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 OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts