Some people are relaxation-challenged.
That doesn't mean they're easily bored or just a curmudgeon who can't be pleased for long. For a collection of reasons, some people are just unable to sit for long lengths of time or unable to comply with a social insistence of being silent and still for public functions.
These people are effectively shut out of cultural events like movies, concerts and plays. Especially plays. That's where getting up to go to the washroom six or eight times, or unfettered emotional reactions can influence not only the audience experience but the performance as well.
Bring it on, says Theatre NorthWest. Be yourself. Bring whatever condition you have. Don't be afraid to be yourself. Culture and art are not exclusively for the patient and politely contained.
The professional theatre company is pioneering for Prince George what some performing arts groups elsewhere have made a regular part of their services. One show during each production run will be reserved as a Relaxed Performance, when everyone in the room commits to being understanding and accommodating of others' sensory needs.
TNW also commits to some changes in the day's agenda like some introductions and explanations to the audience by the actors themselves to help put people at ease before the show begins, by adjusting the intensity of some sound and lighting effects, leaving the house lights on a little bit so people can comfortably see their surroundings, and allowances for people to come and go as they need.
If you have to attend the washroom, if your baby cries, if you have an intellectual condition that requires taking a peaceful break in another room, it can all happen without censure and will full empathy.
"It is also price reduced," said TNW general manager Marnie Hamagami. "Because having to live with a pronounced disability is more expensive. It just is. So if we can reduce the price so these special and just-as-deserving people can still access performing arts, that should be done, and it's our duty to help if we can. And we can."
It's not a raw theory. The theatre already did one of these Relaxed Performances and there was training taken to help the theatre's staff be prepared for some of the audience differences they might encounter, and the best practices already learned by other performance groups who've done it elsewhere in the world.
"People with autism have difficulties socially communicating and interacting with people so unless the staff have some understanding of this very complex condition it can be very difficult for them to actually journey through a building to access a show, exhibition, etc.," said Heather Wildsmith, the cultural development manager for the National Autistic Society in the U.K., explaining the importance of the Roundhouse Theatre's implementation of Relaxed Performances in London.
Wildsmith said, "People with autism are people, and the arts should be available to them for the same benefits as they are for everyone. However using drama and theatre has been shown to be very helpful to help people with autism interact and communicate and can raise self esteem. Attending live theatre events engages some people with autism in a way that TV and DVD are not able to. Being able to engage with the arts also decreases the chances of being socially isolated and by having a shared focus they are able to enjoy something alongside others without the pressure of having to interact with their neighbours if they do not want to."
The first attempt for Theatre NorthWest was not only encouraging from an artistic standpoint, it was also a win at the box office. The seats were about three-quarters full with only limited prior notice that the new service was underway. When this coming performance of Hedda Noir has its Relaxed Performance on March 3 and then the production of The Best Brothers takes its turn on April 28, even stronger numbers are expected.
"Not everybody who attended our first one was someone with an attention or anxiety challenge, or someone who had a baby or someone who had to go frequently to the washroom, but we got zero negative feedback," Hamagami said. "If there is some way we can provide the arts, provide a lifestyle service that so many other people can have so easily, then we are doing the community a service. It's one more way that Prince George people can access our own homegrown culture. We are so pleased it's working."
The full run of Hedda Noir takes place from Feb. 15 to March 4, followed by The Best Brothers from April 12-29. Tickets are on sale now, including for the Relaxed Performance dates, on the theatre's website and at Books & Company.
