Black Superhero - Royal Court

[zahidf]

Apr 10, 2023 12:23:16 GMT oxfordsimon said:

Apr 10, 2023 11:15:33 GMT zahidf said:

Its certainly an interesting way to react to a play rather than walking out.

Maybe more 'relaxed' performances are the way forwards, like the BAC does for all their shows? You can cater for people who do want to interact with a theatre show or go for a break if triggered.

Tourettes hero, a disabled theatre maker, does say how their condition makes it difficult to enjoy shows. There is probably a midway point to it

There is a huge difference between designating certain performances as relaxed events to be as inclusive as possible and the sort of behaviour this person chose to engage in.

The first is a positive contribution to theatregoing in contemporary society.

The latter is just acting up to be noticed. And yes, she has achieved that.

If she was genuinely triggered by what was happening on stage, why would she not just remove herself from the cause of such distress?

Staging her own performance to demonstrate her feelings is just rude.

We shouldn't tolerate such behaviour. It sets back the push for more inclusive performances.

Oh I don't disagree that this particular person seems to be rude. Just if there are more relaxed performances, someone like that nay be going tk those where they can act like that

[londonpostie]

Apr 10, 2023 12:23:16 GMT oxfordsimon said:

We shouldn't tolerate such behaviour. It sets back the push for more inclusive performances.

Beware the cancer of social media, at which she seems adept. Wouldn't you just be oppressing her, unmasking your own hatred, reinforcing her victimhood? Plus, the bigotry of suppressing another female voice. And the racism because yeah it's racist and if you can't see that, etc?

Called out by name, for the world to see.

I think you might find her blend of identifies - at least for 48 or so hours - is more important than all the other identities jostling for the same spotlight.

This is the world entirely made and facilitated by white liberals, which the Marxist/cultural rev/gen z kids have taken and run with - altogether, the educated people who absolutely know what's best for us all in this unspeakable, rancid, racist country ..

So, I wish your "we" good luck with that.

[nicolaa]

Can I ask what is so "triggering" about the show?

[n1david]

Apr 10, 2023 14:35:00 GMT nicolaa said:

Can I ask what is so "triggering" about the show?

You might want to look at the Content Warnings and Self-Care Guide here: royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/black-superhero/

[luvvie23]

Apr 10, 2023 13:13:46 GMT londonpostie said:

Apr 10, 2023 12:23:16 GMT oxfordsimon said:

We shouldn't tolerate such behaviour. It sets back the push for more inclusive performances.

Beware the cancer of social media, at which she seems adept. Wouldn't you just be oppressing her, unmasking your own hatred, reinforcing her victimhood? Plus, the bigotry of suppressing another female voice. And the racism because yeah it's racist and if you can't see that, etc?

Called out by name, for the world to see.

I think you might find her blend of identifies - at least for 48 or so hours - is more important than all the other identities jostling for the same spotlight.

This is the world entirely made and facilitated by white liberals, which the Marxist/cultural rev/gen z kids have taken and run with - altogether, the educated people who absolutely know what's best for us all in this unspeakable, rancid, racist country ..

So, I wish your "we" good luck with that.

She shouldn’t be making noises in the theatre. Distracting for the actors doing their jobs.

[kate8]

The RC doesn’t do many relaxed performances, and they are always on a Saturday afternoon - hardly doing their best to accommodate those who need this option (although it doesn’t sound like this particular person cared about their impact on others).

On the other hand the BAC ‘one size fits all’ approach is lazy in a different way - thinking you can meet the needs of a huge range of disabilities, neurodiversities and everyone else by just letting everyone make noise and wander around.

I’m autistic and find it hard to cope with visual distractions and noise. I would avoid BAC because I know I’d find it too stressful, so it’s not inclusive of people like me, or the many people who might not have a disability but just value being able to enjoy theatre without distractions.

I think a better answer is to enforce and publicise existing rules, but also have many more relaxed performances, and be clear that they are not just for disabled or neurodiverse people, but anyone who prefers that way of seeing theatre.

