Ratings
Would a system of ratings be a hindrance to the growth of theater? I suppose that theater should have a system of ratings as it is a place where the creativity and the imagination of human’s mind are embodied. And I do agree that theater is not a place for demonstration of terrifying slaughter or porno-scenes. First of all, theater is a temple and the discipline there must be followed. The usage of adult language or slight sexual situations is the thing which may be useful in depicting some episodes, but of course it should be strictly banned to the audience of 18+ and people must be aware of those scenes. I also believe that the usage of such slightly irregular scenes may be necessary, for example in order to show the drawbacks of a society and this way to criticize it. Ratings should rely on “the moral, political, and religious convictions of widely varying local authorities” (eNotes, 2016). To sum up I would like to say that ratings in the theater are necessary but they also should be wise and fair so that not to create obstacles to embodiment of a play.
Can ratings be considered as a censorship? I suppose that ratings and censorship are the terms closely connected, but at the same time they are different in their nature. We can’t say that ratings are the censorship. Ratings are the criteria to which adults or parents can evaluate a play and whether it is appropriate for their children to watch or there are scenes which can’t be viewed by those who are under 18 or any age required. Ratings are also the means for considering whether a play contains the episodes which can be perceived as offensive for some adults due to their beliefs or values and censorship does not fit these characteristics. A play attains the letter rating “that indicates what the level of content for viewing suitability in terms of what children should watch” (TheaterSeat.Com., 2015).
In 2004 in Britain happened the following: “Bhatti’s play Behzti (Dishonour), caused violent protests at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, known as the Rep. One of the offending scenes involved a rape in a Sikh temple. The protests were so violent that Bhatti had to go into hiding in fear of her life and the play was stopped” (Nathan, 2010). This example shows what happens when the ratings are not included or mentioned. It is very important to consider the thoughts of the society and people who live in it. Violence, provoked by the play, had negative consequences for both sides the playwright and people who went on protest against it. I suppose that the public and society should participate in the process of ratings creation in order to find the common ground which will satisfy all the sides of this process. Ratings are necessary to “make provision for prohibition of content in unique circumstances” (Brand, 2015). The process of rating should be democratic and take into attention the interests of all representatives in order to be fair and wise.
Works Cited
Brand, Jeff. “A Comparative Analysis of Ratings, Classification and Censorship in Selected Countries around the World”. Centre For New Media Research and Education: Bond University. 2015. Web. 23 Jan. 2016. http://www.classification.gov.au/Public/Resources/Documents/80000CPB+-+A+Comparative+Analysis+of+Ratings,+Classification+and+Censorship+Around+Commissioned+Research256794.pdf
eNotes. “Drama, Theater, and Censorship Analysis”. 2016. Web. 23 Jan. 2016. http://www.enotes.com/topics/drama-theater-censorship
Nathan, John. “Censorship in the Theater”. The Telegraph. 14 Apr. 2010/ Web. 23 Jan. 2016. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-features/7572604/Censorship-in-the-theatre.html
TheaterSeatStore.Com. “A Guide to Movie Censorship and Ratings”. 2015. Web. 23 Jan. 2016. http://www.theaterseatstore.com/movie-censorship
