Enraged by babies in the theatre? Why even Bertolt Brecht would have approved

Two young theatre critics. Picture: Fox Photos | Getty Images

For some theatre-goers, the presence of babies in the audience is about as welcome as, say, snakes on a plane. When you are experiencing the full force of Bertolt Brecht’s alienation effect, a baby starting to grumble, mither and then, with a grim inevitability, cry may be the last thing you want.

However, help is at hand, both for those who take their theatre seriously and parents who can’t find a babysitter or believe it’s never too soon to start exposing their offspring to high culture.

In what is believed to be a Scottish theatre first, Edinburgh’s Traverse is putting on a baby-friendly matinee of Roisin Stack's play, No Woman is an Island, with low-level lighting and permission for the audience to walk around or leave during the performance.

During shows in Ireland, one baby had “gone for the projector” on stage, but otherwise there was little disruption. “It has been easy for me to incorporate it to some degree, because it’s a direct address to the audience, breaking the fourth wall...” Stack said.

Breaking the fourth wall, you say? Turns out babies are natural Brechtians...