The allure and terror of issues-based drama

Addiction, racism and domestic violence – are we drawn to such dramas, or do plays with powerful themes scare potential audiences off?
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Publicity image for ATYP’s War Crimes. Photo by Zan Wimberley.

Second-guessing an audience is no easy matter, even for the most adept marketing department or Artistic Director. Some audiences just want to be entertained, others seek to be challenged. Some seek out works reflecting their own place in the world, others attend productions that experiment with form or deal with subjects which confront, provoke and even shock.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts