Relaxed Performance – Sensory Guide
Wednesday 10 April at 7:15pm Linbury Studio Theatre, LAMDA
The running time is 2 hours and 20 minutes including an interval.
Content warnings:
Contains references to war, death, race, sexuality and sex.
Relaxed Performances at LAMDA
• You are welcome to come and go from the theatre as you need
• There is a break-out room available, the student common room
• House lighting is on low throughout, never going to full black-out
• Loud noises are reduced in sound level
• No strobe lighting is used
• You are welcome to react to the show however you may need
• At the end of this document is a show synopsis/sensory guide
Here is a guide to sensory information symbols in this document:
Indicates potentially loud or sudden noises
Indicates bright or sudden lighting changes
Indicates a sad or potentially distressing scene
Indicates fighting, or use of guns/weapons
Arriving at LAMDA
When you arrive at LAMDA, the entrance to the building and Linbury Theatre is the closest entrance to Baron’s Court Station. There will be a member of staff on the door who will take your name and give you a ticket.
This is the Theatre Foyer and entrance to the Linbury Theatre. You may be asked to wait here until the house is open. You will be shown how to get to the Linbury Studio Theatre by an usher.
Toilets are located right next to the bar.
LAMDA staff will be wearing LAMDA branded T-Shirts or lanyards. If you need any assistance whilst in the building, please ask them.
When you enter the theatre, an Usher will take your ticket from you. You are welcome to sit where you like.
You can come and go from the space whenever you like. The house lights will stay on low throughout the show.
There is a break-out space called ‘The Common Room’ which you are welcome to use at any point during the performance. The Common Room is accessed via a corridor that follows on from the bar and the toilets. If you aren’t sure at any point during your visit where to go, please ask an usher, who will be happy to assist you.
If you aren’t sure at any point during your visit where to go, please ask an usher.
Before the show begins, the actors will introduce themselves and the characters they are playing.
The lights in the theatre will dim and she show will start. You can come and go as you need through the doors you entered by.
At the end of the show the actors will come on and bow. You are welcome to clap at this point if you would like.
Saturday
Below is a sensory guide for the performance that shows potential distressing actions in the play, split up by scenes
During each scene change, there is loud music. Any fighting scenes in the play have been choreographed with a fight director so that the actors do not hurt each other. There is strong language throughout the play.
ACT 1
Scene 1
Taffy lights the oven with a real flame - the oven is not on so this is safe.
The language Miss Mary and Taffy use creates quite foul imagery.
Miss Mary pulls at Taffy’s hair hard and burns her ear with a curling tongue
Leanne is sad that her man is away at war. She lights a cigarette with a lighter and you will smell it; this is a herbal mixture so it is not dangerous. Mabel is washing Jackie’s hair; Jackie makes a comment that Mabel doesn’t like and Mabel covers Jackie’s face with a towel to make her be quiet as she can’t breathe.
At the end of the scene, Miss Mary jokingly threatens to burn the women with a hot comb.
Scene 2
There is a loud voiceover from the radio. As they all sing, Taffy bangs the pots and pans like drums which is very loud.
At the end of the scene during the scene change, there is a loud sound effect of planes going overhead to represent the war.
Scene 3
Taffy and Mabel are bickering and get into each other’s faces as they talk to each other.
Leanne is still sad about her man being away at war and thinks he must be dead - she is so sad that she falls to the floor.
Scene 4
Leanne and Gladys are being mean about Taffy
Leanne pulls Gladys’ gloves off and we find out that she was in a fire that was a racial attack and has scars all over her hands from it. Nobody else in her family got out of the house in time.
Scene 5
Taffy and Leanne are arguing and make comments about each other’s skin colour.
Scene 6
The radio is on and giving updates about the status of the war.
Jackie is very upset. She tells the women how when her husband came back home in his war uniform, a white man said he wasn’t a soldier and called him a racist slur
Gladys says that other men have been getting lynched for wearing their uniforms.
Scene 7
No distressing action.
INTERVAL
ACT 2
Scene 1
We hear a voiceover that is a rival hairdressers. Miss Mary threatens to shoot her
Miss Mary uses the new hair straightening cream on Mabel Mabel is in pain and her head is burning.
Mabel’s hair has all fallen out from the creamthis is a bald cap and the actor’s hair hasn’t been damaged.
During the scene change there is thunder and flashing lights to represent a storm.
Scene 2
There are thunder sound effects during this scene.
Mabel is angry. She picks up a hot comb and threatens and lunges at Buzz to burn him with it, and then also chases after Taffy and Leanne with the comb.
Water falls from the ceiling.
Scene 3
Leanne lights another cigarette and you will smell the herbal tobacco.
There is more thunder throughout this scene. Leanne is still upset about Bobby, which then makes Taffy upset - they are loud and crying. Leanne is shouting that she wants him back and Mabel shouts back at her to shut up.
Scene 4
Gladys is writing the love letter through Bobby and is getting carried away - she shouts at herself to stop.
Bobby says homophobic comments to Gladys, which is internalised as she is imagining him in her head.
Miss Mary tells Gladys about her husband’s death and that she will close the shop soon
Scene 5
Gladys is trying to tell Leanne that she loves her but Leanne says that she wants to propose to Bobby.
Leanne tells Gladys that all other men have previously treated her badly.
Everyone starts shouting as the war has been won by America.
Scene 6
Bobby walks through the door after being at war - he trips on his crutch and one of his arms has been amputated.
Bobby tells Leanne that he is already taken, but Leanne doesn’t believe it.
Mabel finds out in a letter that her husband has died at war
Gladys finally tells Leanne how she feels and kisses her Leanne pushes her away and is very angry that all of the letters have been Gladys and calls her nasty and sick.
Leanne shouts as she chases after Bobby out of the house.