[londonpostie]

Relaxed performances cost a shed load of money because they are so sparsely attended, and require significant staffing. The lost financial opportunity is considerable - not too many customers prefer the lights up, the comings and goings, chatter, etc.

If you think Saturday afternoon is a bad idea, I can't think when might be a good idea. As you'll know, disabled people work, as well. A Saturday afternoon is the most generous allocation of resources I have ever known.

[kate8]

Apr 11, 2023 9:55:27 GMT londonpostie said:

Relaxed performances cost a shed load of money because they are so sparsely attended, and require significant staffing. The lost financial opportunity is considerable - not too many customers prefer the lights up, the comings and goings, chatter, etc.

If you think Saturday afternoon is a bad idea, I can't think when might be a good idea. As you'll know, disabled people work, as well. A Saturday afternoon is the most generous allocation of resources I have ever known.

Disabled people also go out in the evenings, same as everyone else.

My point is that they should be marketed differently. They’re not ‘disabled performances’. They’re performances for people who don’t like to stay quiet and still, or find it difficult. Judging by the Bad Behaviour thread, there are plenty of them. Maybe it ought to be seen as an opportunity.

[kate8]

I should say, I’m not suggesting that disabled people are ‘badly behaved’ more that theatres might see that the needs of some disabled people are similar to the behavioural norms of other non-disabled people. So why not market ‘relaxed’ as something for all, rather than a special thing for disability inclusion?

[wiggymess]

Apr 11, 2023 10:31:06 GMT kate8 said:

I should say, I’m not suggesting that disabled people are ‘badly behaved’ more that theatres might see that the needs of some disabled people are similar to the behavioural norms of other non-disabled people. So why not market ‘relaxed’ as something for all, rather than a special thing for disability inclusion?

Are they marketed as only for disability inclusion?

royalcourttheatre.com/your-visit/access/performance-relaxed-environment/
"We aim to create a space for everyone, especially people who would benefit from a more informal experience."

The RC are clearly getting a lot wrong recently, I'm not suggesting otherwise, but complaining about the performances being on Saturday afternoons seems misguided. I'm fairly sure there would be much more of a backlash if the relaxed performances were of a weekday evening.

[alessia]

I'm gobsmacked at the entitlement and self centred attitude of this person - she ought to have read what the play was about and avoided it, or she could have left if she felt triggered. Was she expecting everyone else to sit and endure her weird noises while attempting to enjoy the play?

[Deleted]

So. Anyone seen the play lately?

[londonpostie]

Apr 11, 2023 11:23:36 GMT wiggymess said:

Apr 11, 2023 10:31:06 GMT kate8 said:

I should say, I’m not suggesting that disabled people are ‘badly behaved’ more that theatres might see that the needs of some disabled people are similar to the behavioural norms of other non-disabled people. So why not market ‘relaxed’ as something for all, rather than a special thing for disability inclusion?

Are they marketed as only for disability inclusion?

royalcourttheatre.com/your-visit/access/performance-relaxed-environment/
"We aim to create a space for everyone, especially people who would benefit from a more informal experience."

The RC are clearly getting a lot wrong recently, I'm not suggesting otherwise, but complaining about the performances being on Saturday afternoons seems misguided. I'm fairly sure there would be much more of a backlash if the relaxed performances were of a weekday evening.

The ENO's relaxed performance of Akhnaten was last Tuesday at 2.30. Easter break had just begun (obv. the target demographic on this occasion) so a great time for parents with children (and they were brilliantly catered for with extra activities). But not so good for people who wanted to go but were at work.

Well done the Royal Court for sacrificing a proper Saturday earner for those who feel more comfortable in less conventional surroundings.

[londonpostie]

Apr 11, 2023 10:31:06 GMT kate8 said:

I should say, I’m not suggesting that disabled people are ‘badly behaved’ more that theatres might see that the needs of some disabled people are similar to the behavioural norms of other non-disabled people. So why not market ‘relaxed’ as something for all, rather than a special thing for disability inclusion?

