Post-Show Talk-Backs & Relaxed Performances

chelseabmcfadden
Oct 21, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Oct 29

Post-Show Talk-Backs

A Post-Show Talk-Back will be held after the 1st Sunday show of each production. Audience members are invited to stay behind for a short time after the show where you will have the opportunity to ask questions of several members of the acting and production teams. This gives you a chance to learn more about the process that we use to bring a show to the stage at The South Simcoe Theatre.

While watching the show, you might want to make some mental notes of questions that you’d like to ask.

Here are some examples of questions that could spark good conversation! Feel free to ask one of these or something like it at our talk-back session!

What kind of research did you do for this role?
What was your inspiration for your character?
What are the most exciting and challenging things about this show?
How did you come up with the idea for the set?
How long does it take to build a set and position all the lights?
How long did you rehearse for this show?
What was the hardest part of doing this show for you?
What was the easiest part of doing this show for you?
Did you learn anything in this process?
Why do you think that this show is relevant to our time?

Relaxed Performances

What is a Relaxed Performance at the theatre and why do we have them?

The South Simcoe Theatre welcomes all members of our community and is committed to ensuring an inclusive environment for all theatregoers. Implementing a Relaxed Performance is a key step toward creating a more accommodating environment for diverse audiences, who might find standard theatre settings more challenging. For the 2025/26 Season, we will host a relaxed performance for The Princess and the Handmaiden on the matinee performance of Saturday, November 22nd, at 2 pm.

A Relaxed Performance is where the environment of the theatre and traditional theatre ‘rules’ are a little more relaxed. These modifications are ideal for neuro-diverse audience members (eg. People on the autism spectrum, with learning disabilities or other cognitive challenges), for younger children, or for anyone who would simply benefit from a more relaxed theatre setting. However, the modifications are such that any and all audiences can enjoy a relaxed performance.

At The South Simcoe Theatre, a Relaxed Performance will:

Have heightened lighting within the theatre (eg. The house lights will be up slightly).
Have a designated “calm zone” where audience members can go if they need a break from the performance (eg. The downstairs lobby of the theatre as well as the upstairs landing are both “calm zones”).
Have a slight decrease to the volume of some sound effects.
Allow for audience members to get up and leave and then return to the theatre space, if they need to during the performance.
Recognize and accept that some audience members may respond physically or vocally to the performance.

The director, the actors and the production team will also have thought carefully about what might need to change in the show, so that people’s needs have been considered. For example, specific movements, lines or actions within a scene may be adapted slightly for this performance. In some cases an actor may come on stage prior to the show to introduce the concept of the relaxed performance to the audience.

By taking these steps, SST hopes to create an environment where everyone feels welcome and can enjoy the magic of live theatre.

Get Your Tickets!

Haven't ordered your tickets yet? Tickets can be ordered online for all of our upcoming shows! You can also purchase tickets by calling our Box Office at 705-458-4432 or emailing: BoxOffice@TheSouthSimcoeTheatre.com