Bad enough that literature (or history or sociology or whatever) professors feel obligated to provide trigger warnings, so that students can avoid reading about topics that make them feel uncomfortable, situations that are going to cause them stress. Maybe colleges should instead set up an entirely anodyne curriculum for a survey course that will satisfying a humanities checklist item. I can’t think of any books that would qualify for Nice Novels 101, but I’m sure there are some nice-y-nice ones out there. Nice lady meets nice man. They do nice things. They have a nice house. They have nice kids. And nice neighbors. Come to think of it, all that niceness might well trigger someone.
But someone who can’t read about unpleasant topics maybe just has to accept that they can’t major in any area that might involve sex, violence, sexual violence, racism, sexism, ageism, looksism, etc. They maybe need to look at STEM concentrations.
Anyway, I thought all this was bad enough. But trigger warnings at the theater?
The Denver Center Theater Company staged “Vietgone”, a comedy that takes place during the Vietnam War. They’ve posted a sign outside the theater door that warns patrons about what they’re about to see.
“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.” (Source: NY Times)
Okay. I can see a notice about strobe lighting. A theatergoer might not expect strobe lights, and I believe that this can have a rather nasty impact on someone with epilepsy. But sexual situations? Adult language? Adult humor and content? For crying out loud. Read a review, already, so that you can avoid anything saltier than The Music Man.
“This production may trigger an adverse reaction,” Baltimore Center Stage said of “Wasted” a play about the aftermath of an alcohol-fueled sexual encounter.
Shouldn’t the play’s title be enough of a tipoff that something unpleasant, a must-avoid for certain folks, is going on here? Find a high school that’s putting on Our Town. No, wait. Didn’t Thornton Wilder slip a suicide in there?
In Sarasota, Fla., Asolo Repertory Theater not only disclosed “potentially disturbing, realistically depicted gun violence” in “Gloria” which depicts a workplace shooting, but also included plot particulars in a spoiler section on its website.
Want a play about the workplace? Is Pajama Game too racy? “Steam Heat” is kind of a sexy-ish tune. Maybe Deskset would work?
Philadelphia’s Interact Theater Company went one step further: In addition to warning that “Sensitive Guys” dealt with sexual assault, the company designated a “safe space” in the lobby and invited representatives of Women Organized Against Rape to talk to patrons upset by the material.
Even though I never hang on for post-show discussions,I’m all for having a conversation about what’s gone on in play. But a “safe space” for theatergoers?Just don’t go.
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.
Well, call me a Girl Who Can’t Say No, but offering guidance for those who can’t take Poor Jud being dead. Just say no to this sort of nonsense. It’s a Scandal! It’s an Outrage!
Really, going to the theater is mostly about being entertained. But it’s often about being challenged, provoked, as well. Scary things, nasty things, confusing things, things that make you think. Or feel a bit uncomfortable. Theater happens.
But those who have come of age in the trigger warning era apparently want them.
“People who have grown up with warnings now expect them,” said Becky Witmer, the managing director of ACT Theater in Seattle.
And less you think this is purely the province of companies in liberal, PC enclaves, the marketing director of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival said that:
…some audience members had even walked out of “Annie” because Daddy Warbucks said “damn.”
Hand me my fainting salts, please.
If you’re going to warn your potential patrons, I like the Dallas Theater Center’s approach to Hair.
“WARNING,” it announced on its website. “This production will include hippies cursing, smoking pot, getting naked, mocking societal conventions, meditating, taking LSD, flaunting their sexuality, celebrating their race, creating a happening, singing and dancing. Also, there will be audience participation. Consider yourself warned.”
Sounds good to me!
But reading about Hair does trigger a memory.
I never saw it, but I’m from that era. And I did have the album, which I played all the time.
At my house, we pretty much shared records, and my sister Trish, who’s 10 years younger than I am, also liked to listen to Hair.
At some point, it occurred to my mother that there might be something on there that wasn’t especially appropriate for a 9 year old. So she asked me and my friend Marie if there was anything objectionable on the album. Without missing a beat, Marie told her, “masturbation can be fun,” which is, indeed, part of the lyrics to the song “Sodomy.” I suspect that was it for Trish and Hair. Marie and I didn’t hang around to find out. We just got in her father’s car and headed to Friendly’s, singing songs from Hair as we rode through the streets of Worcester.
Consider yourself warned.
No comments:
Post a Comment