Trigger Warnings Come to the Stage

[Peter2]

Posted: 11/18/18 at 11:22pm

“The warning sign was just outside the theater door. ‘Please be advised,’ it cautioned, in capital letters. ‘This production contains: Strobe lighting effects. Sudden loud noises. Theatrical fog/haze. Scenes of violence. Adult language. Sexual situations. Adult humor and content.’”

https://nyti.ms/2Dw4EkV

Updated On: 11/18/18 at 11:22 PM

[DrowsyKaye]

Posted: 11/18/18 at 11:48pm

lol this is literally what every movie has, and no one makes a big deal about those.

Also, a good content warning doesn't give away spoilers, it's just something helpful for people with PTSD, or who have issues with strobe lighting, or just maybe want to know about the content of a production.

People love making mountains out of molehills to try and make an argument about the "PC Police" or some nonsense like that.

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 11/18/18 at 11:53pm

I think this is a really important change. For anyone that tries to scream about "being too PC," this is seriously important for people living with PTSD. This allows for Veterans and survivors of terrorism to know what to expect. It can also warn those who are suvivors or victims of sexual assault or rape. This is seriously important and I'm happy to see this in just about every theatre now.

[Peter2]

Posted: 11/18/18 at 11:56pm

Sorry about the weird punctuation in my original post. I can’t seem to fix it. 

[Anakela]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 12:19am

Even theatrical war horses are not exempt: For its recent production of “Oklahoma!,” St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn handed out a black card when patrons picked up their tickets, warning of gunshots as well as “moments of darkness and violence” and offering guidance for those who feel compelled to walk out.

huh, I saw Oklahoma! at St Ann's, and I absolutely do not remember this. 

[annang]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 12:48am

Anyone who sees live theatre regularly has seen these sorts of warnings, especially about physical health hazards like smoke and strobe lights, for years. I’m really surprised the Times is acting brand new.

And expanding the warnings to include warnings about serious violence, potentially unwanted touching of audience members, and things people may want to know before making decisions about what to show their kids, will likely help make shows more accessible to more people. Beats the status quo, where I have to call the theatres a lot of the time before buying tickets because I don’t like to be touched without my consent. Would have saved me a bunch of money on Hedwig tickets...

[Shh_413]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 1:00am

I don't really have a problem with an abundance of these, especially in live theatre where you can get more immersed and the line between fiction and reality is more easily blurred. It's harder for your brain to comprehend that it's not really a rape scene or a gunshot happening even if you know you're seeing a show.

I don't see the problem especially when I consider the alternative.

[Ravenclaw]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 2:21am

I don't understand why people get so up in arms about the existence of trigger warnings. If you feel they are unnecessary or in some way deter your experience of the play, don't read them. They don't get in your way, they do not censor the material, and they can be extremely helpful for survivors of trauma. You disclose the use of strobe lighting in advance so that nobody in your audience has a seizure during the play. Likewise, you should disclose the use of gunshots and portrayals of physical and sexual violence so that people with PTSD don't undergo avoidable panic attacks in the theatre. For 99% of the audience, it doesn't matter, but for that 1% it makes a huge difference. The rhetoric in this article of "I have no need for these warnings, so why should they exist?" is extremely lacking in empathy. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 5:58am

Most of us forget those signs right after we walk away from them, it hinders nothing.

Mountain meet molehill. 9

[Gizmo6]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 8:25am

Peter2 said: "“The warning sign was just outside the theater door. ?Please be advised,’ it cautioned, in capital letters. ?This production contains: Strobe lighting effects. Sudden loud noises. Theatrical fog/haze. Scenes of violence. Adult language. Sexual situations. Adult humor and content.’”

https://nyti.ms/2Dw4EkV"

We've had these signs years in UK and Ireland. Sometimes they announce it before the production. 

[raddersons]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 8:49am

How is this any different from movie ratings?

If you don't like it, don't look at the sign. This is something that affects no one unless they need it. 

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 10:04am

I have a hard time understanding how anyone could be bothered by this, given that it doesn't affect the show or experience in any way.

If we ever got to a point that they would, like, pause a show right before a potentially triggering scene for a stage manager to come out and give a warning to the audience, then yeah.. that's the "PC Police" out of control.

But a sign on the door, or a slip of paper in the program that can actually help the people whom it's made for... what on earth is the problem?

[Kad]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 10:11am

The main response I've been seeing to this is "this is news?"

