Theatre
Why Do Trigger Warnings Make People So Cross?
During a recent interview for Laura Kuenssberg's Sunday morning BBC show, Ralph Fiennes – esteemed actor, director, and producer of both film and theatre – currently starring in a production of Macbeth, was asked about trigger warnings and whether he felt audiences have gone "too soft".
“I think they have, yes," he responded.
"There are very disturbing scenes in Macbeth, terrible murders and things,” he said, with Kuenssberg pointing out that their use had been ‘banned’ from the current production, “but I think the impact of theatre should be that you’re shocked and you should be disturbed. I don’t think you should be prepared for these things. And when I was young, we never had trigger warnings.”
A week later on Kuenssberg's Sunday morning show, actor Matt Smith was asked for his take and enthusiastically agreed. “I worry sometimes that we’re moving towards a sort of sanitised version of everything and we’re stripping the danger and the invention and the ingenuity out of everything,” said Smith, himself currently starring in the West End in An Enemy of the People. “Isn’t art meant to be dangerous?”
It is tempting to dismiss Fiennes’ comments as simply those of another grumpy, entitled older white man feeling threatened by something which barely affects him, particularly when they appear to invoke the idea that simply because something didn’t happen when he was young, that it must be innately bad. But does he and Smith have a point?
Clearly, on the face of it, they do.
Their points about the need, and the right, of art to challenge its audience are perfectly valid and, as high-profile performers, they may feel duty-bound to use their platforms to defend the right of the arts to do this.
But are trigger warnings really the thing the arts need protecting from?
Firstly, we need to be clear what it is we’re actually talking about here.
There seems to be a conflation in many people’s minds between trigger warnings and censorship. Of course censorship is the enemy of art, but this is not what we’re talking about.
A trigger warning doesn’t dictate or censor the content of any play, film or exhibit. Nobody is sitting at the side of a stage with a red felt tip and putting a giant X through huge swathes of dialogue because they might upset members of the audience. They are simply there to make the audience aware of anything that may otherwise have forced them to unexpectedly relive a past trauma.
As an example, I’ve never been the victim of sexual assault, but someone sat with or near me may have been, and if that is depicted on stage, then I’d want them to have been able to have had the opportunity to make an informed decision about whether to view such content beforehand.
Surely any reasonable person would want the same? In this instance, the trigger warning isn’t aimed at me and its presence has absolutely no impact on me. But it may have proved helpful to someone else.
Fiennes and Smith’s points about theatre, and art in general, having the right to be confrontational and dangerous, and to make its audience uncomfortable, are indisputable. But trigger warnings aren’t there to prevent this. If anything, they provide performers with more freedom to tackle difficult and challenging subject matter, in the full knowledge that the audience has been forewarned.
In real terms, it is hard to discern any meaningful difference between trigger warnings and the British Board of Film Classification certificates we’ve all been used to for decades.
Broadening the issue beyond the theatre into a wider cultural context, there is a genuine, grown-up discussion to be had around this.
A recent screening of Mel Brooks’ classic comedy Blazing Saddles on HBO Max drew ire due to a lengthy pre-screening content warning in which film expert Jacqueline Stewart described not only the frequent racist language in the script, but also the film’s plot and themes, even some spoilers.
While the reaction to this in some quarters was predictably hysterical, it was hard to watch without feeling talked down to. No audience wants to feel like they are being lectured or, worse, infantilised.
But examples like this are the exception rather than the norm.
An A4 sign in the lobby of a theatre describing any potentially triggering content isn’t going to hamper the enjoyment of anyone. In fact, most people probably won’t even notice it, because they aren’t actively on the lookout for it. But they may prove to be a useful tool for the small number of people who are actively looking for such a sign.
That’s all they really are, a useful tool, one which most people probably won’t feel the need to use.
Being upset about the presence of trigger warnings is a bit like being upset by the presence of disabled toilets – if you don’t need them, then they’re not aimed at you. Ignore them, and enjoy the rest of your evening, and let those that need them make use of them as they see fit.
Fiennes spoke for barely a minute about trigger warnings over the course of his nine-minute interview on Kuenssberg's show. Aside from that topic, he talked about his anger over plans to build an energy hub in the Suffolk countryside for twice as long, and became far more animated and impassioned, almost jumping out of his seat to make his point. If you watched the interview, you got the impression that this issue was far more important to him than the one that has been generating the most headlines.
Their brief remarks about trigger warnings have been almost the only things reported that they said – and it’s hard to surmise that this is for any other reason than the fact that they can be portrayed as divisive.
Comments about energy hubs or underfunding of the arts and rocketing ticket prices – the latter two both far more pressing issues which Fiennes also spoke about – simply don’t give as good copy, and can’t be used to stoke the culture war.
An update to Arts Council England’s policies warning organisations it funds to be wary of “overtly political or activist statements”, which came just days after Fiennes’ interview, is likely to be of far more concern to artists and patrons.
There are many things threatening the future of the arts in the UK, but trigger warnings are not one of them.
Our Present Moment in History: a wide-ranging discussion with Aaron Bastani in a packed EarthH Theatre – 14th FEB 2024
On 14th February 2024, I had the great privilege of a live discussion with Aaron Bastani in front of a marvellous audience at EartH in Hackney, North-East London. We talked about, of course, Israel-Palestine, but also about China and, in particular, the New Cold War being waged for control of what I call cloud capital. We touched on the United States’ ‘liberal’ imperial ways, Russia, Iran, Germany (with special reference on Nordstream and the new intolerance of dissenting views) – and on whether legal bans on fascists is the way to tackle fascism’s resurgence.
Thank you to Raoul and Francesca Martinez for organising this, along with the brilliant Novara Media, as part of the promotion of their new documentary series, ‘In The Eye Of The Storm: The Political Odyssey of Yanis Varoufakis’ which can be watched here: www.eyeofthestorm.info
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00:00 Intro
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03:03 2023 for Yanis
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05:36 Israel & Palestine
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13:45 The Problem With Liberals
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24:45 Is The US a Dying Empire?
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35:49 China, Russia & Iran
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43:51 The New Cold War
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55:45 Nordsteam & Germany
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1:04:04 Novara Germany Wouldn’t Be Possible
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1:06:23 Banning Fascists Doesn’t Work
The post Our Present Moment in History: a wide-ranging discussion with Aaron Bastani in a packed EarthH Theatre – 14th FEB 2024 appeared first on Yanis Varoufakis.
Solo shows for 2024
I’m doing a few solo poetry shows this year, starting this month with Chester, Lincoln & Scarborough.
I’ll be in Falmouth, Totnes & Launceston in April. And Belfast & Dublin in October.
If you fancy coming along to a show, you can get tickets here: https://brianbilston.com/events/
2024 Shows (warning: may contain poetry)
Well done, everybody, for making it to January 569th.
I’ve been grateful for those extra days this month, as it’s given me time to get my head together for my 2024 shows, which begin in just over two weeks’ time with a run of dates with the fabulous poet (and human) Henry Normal. We start on 16th February in Bexhill-on-Sea on the south coast.
Places and dates
Shows in Nottingham and Monmouth have now sold out – alongside Salford, Leeds, Exeter, Bath, Stroud and Leek.
There are only a handful of tickets remaining for London, Oxford, Bury St Edmunds, Coventry and Ilkley.
Tickets are also on sale for Sunderland, Barrow, Wolverhampton, Norwich, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Stirling, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, plus two new shows announced last week: Bristol and Southampton.
And a small reminder that I’m doing a few solo shows this year in fancy coming along to one: Chester, Lincoln, Scarborough, Falmouth, Totnes, Launceston, Belfast and Dublin.
More places and dates
If you came to see me last year and for some strange reason are considering coming along again, then you might be reassured to know I’ll be reading a bunch of new poems (alongside a few older ones). There’s a guarantee of a least two new jokes or your money back (terms and conditions apply*).
Links to more information and tickets can be found on this page: 2024 shows and ticket info
* Brian Bilston reserves the right to define what constitutes a joke. A joke may not always be dependent on laughter.
2024 Tour
In the last few days, I’ve read poems in Ely, Birmingham, St Andrews, Edinburgh and Brighton; each event was lovely and special in its own way. A big thank you to everyone who came along to them, and indeed, to all the 15,000 people who have dragged themselves to my 59 shows this year.
In terms of 2024, a couple of new dates have been added:
BARROW-in FURNESS (19 Feb – with Henry Normal): TICKETS HERE
and a second evening of my solo show in SCARBOROUGH (22 March): TICKETS HERE
For my shows with Henry Normal, these ones are selling like hotcakes: BURY ST EDMUNDS, EXETER, LEEDS, LONDON, SALFORD and STROUD, so you might need to be quick if you fancy coming along.
Tickets for these ones are selling like warm buns: BATH, COVENTRY, MONMOUTH, NOTTINGHAM, OXFORD and SUNDERLAND, so I wouldn’t wait too long.
And these ones could do with some heating up: ABERDEEN, BEXHILL-ON-SEA, DUNDEE, EDINBURGH, GLASGOW, ILKLEY, NORWICH, STIRLING, WOLVERHAMPTON.
And just a reminder that I’ve got a few solo shows next year, too: BELFAST, CHESTER, DUBLIN, FALMOUTH, LAUNCESTON, LINCOLN, SCARBOROUGH, TOTNES.
Anyway, you can find out details of ALL these shows here: https://brianbilston.com/events/
Finally, would tickets to one of these make a nice gift for somebody this Christmas?*
I couldn’t possibly comment.
* YES
Humanities Cultural Programme Live Event: Katie Mitchell in conversation with Ben Whishaw
Big Tent - Live Events! Part of the Humanities Cultural Programme, one of the founding stones for the future Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities. 'Liveness'. Biographies:
Katie Mitchell is a British theatre director whose unique style and uncompromising methods have divided both critics and audiences. Though sometimes causing controversy, her productions have been innovative and groundbreaking, and have established her as one of the UK’s leading names in contemporary performance.
She was born in Berkshire in 1964, grew up in the small village of Hermitage and read English at Magdalen College, Oxford. She began her theatre career in 1986 with a job at the King’s Head Theatre as a production assistant. She became an assistant director at Paines Plough a year later, and then took the same post at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1988. In 1990, she founded her own company, Classics on a Shoestring, where she directed a number of pioneering and highly acclaimed productions including the House of Bernada Alba and Women of Troy.
In the decades with followed, Mitchell worked as an associate director with the Royal Court Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. Whilst at the RSC, she was responsible for programming at the now defunct black box space, The Other Place, and her production of The Phoenician Women earned her the Evening Standard Award for Best Director.
Her numerous theatre credits include 2071 and Night Songs for the Royal Court, The Cherry Orchard for the Young Vic, The Trial of Ubu for Hampstead Theatre, Henry VI Part III (to date her only Shakespeare production) for the RSC and A Woman Killed with Kindness and The Seagull at the National Theatre. She has also directed opera, working with the Royal Opera House and English National Opera. An exponent of Stanislavski techniques and naturalism, her style was strongly influenced by the time she spent working in Eastern Europe early in her career. Her work is characterised by the creation on stage of a highly distinctive environment, the intensity of the emotions portrayed and by the realism of the acting.
Mitchell’s work has pushed boundaries and explored technique and, not just confined to the stage, has also taken her into other creative mediums. She has directed for film and television with work including The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd and The Turn of the Screw. In 2011, together with video maker, Leo Warner, Mitchell devised an immersive video installation called Five Truths for the Victoria and Albert Museum which explored the nature of truth in theatrical production.
