Relaxed Performance of Flesh

During the development phase of FLESH we held a script in hand performance of an early draft at The Royal Exchange Theatre in October 2012. Along with a general audience, we invited all of the young parents who had contributed to the story, so that they could see the results of their work and share their thoughts on it. When the young people responded to our invitations it became clear that childcare was going to be a problem for many of them to attend. Yet, during our workshops and meetings we had welcomed and encouraged their children to join us… Not a difficult decision to make, really! So, we opted to throw the usual conventions of theatre out of the window and invite their children to the word in progress, too. We also decided there and then to include a Relaxed Performance* of the full play in the 2013 tour.

So, on Friday 8th November 2013 at 2.30pm we will have a Relaxed Performance of FLESH at The Royal Exchange, which will be suitable for those wishing to bring children and for people with autism or learning disabilities. Tickets are available from the box office on 0161 833 9833 £12/£10 concessions (babes in arms are free). As far as the production of FLESH is concerned, everything will be exactly the same as any other performance, so please note that this is not a family production and there is adult content and language.

It won’t be the first ever performance of its kind (read here about Lyn Gardner’s experience of Laura Mugridge’s baby friendly performance) but there certainly aren’t many to be found, so we’re hoping they catch on. We’re definitely really looking forward to what we think will be a very exciting afternoon!

* A relaxed performance is exactly that – all of the usual theatre conventions go out of the window so that those attending can watch a performance without having to worry about making noises, or if they need to move – it’s like the opposite of the quiet carriage on the train!