http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/21/why-dont-more-theaters-offer-child-care Comments On: Why Don't More Theaters Offer Child Care? by Brendan Kiley en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Fri, 17 May 2013 22:45:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss
Posted by Why are there cars?]]> Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:00:25 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Jett]]> Thu, 21 Feb 2013 12:41:51 -0800 The Stranger
Not to mention what providing child care services would do to a theatre's insurance liability.

And then there's the practical matter of what room in an already crowded facility would theatres have to convert to accommodate this? Large organizations can probably squeeze out an under-used office or some-such, but it's completely unrealistic for small companies such as those at the Fringe level to carve out the extra space, when they already have actors doing costume changes in their lounges and hallways, because there's not enough room to accommodate them anywhere else. And then there's the noise issue: most small venues simply don't have the option to create a dedicated, sound-proofed space far enough away from their stage that one screaming child wouldn't disrupt the performance for the entire audience.

But, even if theatre companies could overcome these obstacles, they're most likely going to have to up their ticket prices to cover the additional expenses (or would patrons really expect this service to be offered gratis? Ha!), which either means the entire audience is going to be subsidizing this service for a few, or else I suppose you could add a "child-care upcharge" to the ticket price for patrons bringing their children, in which case, it's probably going to turn out to be just as costly as it would if they'd just hired a baby-sitter in the first place.

Finally, why are we limiting this discussion just to live theatre? Surely, these same parents would also be interested in going out to musical concerts, movies, art galleries, et al? So, why no move to "encourage" these venues to provide child-care services as well?

Sorry folks, but if you NEED to take your little ones out with you in order to have an evening of culture, try Seattle Childrens' Theatre; that's what they're there for.
Posted by COMTE]]> Thu, 21 Feb 2013 12:16:27 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Emily]]> Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:29:30 -0800 The Stranger not handing my child over to a fucking actor.
Posted by Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn]]> Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:24:03 -0800 The Stranger
Posted by Kinison]]> Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:19:42 -0800 The Stranger Posted by zobot]]> Thu, 21 Feb 2013 09:58:17 -0800 The Stranger Posted by tim koch]]> Thu, 21 Feb 2013 09:49:56 -0800 The Stranger