Both Midnight Movie and Teenage Dick recently opened to critical acclaim - together, they challenge the hegemony of theatrical convention and fight for those stories that need to be heard.
Here at London Box Office, we champion artistic accessibility – especially when it concerns potential audiences. Two shows in particular have crossed our radar this month: the first, Midnight Movie at the Royal Court, and the second, Teenage Dick at the Donmar Warehouse.
Midnight Movie
The Royal Court (27th November – Sat 21st December)
Created by playwright Eve Leigh (The Trick) and directed by Rachel Bagshaw (The Shape of the Pain), Midnight Movie explores the limitlessness of one’s digital body, as opposed to the very real limitations attributed to one’s physical body. Combining Spoken English, BSL, captioning and audio description, the production explores the concept of being ‘Extremely Online’ through a kaleidoscope of divergent events and has received rave reviews.
In keeping with the show’s themes, audiences don’t have to attend the theatre to experience Midnight Movie. The creative team have also conceived a ‘digital body’ for the production itself, which takes the form of letters containing stories, essays and audio-visual content. These can be accessed online, using this link to sign up.
Every performance will maintain a relaxed environment, which generally means a more informal atmosphere; the house lights will either be kept on entirely, or not dimmed as much as usual, in addition to a more remedial approach to sound, with no sudden or loud effects. There will also be a specific space made for audience members to retreat to, should the content or environment prove overwhelming in any way. Additionally, audiences will be free to enter and leave the space as required.
Please note that Midnight Movie employs a changing of lighting states throughout, in addition to sound, projection and live drumming. See The Royal Court’s Story and Sensory Synopsis for more information - this can be found via their website.
Teenage Dick
Donmar Warehouse (6th December – 1st February 2020)
A darkly comic take on Shakespeare’s Richard II, Mike Lew’s play reimagines the traditionally despotic king as an American high school student. After years of torment at the hands of his classmates due to his hemiplegia, Richard begins to plot his rise in power, with aims to become the president of his senior class. Played by Daniel Monks – who himself experiences hemiplegia (or hemiparesis) after a spinal cord tumour aged 11 – Teenage Dick promises to be a powerful meditation on the experiences of disabled individuals living within an ableist society.
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