Want trigger warnings at theatre? Just stay away instead, says ex-RSC boss

THEATRE- GOERS who want trigger warnings at the start of plays shouldn’t bother coming, says the former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Gregory Doran, who stepped down from the role last year, told students he ‘ hates’ the woke warnings, which have become increasingly popular.

He was speaking during a lecture on Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus – infamous for its violence, rape and mutilations.

Asked about trigger warnings during a Q&A, he replied: ‘I hate them. How do you do [content warnings] for Titus Andronicus? Don’t come if you are worried or anxious – stay away.’

Mr Doran, who was married to Sir Antony Sher until the actor’s death in 2021, is the latest luminary to wade into the thorny debate. London’s Globe made headlines when it decided in 2021 to provide warnings about ‘upsetting’ themes, namely suicide and drug use, in productions such as Romeo and Juliet. Actor Christopher Biggins deemed the trend excessive, saying: ‘It’s madness. If you give warning signs for Shakespeare where do you stop?’

In 2022, bosses at the same theatre were slammed again for providing ‘woke’ trigger warnings for audiences watching Julius Caesar, including cautions over the use of ‘stage blood’.

Ralph Fiennes, renowned for his role in Schindler’s List, recently stated that audiences have ‘gone too soft’ and no content warnings were vital to preserve the element of surprise.

Other theatres to have introduced trigger warnings include the Chichester Festival Theatre and the Old Vic in London.