Dame Judi Dench has told “sensitive” fans not to go to theaters in response to a pre-performance trigger warning.
The warnings, which notify viewers about potentially objectionable content such as abuse, violence or loud noises, have been a point of contention in the industry in recent years.
“Would they do that?” Mr. Dench said in an interview with Radio Times. “Oh my god, that must be a pretty long trigger warning in front of King Lear or Titus Andronicus!”
The 89-year-old Oscar-winning actor added: “I understand why they exist, but if you’re that sensitive, don’t go to the theater because it can be very shocking.” Of seeing and understanding it in your own way. Where’s the surprise? ”
Her comments come after former Royal Shakespeare Company artistic director Gregory Dolan also warned anxious audiences to avoid the play lest they be upset by its gory content.
“how do you do [content warnings] To Titus Andronicus? ” Dolan said. “You just don’t come. If you’re worried, don’t come. If you’re anxious, stay away.”
Content warnings have divided opinion in the theater community, with some likening them to warnings about strobe lights that can cause seizures, while others say they diminish the power of art and literature to shock and disturb. .
They were also voiced by Christopher Biggins and Ralph Fiennes, who suggested that modern audiences had become “too soft”. “Theatre needs to be alive and present. It’s shocking, it’s unexpected, and that’s what makes theater so exciting,” Fiennes added.
While talking about the 1980s sitcom Fine Romance, Dench also reflected on the changes that have occurred in the industry since her early days, including actors using microphones on stage and self-taped auditions. “[It] It takes you away…it takes you even further away from your audience,” she said. “The way we communicate seems to be becoming more and more remote.”
After newsletter promotion
last month, Olivia Colman joins the chorus of Hollywood stars He expressed his distaste for self-tape auditions, saying, “If I had had to make a self-tape, I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am now.”
