Southampton

This afternoon saw our long-awaited relaxed performance at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton. To an audience of over 700, we performed the play in a specially adapted - although hardly muted - version. Much of the audience had been prepared with a special introduction pack, designed to minimise confusion and prepare those who might need it for the specifics of going to the theatre itself:

 

The most significant difference is that we were prepared for the audience to in no way censor their vocal reactions as the play went on. This is something that some people felt the need to warn us about; but, in a funny way, I think many of us welcome that kind of reaction. Personally, I've no interest in a thousand people just sitting in a theatre reverentially holding in their feelings: theatre is - or should be - interactive. It's not television. For me, the most disappointing sound that I hear on this job is the commanding "Shhh!" that kicks off many matinees, or shows where large parties of schoolchildren - who laugh a lot at things like swearing - are having to be policed by teachers. Because, personally, I'd rather hear their reactions than have them all go silent for an hour - which is usually what happens once they've been instructed to be quiet.

There was no fear of that today. Everybody said exactly what they wanted and whenever they wanted to, which led to some wonderfully spontaneous outbursts. There was one very popular member of the cast who managed to initiate three rounds of applause without even speaking.

But, in all seriousness, it was another reminder of why we do this play. Relaxed performances are part of the repertoire of many shows, not just ours; but obviously the subject matter of our play makes it particularly pertinent. It was especially rewarding to be able to hear from the audience themselves after the show, in a brief Q&A session. Huge thanks to the Mayflower Theatre for the opportunity to give this performance. I hope that eventually, relaxed performances become standard: like signed, captioned and audio-described performances.

Photo courtesy of@curiousonstage

Another treat for us today: the unveiling of the new trailer which we filmed on May 19th, in Canterbury. I'm very proud that this will be advertising the production, worldwide, for a while.