I can't recall a time in which audiences weren't given a heads up about things like gunshots, haze/smoke, strobes, or explicit or violent content. Live presentations of things like those are legitimately problems for people for a wide array of reasons, whether psychologically or physically.

[Armie3]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 10:21am

The people who seem annoyed with this are the same people who hate "P.C. culture"  and "safe spaces" and see this as another example of how today's young people are entitled and spoiled and all that other bull****.

Updated On: 11/19/18 at 10:21 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 10:23am

Armie3 said: "The people who seem annoyed with this are the same people who hate "P.C. culture" and see this as another example of how today's young people are entitled and spoiled and all that other bull****."

From my experience working as a house manager and in subscriber services at various theatres when I was younger, it's largely not even young people who are the ones who take issue with content.

 

[LarryD2]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 10:27am

Trigger warnings and content warnings serve a purpose, which is to allow consumers to make an informed decision and maximize the enjoyment of everyone attending a performance. It has nothing to do with censorship. I can't believe this is still an issue people consider worth debating.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 10:39am

This is...not new?

I remember seeing these signs for as long as I've been attending the theater (since the early 90's).  As a child, this was how I learned (from asking my parents) that a strobe light could trigger a seizure in someone who is epileptic. 

Updated On: 11/19/18 at 10:39 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 10:43am

It's also weird that the article doesn't interview anyone who, say, may have experienced a shooting when reporting on the content warning for a play like Gloria.

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 10:48am

Armie3 said: "The people who seem annoyed with this are the same people who hate "P.C. culture" and "safe spaces" and see this as another example of how today's young people are entitled and spoiled and all that other bull****."

These signs have been around for a very long time though. Before today's young people became entitled, etc.

 

In my ushering experience over the years I have never heard a complaint. Some years ago I had a few people who read the sign and asked when certain things happened. I actually escorted one person out before a scene that had heavy use of strobes. Waited with her and escorted her back in after the scene. She was an older lady and was very happy the warning was there.

I have found language to be more of a thing. Always with parents who did not research a show before buying tickets. But even doing that at times does not warn you about language. I have seen parents with young kids decide not to even go into a theater after seeing the sign or being told about the language.

[l0l]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 11:46am

This is nothing new, especially at smaller theatres who care more about the mental health of their patrons.

Saw "Lured" at Theater for the New City, a play about Russian neo-nazis abducting gay men and subjecting them to sadistic acts while filming them. The ticket person was very explicit that the show contains "extreme violence". I've been amused by trigger warnings at other theatres, but this time I did hesitate for a split second. Being gay from Easter Europe, violence against gay men is a constant threat etched into my mind forever. It was hard to watch, and I'm glad I was informed going in.

Updated On: 11/19/18 at 11:46 AM

[Peter2]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 1:24pm

Three things related to this that always puzzle me, especially in the era of Google: that people will shell out large sums of money for tickets to shows they haven’t bothered to learn a thing about; that people assume all Broadway shows are appropriate for children; and, conversely, the idea some parents have that their children must be protected at all costs from difficult or grownup subjects, or even just everyday bad language (good luck with that). So I guess the warnings are necessary. At least the theatre can point to the sign and say they gave them fair warning.  

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 3:16pm

These have always been included for as long as I can remember going to the theater! Literally decades.

What an absolute piece of sensationalist garbage.

[Niles Silvers]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 4:24pm

Although this is another obvious rw trolling; the fear (real or imagined) is that this will lead to outright censorship of certain ideas and images.  

[kelsey1389]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 4:39pm

I am THE BIGGEST proponent of this, and I love the idea of content warnings. I live in NJ, but a lot of people around me don't necessarily have a lot of experience with theater outside Wicked and the Disney shows (which is fine). But the woman I babysit for knows I have an interest in theater, and she could not stop talking about how excited she was for her kids to see the live version of Hair because (and I swear this is true) "that show is just such a great example of the power of peaceful protest and music during the Civil Rights Movement!!". I just had an image of her taking the kids (age 8 and 9) to see a local production of Hair thinking it was Hairspray, and having to leave before intermission. Content warning help people make important decisions about whether that show is right for them and their families.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 5:00pm

I have to say, I was very surprised to open this tread and find that almost every single comment here is in favor of content warnings. I'm completely with you, but the last few threads on this topic have been absolute sh*it-shows, full of whiny curmudgeons complaining about how sensitive people are these days. I'm genuinely surprised that none of them have chimed in on this thread yet.