this is because not enough parents/carers want to take babies with them? It's just the situation I am imagining is for those parents who can't find a babysitter or are exclusively breastfeeding and might not be able to pump (particularly in the first months).
I know it might be distracting but so are relaxed performances it's the same sort of concept isn't it? And I would assume that there would be a mutual understanding that if there was too much noise from a baby the parent/carer would take the baby out of the room and return when it was calm?

It just as an avid theatregoer I know that if this was an option in my hometown I would 100% go do you not think people would?

Provincial theatres often struggle to fill auditoriums as it is. Relaxed performances are often adapted to the target audience (shortened, reduced noise and special effects, less physicality) but only certain plays/musicals seem to work.

Sorry to go on but I am really interested in getting people's opinions. So do you think it is a case of there not being enough money in it?

I took my 6 mo to a performance at the ballet. I knew she'd be happy in her sling on me and would feed and sleep happily. I also had two 6 year olds with me. We were at a matinee performance.

Afterwards I did think I was incredibly lucky to get away with it. There were lots of lovely people who spoke to me about how good all the DC were but I also got a lot of looks when I arrived and sat down.

At least at ballet there is no dialogue and lots of lovely music I think for an adult theatre show you basically need to get a baby sitter. I'd be pretty pissed off if I paid a lot of money for tickets and had the show disrupted due to parents bringing their LOs.

In an ideal world relaxed performances would be lovely but I suspect there wouldn't be enough interest to make them viable.

Thanks soupmaker for the response. I completley agree that it would be frustrating for people who have paid to watch a show which is why, like you, when I saw a show with my lo (an adult one) I was extremely lucky that my daughter was quite attatched to me for the show.
Do you think the lack of interest would be from the parents/carers of from the theatre's and producers?

I just find it upsetting that once you become a parent, at least this is how I feel, you are pushed out of certain social situations because you have a baby.
I know that it would be unfair to affect paying customers viewing of a show, but surely there are enough mums/carers out their who would want to go to the theatre if they were given the chance to take their babies with them? I mean cinema's do it, so why can't theatre's?
I know its different but really, if you are a producer surely any publicity is good, and it would be good publicity for up and coming shows if they did a tailored screening don't you think?

As you said "luckily" yours behaved.

Tbh, my heart would sink if I saw anyone under the age of about 10 at the theatre unless it was panto or Wicked or something.

I think your idea might be a go-er somewhere like Canterbury or towns with a lot of "cultural" goings on.

So do you think that a mother who is breastfeeding and can't leave their baby would not beenfit from a relaxed viewing in which they could take the baby with them whilst they enjoy a show?

So do you think that a mother who is breastfeeding and can't leave their baby would not beenfit from a relaxed viewing in which they could take the baby with them whilst they enjoy a show?

You breastfed for a comparatively short time. It's no big sacrifice to not go to the theatre or pay a sitter during that time. I wouldn't have taken either DC. You can't instantly remove them when they make a racket and already you've annoyed people.

But this is why I think that a tailored viewing in which producers are aware that babies may make some noise and if they are too disruptive then they can leave.
I think there is a market for it because I have read so many articles and threads online where parents wish they could take their babies with them to the theatre.
For some people a babysitter isn't an option.
If cinema's do it why can't theatre's?

www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2013/mar/21/theatre-for-parents-child-babies

I actually think lots of theatres are increasingly offering relaxed performances. They're open to everyone, but particularly appropriate for anyone who may find the usual theatre environment challenging, be that due to an Autism Spectrum Condition, a learning disability, a fear loud noises or whatever. I think people might not be very aware of them yet - and maybe wouldn't think to bring a young baby along - but the National Theatre and lots of places in the West End definitely do them, although maybe at the moment they're mostly for "family shows"... Personally, I'm of the belief that theatre should be as open as possible to everyone and if I had my way, it would be the other way round and the majority of performances would be "relaxed" with performances particularly advertised for people who wanted/ needed to watch in a completely concentrated environment. I think being at home with a young baby can be really isolating and offering baby friendly performances would be a great way to get more people into theatre.

