Award Winning Playwright Almost Slaps a Theatre Patron (and what that apparently says about our theatre) — Page 3

MisterMatt, it is racist, and here's why. 

As theatre has been generally established as a cultural obligation for the old, white, and rich, there's an ownership and entitlement that comes with that. There's a perception that theatre is high art and that it must be revered, consumed in total silence and rapture. Meanwhile, theatre as an artform practically begs vocal, alive, present response. For this and countless other reasons, theatre is stuck. 

Theres a lack of inclusivity. More diverse audiences, people of different ages, races, classes, beliefs, sexualities longing to feel reached and understood but, as most theatre caters to a select group, they haven't really been invited to the party yet. White people have claimed the theatre and feel fully entitled to dictate how it should be enjoyed. 

So whether it's subconscious or not, there's a notion of "You're in my house, obey my rules" that white people associate with theatre going. Seeing Ms. Morisseau, a younger woman of colour who also happens to respond quite vocally and physically to the work she experiences, no doubt set off this entitlement. The woman Morisseau encountered is in no way in the right to police how others may react to the theatre. You can also argue that her comment about the gum is tied into a racist stereotype but that's obviously inconclusive. 

Telling as well that most of you responding are yourselves white. For myself? There are nooks and crannies to my privilege so subtle that I'm unaware of them. But I'm learning. And if we want to be allies, it behooves us to learn as much as we can. 

And let's cut the sh!t about the "She should be grateful for the free ticket" thing. Giving Morisseau a ticket does not mean Jane owns her now. Was Morisseau's response a bit aggressive? Maybe. But is she tired of white privilege and the oppression and casual racism she faces on a daily basis? Most certainly. I know the article struck me as arrogant the first time I read it.... But the more I read it over, the less I thought that.

Updated On: 12/11/15 at 02:21 AM

Adam's analysis is absolutely terrific; I think the readers should also keep in mind Morisseau's cis-privilege and native-born privilege (and other privileges that I may be forgetting because I don't possess good-memory privilege).

Needing to concentrate to hear the actors is not a characteristic of white people.  Asking someone to please be less intrusive and distracting is not a white activity. 

Noise in a theatre at times when the actors are still talking (and not leaving space for a response) is actually quite similar to smoking in an indoor space.  In some sense, smokers have a right to smoke if they want to and non-smokers have a right to breathe clean air.  But both can't happen in the same space.  Since someone smoking among others forces others to breathe in the smoke, many societies have decided not to allow smoking when it restricts the ability of those who don't want to or can't handle it to breathe properly.  

Noise is a theatre is similarly intrusive on all those nearby - they cannot *not hear* someone who expresses their thoughts out loud.  So expressing one's thoughts loudly while the actors are speaking forces others to listen to the loud audience member's response instead of focusing on their own thoughts.  For that reason, the 'right' to enjoy theatre loudly and the 'right' to enjoy it quietly are not equivalent things that should be treated as equally valid.  The audience member who enjoys responding loudly can still enjoy her own thoughts if she doesn't express them out loud, but by expressing them out loud, she prevents others from enjoying their own thoughts/reactions to the theatre that they are seeing, and worse, possibly prevents them from hearing it (or all of it). 

None of these issues have anything to do with race, but entitlement (to make the experience all about one audience member rather than allowing everyone to have a chance to enjoy it) certainly seems to be playing a role.  And the entitlement in this story was displayed most egregiously by the author of the article. 

If they are next to you making noise and you can see they are a POC, you are entitled. If they are behind you  making noise and you don't know their race, you are just annoyed. I'm not sure why this is so hard for people to understand.

"If they are next to you making noise and you can see they are a POC, you are entitled."

Unless this  is another one of your "jokes", you must be kidding.

got it!

And that, Charlie Brown, is the true meaning of Christmas!

The minute I see the word "micro aggression" my brain shuts down. I say what I mean and someone else does not have the right to tell me what I intended, only how they reacted.  But I have to agree. There was enough rude and presumptuous behavior on both sides. 

Kad said: "In anything, this story should help bring us closer together in the knowledge that people of all races and ages can be obnoxious. "

And sometimes the whiteness just bleeds through the pixels.

#whitesubscribersmatter

"And sometimes the whiteness just bleeds through the pixels."

As do all other colors.

I call my cat Miss Thing.... All the time. And... she's black. I feel ashamed.

Updated On: 12/12/15 at 10:07 PM