Ben Whishaw is a multi-award winning English actor in film, television, and theatre. He trained at RADA, and his work in theatre quickly brought acclaim including a much-lauded Hamlet at the Old Vic with Trevor Nunn in 2004. He has been directed by Katie Mitchell multiple times, including The Seagull at the National Theatre in 2006, and Norma Jeane Baker of Troy at the Shed in New York last year. In television his work ranges from BAFTA-winning performances in Rupert Goold's Richard II for the BBC in 2012 to A Very English Scandal in 2018. Among many film roles, he is perhaps best known for taking on the part of Q in the Bond films since 2012’s Skyfall and for delighting audiences young and old as the voice of Paddington in the hit movies in 2014 and 2017.
Live Event: This is Shakespeare - Prof Emma Smith in conversation with Erica Whyman OBE
Part of the Humanities Cultural Programme, one of the founding stones for the future Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities. Professor Emma Smith (English Faculty) in conversation with Erica Whyman OBE (Royal Shakespeare Company).
Both Emma and Erica have recently had their Shakespeare events cancelled; Erica’s production of The Winter’s Tale for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and launch events for Emma’s book This Is Shakespeare. In this conversation, Erica and Emma discuss these events, their hopes for them, and what Shakespeare offers us both now and in the future.
Biographies:
Professor Emma Smith - Tutorial Fellow in English and Fellow Librarian, Professor of Shakespeare Studies, University of Oxford
Professor Smith's research combines a range of approaches to Shakespeare and early modern drama. Her recent work has been about the reception of Shakespeare and about the scholarly and cultural investments in Shakespearean criticism. 'This is Shakespeare - How to Read the World's Greatest Playwright' is her latest publication (2020).
'The best introduction to the plays I've read, perhaps the best book on Shakespeare, full stop' - Alex Preston, Observer
'It makes you impatient to see or re-read the plays at once' - Hilary Mantel
Erica Whyman OBE (Deputy Artistic Director, Royal Shakespeare Company - Royal Shakespeare Company).
Erica joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in January 2013. She works closely with Artistic Director Gregory Doran on all aspects of artistic strategy, taking a particular lead on the development of new work, the contemporary relevance of the repertoire and the national ambitions of the company.
Erica led the team which reopened The Other Place in March 2016, a creative hub dedicated to daring theatrical exploration. Erica takes a lead on extending access, equality and diversity across all RSC activities and is passionate about participation in theatre-making.
Ibsen, Scandinavia, and the Making of a World Drama: A Book At Lunchtime
Henrik Ibsen's drama is the most prominent and lasting contribution of the cultural surge seen in Scandinavian literature in the later nineteenth century. When he made his debut in Norway in 1850, the nation's literary presence was negligible, yet by 1890 Ibsen had become one of Europe's most famous authors. Contrary to the standard narrative of his move from restrictive provincial origins to liberating European exile, Narve Fulsas and Tore Rem show how Ibsen's trajectory was preconditioned on his continued embeddedness in Scandinavian society and culture, and that he experienced great success in his home markets. This volume traces how Ibsen's works first travelled outside Scandinavia and studies the mechanisms of his appropriation in Germany, Britain and France. Engaging with theories of book dissemination and world literature, and re-assessing the emergence of 'peripheral' literary nations, this book provides new perspectives on the work of this major figure of European literature and theatre.
Narve and Tore will be joined an expert panel to discuss the book and its themes, Professor Kirsten Shepherd-Barr (St Catherine's, Oxford), Professor Julia Mannherz (Oriel, Oxford) Chaired by Professor Peter McDonald (St Hugh's, Oxford).
David Garrick's Wigless Celebrity
Ruth Scobie's bite-sized talk on a portrait of David Garrick by Johan Zoffany Dr Ruth Scobie looks at a portrait by Johan Zoffany of the eighteenth-century actor David Garrick, and asks what the picture's notorious wiglessness has to do with the actor's control of his extraordinary contemporary celebrity, in a TORCH Bite-Sized Talk at the Ashmolean Museum's Live Friday: Framed! event.