Hi everyone! We're currently in a bit of a dilemma as to whether to include sensory warnings (some loud sounds) for our percussion concerts. We'd like to be more transparent about what our audiences can expect in our concerts, but a few of my colleagues are worried that this may 'scare' away potential audience members – the argument here is that there are more quiet moments than loud ones. For context, these concerts are in a fairly small, intimate space. We will be providing earplugs and plan on communicating this.
I'd love to hear about everyone's thoughts on this, as well as your practice around trigger warnings and how you'd word/present the information so that it's representative of the experience? Thank you!
Hi Anne,
Answering from Hampstead Theatre. We have a show on at the moment which has loud noise intermittently throughout and we have included it in the sensory section of our content warnings as 'sudden loud music throughout'.
I have also had the problem of some members of staff worrying about content warnings 'scaring' people away. What I say to them is that it is important thing to consider that we must cater to the needs of our most vulnerable customers. If the possibility that a warning discourages someone from attending, then we have done our jobs in protecting members of the public that are sensitive to such things. That is, after all, the highest level of customer service.
We also include a line that says 'please ask a member of staff if you would like any further information on the themes and content of this show' which you could adapt to your venue.
It might be helpful to note how many decibels the loudest parts of the concert are recorded at, to give customers something measurable and comparable.
Very best,
Chloe