“I wish i wasn’t so annoyed at being annoyed.”
There’s been a recurring theme in my head the past few days and that’s been: annoyance. Why? Well, we are leading up to Hamlet and there have been a pretty unshocking number of articles from the likes of The Daily Mail, The Times and even the Guardian titled with things like, and i quote, “Alas, poor Cumberbitches, Hamlet plans a secret exit”, “Cumberbatch fans swot up on Shakespeare and etiquette ahead of Hamlet” and “London prepares for descent of ‘Cumberbitches”.
I took the time out to read a few of these so you don’t have to and the trusty UK media and their, obviously, extremely outdated and not very talented writers don’t really have anything new or interesting to say because Benedict isn’t giving them interviews about Hamlet (or they’re annoyed because they didn’t get a ticket and his fans did!)
The ‘Cumberbitches’ (a term the fans themselves, as well as Cumberbatch would rather leave at the back door) are painted as good for nothing, squealing, unintelligent, uncultured, annoying little ‘things’. Not enthusiastic people with passions, genius, power and artistry! Which is bit odd. Because i’ve been knee-deep in the ‘Cumberbitch fandom’ for the best part of 3 years and that’s all i’ve ever really experienced – a 95% positive, loving, quick-witted, kind, accomplished, supportive and brilliant group of people from all ages with careers, husbands, wives, children and lives.. !
What i find interesting in the UK press and with ardent theatregoers that now have voices on Twitter, these supposedly intelligent human beings, is that they’ve turned a complete blind eye to well, the obvious. For years the industry, and writers for the papers included above have tried very hard to try and make theatre accessible for everybody! Most of all, make young people WANT to actually spend their hard earned cash and go to the theatre and see a Shakespeare production! So, when a Shakespeare play goes on sale, which sells tickets faster than a Jay Z and Beyonce concert (multi-millionaire (combined billionaire) singer, rapper& songwriters, producers, influencers and all round decent idols for the youth today, just in case you didn’t know who they were) and that isn’t something that’s celebrated? Instead “the UK is going to be booming with these irritating Cumber-whatever it is teenagers, blocking my bloody view with their wacky hairstyles and are bound to have an overwhelming pong from camping overnight to get the silly cheap seat tickets AND it’s taking me twice as long to get in due to ID checks, this NEVER happens anywhere else, there might an security guard in the lobby annoying me nearby! I’m just rather put-off to be honest!”
(I will just say, for crying out loud, every fan i have ever met (quite a few) have never had issues with the silly annoyances typed in the paragraph above!) The media will, no matter what i, or anyone else say will let fans of someone famous come across “rabid” and “extreme” and there’s not much we can really do about it! We cannot mention the amount of money we’ve raised for charity under Benedict’s name, no! That’s another conversation altogether though so i won’t start now…
The argument is apparently this, “I think it’s sad the only time new people show an interest in theatre is when there is a big celebrity on stage.” I’m going to put a ‘LOL’ here cos that’s exactly what i did when i read it. That attitude is so, so… wrong?! I’m going to say that again, that attitude is so wrong. That. Attitude. Is. 100%. The. WRONG. Attitude. Isn’t that approach the same one you want to get away from? Comments like that is what makes new theatregoers feel unwelcome.
Here’s how it should have gone, “I think it’s brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch is bringing in first time theatregoers every night. I truly hope they can fall in love with theatre the same way i did!”
That was easy!
I feel slightly that i’m preaching to the converted in posting this on my semi-popular Benedict Cumberbatch blog but i find it absurd that people can be so out of touch. Do they want their theatre to die away? Because that’s exactly what will happen if there is no spark ignited in the younger generation to want to get into it and carry it on.
These people were young once! They went to their first theatre production once. It’s written in their personal history. They have filled their souls with this particular art ever since and they should wish everyone to experience something as blooming as this! How can they forget that they too were new to theatre once?
I went to a National Theatre Live screening of ‘Skylight’ where i live in Kent fairly recently. The cinema was around 80% full which i thought was brilliant but i was alarmed that i was the youngest person there. It was a shockingly greying, older audience. I thought to myself “Why are there not many younger people here?” I knew for sure of about 5 sort-of friends locally that were interested in theatre, even studying it at the college down the road (a large department in Thanet College which has actually just been shut down and replaced). So why wasn’t the interest there? It needs to start SOMEWHERE. It just does. It really, really does. Ostracising an already nervous audience with assumptions that ‘they’ll certainly not know at all what they’re letting themselves in for’ and ‘this experience is above them’ is not the way to go. Having different people other than your average Joe interested in theatre is exactly what it needs. The next big theatre director, actress, costume designer could be sat in that queue for the £10 tickets and you’re making them feel completely undesired and almost turning them away. Without having a new audience, how is theatre going to flourish?
I want to also quickly mention where money from a popular production like Hamlet goes. Artists and its production, theatre operations, management services, new play programming, education and training, information services… must i go on? They are shooting themselves directly in their foot with this constant negative outlook. And i’d bet their expensive shoes won’t save them! I’m sure you can imagine what it does for our UK tourism when people from all over the world comes to watch a show in London!
Have those snobby people i’ve seen reacting to such one sided, almost insulting excuses of journalism written about Cumberbatch fans today been that easily led by their own media to believe that their experience will possibly be ruined by a few enthusiastic fans? I despise the ‘they are them and we are us’ notion and that it’s going to be a nuisance being anywhere near ‘them fans.’ They know how to behave and know what’s appropriate too, thanks! “Heaven forbid we give young people some credit!”
Music, art, theatre, in fact anything that’s creative should be about bringing people together. People from different classes with different jobs, from different countries because “those things don’t matter here folks!” Enjoying something and appreciating it, collectively.
And if it takes a big name like Benedict Cumberbatch, a game changer in the world of acting (who i assume you’ve seen in After The Dance, Hedda Gabler, Frankenstein to name a few – i’ve seen them, by the way), to bring in some fresh faces (of all ages!!) and introduce them to the unique golden wonder that is British theatre, then live, love and let be.
Written by me, Tor C. A 26 year old professional drummer from Kent. Cheers.
This is very wonderfully put and I just want to add as a side note that theatre’s (and movies) frequently intentionally cash in on a big name star to get people to show up to their show. Like if you’re advertising as “Well Known Person stars in This Thing” maybe don’t be surprised when people show up to see Well Known Person. Seriously a theatre I work at just did this and trust me it was not advertizing aimed at young people.
All true and I’m just going to toss in here that this was the reason John Barrowman did panto for so many years when it’s often looked down on. Because he wanted to get young people interested.