What is John Doyle's view on trigger warnings in theatre?

John Doyle believes trigger warnings risk "mollycoddling" audiences and sanitizing theatre, arguing that plays are meant to disturb and challenge.

Why are theatre producers afraid of challenging audiences?

Producers and directors have become afraid of challenging audiences due to the extreme financial risks involved in staging productions.

What does John Doyle suggest for the future of theatre production?

Doyle suggests a return to honest storytelling that doesn't rely on spectacle or expensive special effects, making theatre more inclusive and less costly.

Home / Arts and Entertainment / Theatre's purpose: To disturb, not coddle

Theatre's purpose: To disturb, not coddle

5 Feb

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Summary

Theatre should challenge and disturb audiences, not coddle them.
Trigger warnings risk sanitizing plays and dulling the intended impact.
High production costs make theatre producers fearful of challenging themes.

Theatre's purpose: To disturb, not coddle

Theatre, according to Tony award-winning director John Doyle, should aim to disturb and challenge its audience rather than coddle them. Doyle warns that the increasing use of trigger warnings risks sanitizing the art form, removing the impactful experience intended by playwrights. He draws parallels to Shakespeare, whose works often explore the darkest aspects of the human condition, and expresses concern that an overemphasis on audience comfort could lead to a diluted artistic landscape.

Doyle also points to the financial pressures within the theatre industry as a contributing factor. The extreme cost of staging productions, he suggests, makes producers and directors fearful of mounting plays that might challenge viewers or receive negative reviews for being "too upsetting." This financial risk, he argues, discourages the exploration of raw and uncomfortable themes.