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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2018 13:19:51 GMT
Talk about London privilege! There's literally only maybe three theatres I can get to without having to change tube line, and two of them still require a bit of walking at the other end, but it doesn't stop me making over 150 theatre trips a year.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2018 14:50:17 GMT
Oh not this again! Why are we knocking an important London venue which is just about to celebrate its first year in a new building. That’s right. It’s FIRST YEAR. As for the ageism thing: the Theatre was careful, in its reply, to avoid the language of the original tweet while exploiting the opportunity to publicise the fact that the current play is attracting a younger audience. In my mind (as an older person) that is something to celebrate. When I look around theatres they don’t seem to be engaging younger people. The original tweet was from an audience member, not the Theatre. I would also cut the unfortunate tweeting youngster some slack...I doubt they meant it to sound as bad as it does. That’s the problem with social media people can run with your mistakes and, before you know it, it’s become a whole big devastating event. Also, when I was young I never imagined that I too would one day get older and that the world wasn’t all about me me me. The issue of ageism is really serious when it means that artists don’t get commissioned or have their work produced or are given parts that fall into stereotype. That’s enough rambling from a (soon to be) senior citizen.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2018 15:38:53 GMT
Erm, because it's a Theatre Board? Where people discuss theatre? <insert youthful upward inflection>
@cleoskryker you are 100% entitled to have your opinion and express it. What you're not entitled to do is tell other people that they can't have and express their opinion. Disagree as vehemently as you like but don't try to shut down a conversation.
Just for the record, I really like the Bush. I also think that tweet was misjudged.
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Post by Jan on Apr 5, 2018 15:41:29 GMT
Took them to task on twitter for ageism but don't get the impression they see the problem. But try inserting any other group of the population instead of "elderly" in the original tweet they quoted ("Thoroughly enjoying watching 2 elderly people squirm in a sea of young people at a Wednesday matinee trip to the theatre")! Not a surprise. They pretend they want to reflect their local community and to have a diverse audience but they don’t. Specifically they don’t want anyone there from the white, middle-aged and wealthy Brackenbury Village area to the immediate south of their location. That includes me. Their AD has made it abundantly clear he wants a young minority/ethnic audience - that is fine but let’s not pretend that is the same as wanting a diverse audience.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2018 15:42:08 GMT
Erm, because it's a Theatre Board? Where people discuss theatre? <insert youthful upward inflection> @cleoskryker you are 100% entitled to have your opinion and express it. What you're not entitled to do is tell other people that they can't have and express their opinion. Disagree as vehemently as you like but don't try to shut down a conversation. Just for the record, I really like the Bush. I also think that tweet was misjudged. The point is they did not tweet it and it is misleading to suggest that they did. As far as I can see the original tweeter was a young white woman (I only mention her ethnicity as posters seem to be running with the idea of reverse social exclusion). My point is that we should stick to the facts. And I am going to have to bow out of the discussion here and leave you all to it. The original trolley which started this discussion (from last year, not Abby’s post) seems to be bearing fruit.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2018 15:48:30 GMT
Erm, because it's a Theatre Board? Where people discuss theatre? <insert youthful upward inflection> @cleoskryker you are 100% entitled to have your opinion and express it. What you're not entitled to do is tell other people that they can't have and express their opinion. Disagree as vehemently as you like but don't try to shut down a conversation. Just for the record, I really like the Bush. I also think that tweet was misjudged. The point is they did not tweet it and it is misleading to suggest that they did. As far as I can see the original tweeter was a young white woman (I only mention her ethnicity as posters seem to be running with the idea of reverse social exclusion). My point is that we should stick to the facts. And I am going to have to bow out of the discussion here and leave you all to it. The original trollery which started this discussion (from last year, not Abby’s post) seems to be bearing fruit.
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Post by Jan on Apr 5, 2018 15:49:23 GMT
Erm, because it's a Theatre Board? Where people discuss theatre? <insert youthful upward inflection> @cleoskryker you are 100% entitled to have your opinion and express it. What you're not entitled to do is tell other people that they can't have and express their opinion. Disagree as vehemently as you like but don't try to shut down a conversation. Just for the record, I really like the Bush. I also think that tweet was misjudged. The point is they did not tweet it and it is misleading to suggest that they did. As far as I can see the original tweeter was a young white woman (I only mention her ethnicity as posters seem to be running with the idea of reverse social exclusion). My point is that we should stick to the facts. And I am going to have to bow out of the discussion here and leave you all to it. The original trolley which started this discussion (from last year, not Abby’s post) seems to be bearing fruit. They retweeted it approvingly. You are splitting hairs to say “they did not tweet it”. It is a sign of the narrow-mindedness of some of today’s yoof that they equate being white and middle-aged with being bigoted Daily Mail readers. In fact this is far from the truth for the Bush’s “local community” in that demographic. Having being brought up in the 60s they are often far more liberal and open-minded than the easily-offended and somewhat puritanical younger generation, their newspaper of choice is the Guardian and they voted against Brexit by a larger margin than almost anywhere else in the UK (over 70%).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2018 15:55:09 GMT
By retweeting it in a celebratory way, they basically endorsed the original not very nice message, though clearly that's not what they intended to do.