Because people complain and want their money back and make a lot of noise on social media. So there is a screening process at most venues. You can't often buy tickets online because they want you to speak to the box office, who will talk you through what can happen at a relaxed performance before you buy, or don't.

As mentioned, these tend to be labour-intensive performances, with an awful lot of thought going into the day itself.

[alicechallice]

Apr 11, 2023 13:04:43 GMT @stevea said:

So. Anyone seen the play lately?

I went with a friend on Thursday afternoon but we left at the interval, mainly because I was feeling ill but we might have stuck it out longer had it been a bit more compelling. 

Lewis Brown was doing a very good job of not having to rely on the script in his hand. I thought the other performances weren't anything that special.

It seemed like more of a series of conversations than a play. It was quite amusing but it felt like it had zero momentum. I know things were due to get more serious in the second act but I needed a lie-down. 

[Steve]

Apr 11, 2023 13:04:43 GMT @stevea said:

So. Anyone seen the play lately?

I saw it through to the end at the Saturday matinee, and liked a lot about it, but it was trying to do and say way too many things at once. Like Alice, I liked Lewis Brown; I also liked Dyllon Burnside and I loved Rochenda Sandall, who I wished had an even bigger part lol.

Some spoilers follow. . .

One of my favourite plays of last year was the Almeida's "Daddy." It was a play about a black artist who feels marginalised, gets himself a "Daddy" (Claes Bang singing George Michael's "Father Figure"), and then cooly manipulates his Daddy until he achieves everything he wants in his career.

This play is, at it's core, the sad version of "Daddy," cos the protagonist's Daddy/superhero fantasies are not reciprocated, he is too genuine to be manipulative, and he suffers at the bottom of the artistic totem pole in perpetuity. Everything else: his psychological problems (probed in depth in the second half); his problems with a racist industry; his problems with his compromising friends; his unrealised artistic dreams; are presented in a rambling unfocused way which doesn't build dramatically in a focused way to a climax.

Given the theme of the play, about how sidelined someone with psychological trauma can be, I felt glad to see Lewis Brown in the part, an actor whose experience catching up with the other actors mirrors his character's (futile) attempt to catch up with the careers of his friends. The original casting of the playwright in the role feels less appropriate to me, as such a powerless character mustn't have the perceived ability to rewrite the lines of everyone else, who are all above him in the social pecking order, especially not the lines of his ultimate fantasy object, the actor playing a movie superhero, Dyllon Burnside.

Burnside is very convincing as a wheeling dealing entitled yet fearful Hollywood type, and Rochenda Sandall is simply superb as the only person who deep down cares about the flailing protagonist, his tough sister with a heart of gold.

Ultimately, there is a lot of interesting and believable dialogue about a lot of things, but the focus is lost regarding how much the protagonist needs a superhero Daddy, and why, and the tone flips from comedy to tragedy just as carelessly.

A fascinating curate's egg. 3 stars from me.

[luvvie23]

Saw this tonight. I have to say I loved the performances more than the play. The play feels to gimmicky and made to many references to popular culture for my liking.
Lewis Brown has achieved so much in taking on this role in such difficult circumstances. Tonight was his first night without the script, and he was fantastic. Likeable, with a beautiful vulnerability. Dyllon and Lewis had a raw chemistry that worked. I also loved Rochenda. But Dyllon was so desperately attractive that it gave the play a Hollywood feel.
I have to say the play didn’t feel lesser for not having DLW in the lead. What a shame Lewis didn’t get a decent press night and all the glory. Let’s hope this gives him a break he rightfully deserves.

[drmaplewood]

*cough*

[foxa]

I enjoyed this, certainly more than I expected given its difficult journey. I think the 3 to 4 star reviews it received from a lot of the press were about right and agree with luvvie23 that Lewis Brown did a great job. I was sorry that he wasn't slipped in the programme/playtext - if you missed the notice on the auditorium door, you wouldn't have known who was playing the role.

