Theatre is a dialogue, and yet many shows don't encourage a dialogue with their audiences. Maddy Costa questions the idea of the 'reasonable audience' and the model of spectatorship it presents.
'There’s something peacock-gratifying to the ego about seeing your own name in academic print. So thanks, Dr Kirsty Sedgman, for repeated references in your book The Reasonable Audience to a blog I wrote for the Guardian in March 2015 about relaxed performances. The post was prompted by a discussion at Battersea Arts Centre in London, which raised the possibility of all theatre performances being relaxed, with occasional “uptight” performances being programmed to accommodate those who prefer to experience live theatre in a strictly controlled and rarefied atmosphere.
Hosted by artist-activists Jess Thom and Jess Mabel Jones, the discussion – and an ensuing partnership with Thom and her company Touretteshero – led directly to BAC beginning to operate as a relaxed venue early in 2019. That means every performance starts with an announcement that latecomers are welcome, as is a return to the performance for anyone who needs to leave to use the toilet or get a drink or just have a quiet moment in the chill-out room, and movement both physical and vocal within the audience is accepted. I’ve seen a few shows at BAC this year and can honestly say it’s been transformative, both in terms of the liberatory spirit within that building and how I feel when I see theatre elsewhere.' ...Keep reading on Exeunt
'There’s something peacock-gratifying to the ego about seeing your own name in academic print. So thanks, Dr Kirsty Sedgman, for repeated references in your book The Reasonable Audience to a blog I wrote for the Guardian in March 2015 about relaxed performances. The post was prompted by a discussion at Battersea Arts Centre in London, which raised the possibility of all theatre performances being relaxed, with occasional “uptight” performances being programmed to accommodate those who prefer to experience live theatre in a strictly controlled and rarefied atmosphere.
Hosted by artist-activists Jess Thom and Jess Mabel Jones, the discussion – and an ensuing partnership with Thom and her company Touretteshero – led directly to BAC beginning to operate as a relaxed venue early in 2019. That means every performance starts with an announcement that latecomers are welcome, as is a return to the performance for anyone who needs to leave to use the toilet or get a drink or just have a quiet moment in the chill-out room, and movement both physical and vocal within the audience is accepted. I’ve seen a few shows at BAC this year and can honestly say it’s been transformative, both in terms of the liberatory spirit within that building and how I feel when I see theatre elsewhere.' ...Keep reading on Exeunt