Natalie Hewis on relaxed performances at the Marina Theatre, Lowestoft.
When we began to offer relaxed performances for our pantomime, we never imagined they would become what we now look forward to most during the festive season. With relaxed performances, there’s a special atmosphere of joy and inclusion and we’re proud to be able to offer them.
A relaxed performance is specifically designed to be sensitive to and accepting of audience members who may benefit from a more relaxed environment, including those with autistic spectrum conditions, anyone with sensory and communication disorders, people with learning disabilities, people with dementia or even just very small children. Leading up to the event, we release a video which lets our customers know what to expect when they make a trip to the theatre. In recent years we have had various different people host these videos. For Jack and The Beanstalk, we invited Mel from Climbing the Rainbow with her two children Harry and Jess to host the video alongside our General Manager, Sam.
For our production of Aladdin in 2023 we asked our lead comic, Terry Gleed, to host this video. Terry has been a firm audience favourite since he began starring in our pantomime. He is loved by audiences young and old, and he plays an important role in our relaxed performances. In our latest video (link below). Terry takes the viewer on a tour of the theatre, explaining when areas might be busy or noisy and what their journey will look like from when they arrive for the show. These videos have been really well received. It is also Terry who comes out and talks to the audience before a relaxed performance begins. He explains that what they are about to see is not real but rather some actors pretending to be characters. He will give an outline of the story line. Terry then introduces each cast member to the audience. The baddies can be the most daunting part of pantomime for some with their evil persona’s, nasty cackles and evil costumes but Terry introducing them to the audience shows that they are just playing a part.
In Aladdin, Aban-azar was our baddie, played by Nicholas Lee. So Terry got Nicholas to tell the audience a bit about himself, and this is where they find out that he’s an actor and a magician in real life and not at all scary. For the relaxed performance, Nicholas toned down his frightening voice and made the audience laugh even more than normal which in turn made them feel more relaxed. For each relaxed performance, the house lights are dimmed, but not out completely. Any loud sound effects are either taken out or their noise is significantly reduced. The same goes for any bright flashes of light. In Aladdin, there were no puffs of smoke or bangs to signal Aban-azar’s arrival, which made his entrances a lot less scary. As part of this production we also had a magic carpet that would normally fly over the audience. For this production we kept the carpet over the stage so that the magic could still be enjoyed without causing any distress to anyone watching.
We also promote a relaxed attitude to audience behaviour, letting customers know they are more than welcome to get up and walk around the auditorium or leave when they want to. There are designated chill-out zones outside the auditorium which allow people to leave and find some peace and quiet if they need it. We kit these areas out with sensory toys, books, colouring sheets and bean bags.
Author: Natalie Hewis
Natalie Hewis
Natalie Hewis is the Programme and Marketing Manager of the Marina Theatre in Lowestoft.
Website: marinatheatre.co.uk
X: @marinatheatre1
Facebook: @themarinatheatre
Instagram: @marinatheatre