I thought the first 2/3s to 3/4s of the play worked pretty well with a number of laugh out loud moments and a beady eye on conversations actors have/competition between friends/blurred lines between friendship/sex, but it lost steamed towards the end (the childhood memories were less interesting to me and a late scene swerved into the joyless depiction of gay sex about which David had been complaining.) The direction was pacey and varied. The audience really stuck with the play and the cast looked very happy at the curtain call. Dyllon's wardrobe was very appealing. So a flawed evening, but it's a real play with some interesting ideas.

[Being Alive]

Going tonight on the £12 Mondays...intrigued to say the least.

[kb1985]

Allegedly, the issues stemmed from Wynter feeling a) the show wasn't ready, b) he wasn't supported in reworking elements of the show into its opening, that is to say the public run beyond previews, and c) that he didn't feel comfortable getting on a stage each night and performing a personal, self-penned work, while he believed others were making decisions in the *intent* that he'd fail.

Now, while I can sympathise with Wynter's situation and imagine the stress of having to deliver, in real-time, an artistic offering that you don't think is where it needs to be, night after night, the Court also has commitments to fulfil. Yes, as a venue, in many ways, their raison d'etre is the support of new writers, but I think Wynter's persecution complex (which manifests itself in accusations on social media of gaslighting, manipulation, people setting him up to fail and people not caring if he were dead - on an almost daily basis) isn't warranted in respect to the Court. The Court has been supportive of Wynter prior to this commission, as he as remained in the highly network fold of the Court for years before this, and more directly in the commission of this work itself. No one at the Court wanted this to fail. The Court's rep is hardly squeaky clean anecdotally within industry circles (some of its working practices are known to be sloppy), but this acrimonious split is atypical for them.

Do I think splits like this will be a recurring issue for the Court? No. Do I think Wynter's use of social media throughout this situation is ill-advised and that the weaponisation is unfair to a theatre that commissioned his first work? Yes. Is this the first time I've heard something about Wynter that I've not liked? No - the swipes he's made allegedly in industry talk at former costars who have found Stranger Things fame is unpleasant and his alleged obsession with belittling and demeaning people in his wrestling for power is nauseating. Is it the first time I've heard of him terminating a work relationship in this way? Yes. It's staggering.

It's not fair on the Court or the rest of the cast, in my opinion. Mental health breaks are necessary and completely valid. Exiting a production allegedly because the venue won't allow a hiatus to right the show as you see fit, and then overshadowing the rest of the run with the messy fallout of your exit isn't, in my opinion.

[chameleon1]

Hi kb1985. Since you set up an account just to make this comment, and it's quite partisan, perhaps it would also be useful to be transparent about the nature of your own relationship with the Court (without necessarily revealing exactly who you are..)?

[andbingowashisname]

Apr 19, 2023 12:51:16 GMT kb1985 said:

Allegedly, the issues stemmed from Wynter feeling a) the show wasn't ready, b) he wasn't supported in reworking elements of the show into its opening, that is to say the public run beyond previews, and c) that he didn't feel comfortable getting on a stage each night and performing a personal, self-penned work, while he believed others were making decisions in the *intent* that he'd fail.

Now, while I can sympathise with Wynter's situation and imagine the stress of having to deliver, in real-time, an artistic offering that you don't think is where it needs to be, night after night, the Court also has commitments to fulfil. Yes, as a venue, in many ways, their raison d'etre is the support of new writers, but I think Wynter's persecution complex (which manifests itself in accusations on social media of gaslighting, manipulation, people setting him up to fail and people not caring if he were dead - on an almost daily basis) isn't warranted in respect to the Court. The Court has been supportive of Wynter prior to this commission, as he as remained in the highly network fold of the Court for years before this, and more directly in the commission of this work itself. No one at the Court wanted this to fail. The Court's rep is hardly squeaky clean anecdotally within industry circles (some of its working practices are known to be sloppy), but this acrimonious split is atypical for them.

Do I think splits like this will be a recurring issue for the Court? No. Do I think Wynter's use of social media throughout this situation is ill-advised and that the weaponisation is unfair to a theatre that commissioned his first work? Yes. Is this the first time I've heard something about Wynter that I've not liked? No - the swipes he's made allegedly in industry talk at former costars who have found Stranger Things fame is unpleasant and his alleged obsession with belittling and demeaning people in his wrestling for power is nauseating. Is it the first time I've heard of him terminating a work relationship in this way? Yes. It's staggering.

It's not fair on the Court or the rest of the cast, in my opinion. Mental health breaks are necessary and completely valid. Exiting a production allegedly because the venue won't allow a hiatus to right the show as you see fit, and then overshadowing the rest of the run with the messy fallout of your exit isn't, in my opinion.

What an unholy mess - whatever the truth turns out to be. I seem to remember that there was a vaguely similar situation with Word-Play by Rabiah Hussain, with the production cancelled a week or so before it was due to open (and ultimately postponed for 10 months as it is now due to open in July 2023) - so if Danny Lee Wynter wanted more time or support to iron out any perceived problems with the play then what happened with Word-Play could have served as a confusing precedent. I don't know the ins and outs of either situation, but it sends a worrying message when two productions within a year have both struggled to open on time and without controversy.

I was not hugely aware of Danny Lee Wynter as an actor, but it seems he has managed to pivot from acting into activism and from there into a commission from the Royal Court to write his first play. I think there is something deeply problematic just in that sequencing. The Royal Court is one of the most feted theatres in the world for new writing, so if a first-time playwright can be given a commission there based on who they are and their activism then I see that as a troubling message to be sending to every other playwright. And this is the same theatre that decided to programme the debut play by their Head of Press and Publicity (My Mum's A Tw*t).

I think it's safe to say that the leadership at the Royal Court over the last decade has been all over the place. The rare critical and commercial successes seem almost entirely to have been airlifted into the building from elsewhere (Hangmen from the NT, The Ferryman from SFP, and Black Boys... from the New Diorama), and there have been major public fallouts over various political issues including claims of anti-semitism, and the flip-flopping over cancelling Rita, Sue and Bob Too over allegations made against Max Stafford-Clark. I was also told (anecdotally) that the only time in the last decade that the Royal Court turned a profit was during Covid when the theatre was essentially dark, and that following Jews (In Their Own Words) relations between those in charge and Caryl Churchill have got pretty unsavoury. The ideologies at play have had too heavy a hand on the tiller, and the Court has found itself in increasingly choppy waters. Taking the time and effort to find great plays and brilliant playwrights have almost seemed like an afterthought.

The next regime cannot arrive soon enough. The Royal Court needs needs to eschew the quick fix of playing to the gallery on social media and support the playwrights who are going to write the great plays of today and tomorrow that will play to the gallery, dress circle, and stalls of a full theatre.

[Rory]

I miss the Dominic Cooke era, when they put on plays you actually wanted to go and see.

I agree, regime change will definitely be a good thing here (fingers crossed).

[kb1985]

Apr 19, 2023 14:19:44 GMT chameleon1 said:

Hi kb1985 . Since you set up an account just to make this comment, and it's quite partisan, perhaps it would also be useful to be transparent about the nature of your own relationship with the Court (without necessarily revealing exactly who you are..)?

Hey chameleon1! Of course, totally see your point! I work in a venue myself (about 10yrs in the sector now), and my links industry-wise are specific to development/fundraising/philanthropy with work in external communications too.
When it comes to the Court, my relationship is with an investor of theirs. They don't work in theatre (fintech), but their angel investment has supported physical development/refurbs of their space, and relationship management has kept them to close to conversations around artistic direction and 2020-25 plans. Just for transparency: never worked at the Court myself; have no relationship to the production being discussed.