Theatres receive complaints about people rustling sweet wrappers. Those audience are not going to be vat all receptive to a crying baby.
In a quiet auditorium, someone getting up to go to the loo causes a disturbance, to the audience and the actors, never mind a mother and a snuffly baby.
Remember before your baby came along and how you felt if someone made a persistent noise in the auditorium. That feeling would be directed at you and your baby by people who have paid a lot for thier tickets.
As parents we have to accept that there are places we cannot go with our babies. But there are other ways of getting a culture fix. A filmed performance. Getting a baby sitter. Open air theatre.
Soon, very soon, you'll be back at the theatre

Hermagsjesty I completley agree with your comment!!
This is what I am talking about, theatre needs to open its doors to everyone not make anyone feel isolated.
Your point about relaxed performances showing mainly family shows is why I had the idea for theatre for parents with babies. Because this would mean that they had more ability to show adult shows rather than family shows (providing they were not too extreme of course)
I love that you too feel being a mum can make you feel isolated because thats exactly how I felt, and it didn't help that my partner didn't seem to have to give anthing up!

But are people right to get huffy about people rustling sweet wrappers or going to the loo?! I'd say not neccessarily... Our current theatre etiquette is very recent in theatre history (it's definitely not how audiences at the Globe used to behave). Why not rewrite those "rules" for some performances? As long as it's clear which performances are for audiences who want/ need to sit in silence and which performances are more relaxed? If theatres market it right, they'd potentially get mores bums on seats and leave both kinds of audiences happier. Not everyone wants to (or can) watch in reverent silence.

BlossomCat whilst I appreciate your comment I think you maybe misunderstand what i'm calling for, I think that theatres should do specific viewings for mums and babies ... why should we be excluded from theatre because we have a baby? If they can tailor their performances for relaxed viewings why can't they do the same for mums and babies its been done before as shown in the article I posted above?

I get both sides of this. I would go to a baby theatre performance- in fact I've literally just got back from baby cinema today. However- can theatres afford to put on these extra performances? Would they be able to fill the theatre for baby viewings?

If I went to a "regular" theatre viewing and there was a baby/small child near me I wouldn't be happy tbh- even though I have a baby (and a toddler) myself. Some places aren't meant for babies or small children and people go to those things to relax and shouldn't have to listen to a crying baby.

You're not excluded from theatres because you have a baby. They'd just prefer you didn't bring the baby with you...
Would you demand to bring your baby to the gym? To the pub?

If there were a market for it, then theatres would offer it, that they don't speaks for itself. It doesn't matter that you think a private business should cater to 'mums and babies' (a bit ironic that you feel excluded socially because you have a baby, but feel businesses should cater particularly to your own social needs and exclude others), they are under no obligation to provide services where it's not profitable to them.

Personally, I wouldn't be pleased to see babies and toddlers at a theatre performance that's not advertised as being relaxed.

Of course I don't expect it, I just wanted to create a post to discuss it as an option for the future, these sorts of things only get put in place through publicity.
Your point expatinscotland that its ironic I want them to tailor perfromances to myself and exclude others must mistake my intentions. I do not want, nor expect, theatres to exclude anyone in fact I want the opposite for them, if they had the budget to do so, to create tailored performances, like they do with relaxed performances, for mums and babies to enjoy. Its not an obligation but neither is relaxed performances and theyve begun to do that so maybe in the future parent and baby shows could also exist?
And Floggingmolly if I could I'd love to bring my baby to the gym!

Approach the theatres then, but it sounds like a nightmare for the performers. Who wants to try to act around a bunch of crying babies?

expatinscotland that is the worst case scenario, and this is asumming that if a baby was crying or being too disruptive they would leave and come back in when they are calm.
Relaxed performances are tailored to suit those with learning difficulties and are unable to sit still or be quite?
I know this isn't quite the same but I am sure that if parents went to the theatre with their babies there would be a mutual understanding that everyone wants to enjoy a show
and if the tickets sell then surely actors and producers wont mind a bit of noise?

The thing about changing the attitude to levels of audience noise is it might be lovely for the some of the audience to crackle their crisp packets, fizz open their bottles of pop, loudly explain to their children what the plot of the play is etc - but it makes the play completely inaudible to the rest of the audience.
I can't tell you how much money I've wasted over the last five years being unable to hear the actors speak. (No hearing difficulties on my part - the people around me were too bloody noisy).

SunnySomer, yes I suppose you are right and it is a little selfish to expect people to allow more noise just so a few can enojoy theatre ...
I do think tailored viewings could work though if only the budget was not an issue