Look, I don't think it's a big deal - just a bit misjudged, as I said. Anyone who has managed any type of communications channel for an organisation has made mistakes in tone or content at some point - it's very easy to do. It's not a witch hunt or a conspiracy to express the opinion that they got it wrong on this occasion.
I'd have forgotten about it by now if you hadn't got so excited about it!
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Post by foxa on Apr 5, 2018 16:11:12 GMT
FWIW, I went to see B*easts at the new Bush - partly inspired by the key involvement of Monica Dolan whose work I rate and partly because I felt guilty that I hadn't been there for years - I was reminded of this by this topic when it first opened.
I think it is a beautiful venue - particularly good (if you are the sort of person who cares about these things, and I am) the public spaces. There is a quietish library bar and a more lively area around the actual bar with lots of seats/tables also available near the new studio area. It feels airy and roomy (lots of natural light.) And a nanosecond from the tube. I liked it so much that when we had some friends from out of town visiting I suggested that we meet there - and they liked it too.
The new theatre is definitely more comfortable than the old black box. I don't know how flexible the space is - it was arranged in a traditional end-on when I was there and it felt a bit long and narrow, so I was a little farther away than I had expected. But still absolutely fine. Certainly felt I could appreciate Dolan's fine performance. I would go back. And they do seem to be nominated for some awards....
Re: the tweet - I saw that - the word 'squirm' made me...er...squirm a bit. It was careless and silly - and worth having it pointed out. One reason why I continue to colour my hair is the fear of being lumped in with the much despised grey-haired audiences ;-)
Next, I'm returning to Theatre 503 tonight after a long time away.
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Post by profquatermass on Apr 5, 2018 18:05:00 GMT
Oh not this again! Why are we knocking an important London venue which is just about to celebrate its first year in a new building. That’s right. It’s FIRST YEAR. As for the ageism thing: the Theatre was careful, in its reply, to avoid the language of the original tweet while exploiting the opportunity to publicise the fact that the current play is attracting a younger audience. In my mind (as an older person) that is something to celebrate. When I look around theatres they don’t seem to be engaging younger people. The original tweet was from an audience member, not the Theatre. I would also cut the unfortunate tweeting youngster some slack...I doubt they meant it to sound as bad as it does. That’s the problem with social media people can run with your mistakes and, before you know it, it’s become a whole big devastating event. Also, when I was young I never imagined that I too would one day get older and that the world wasn’t all about me me me. The issue of ageism is really serious when it means that artists don’t get commissioned or have their work produced or are given parts that fall into stereotype. That’s enough rambling from a (soon to be) senior citizen. When did it move to a new building? I don't go to much there but I thought it had moved back into the old library it's been in since about 2010. Has it moved somewhere else?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2018 19:44:25 GMT
Oh not this again! Why are we knocking an important London venue which is just about to celebrate its first year in a new building. That’s right. It’s FIRST YEAR. As for the ageism thing: the Theatre was careful, in its reply, to avoid the language of the original tweet while exploiting the opportunity to publicise the fact that the current play is attracting a younger audience. In my mind (as an older person) that is something to celebrate. When I look around theatres they don’t seem to be engaging younger people. The original tweet was from an audience member, not the Theatre. I would also cut the unfortunate tweeting youngster some slack...I doubt they meant it to sound as bad as it does. That’s the problem with social media people can run with your mistakes and, before you know it, it’s become a whole big devastating event. Also, when I was young I never imagined that I too would one day get older and that the world wasn’t all about me me me. The issue of ageism is really serious when it means that artists don’t get commissioned or have their work produced or are given parts that fall into stereotype. That’s enough rambling from a (soon to be) senior citizen. When did it move to a new building? I don't go to much there but I thought it had moved back into the old library it's been in since about 2010. Has it moved somewhere else? Same building - the old Passmore Edwards Public Library - but re-opened following a significant re-development - including the additional 70-seater studio. So, while technically not a new building, a fairly marked new physical identity.
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Post by profquatermass on Apr 5, 2018 20:24:55 GMT
Fair enough. A refurbishment isn't my definition of a new building but I guess people use different terms for these things
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Post by foxa on Apr 5, 2018 20:43:49 GMT
This was all new to me as I hadn't been to the Bush since it moved to the Passmore Library - I last went when it was the classic room above a pub (well before 2010.)
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