Appreciation of the arts, which includes stage plays, musicals and dance performances, is something that many parents hope their children will develop as they grow into adulthood. Watching such performances together as a family can be a great bonding experience, too. Of course, you need to choose the right performance to take home the best experience from your trip to the theatre or concert hall. A quick check of the Arts Classification Database will help you find out if that upcoming play or musical is right for you and your child. Read on to see how one parent uses the database.
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Before watching a play with her children, Madam Ngoh Eng Eng makes it a point to check its rating or advisory first. A housewife and mother of two, she believes that the young should be protected from unsuitable arts content, such as nudity or those with sensitive themes such as homosexuality. As such, her family watches plays that are rated 'G', although there may be popular performances rated otherwise.
"Arts classification is a tool for parents to guide their kids' media consumption habits. Children are impressionable and easily influenced by popular media. It is important for standards to be maintained in order to help our young build good moral values and keep them from going astray. Parents should take on a greater responsibility in this area," she says. |
In classifying content, MDA considers the topic, treatment and target audience. Issues such as violence, nudity, sex, and language as well as race and religion are examples of classification considerations. By classifying arts performances, adults have greater freedom of choice while the young can be protected from unsuitable content.
Consumers can make use of information available in the Arts Classification Database to make an informed choice about which plays are appropriate for their children.
Please note that the database covers performances that have been submitted to MDA for licensing. The ratings for performances organised by exempted institutions (eg, Esplanade, the National Arts Council, NAFA, LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts) or for exempted arts genres will not be found in the database.
Arts performances that are licensed by the MDA are classified as General, Advisory, Advisory 16, or R18.
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GENERAL |
General
Entertainment that is suitable for the whole family |
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ADVISORY
ADVISORY
FOR 16 YEARS
& ABOVE
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Advisory
Indicates that you should be present to guide children when they are watching such preformances.
An Advisory with age indication is to inform the public that the performance contains some content (such as coarse language or mature themes) which may not be suitable for younger audiences. |
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R18 |
Restricted 18
Restricted to those 18 years and above |
R18 is arestricted category. For any show in this category, all audience members must be 18 years and above to be admitted.
Meanwhile, certain arts entertainment events come with an Advisory, used to alert parents that their contents may not be suitable for all audiences. For example, if it is known that some swear words and profanities would be used in a play, an advisory for “Some Coarse Language” would be provided to alert the public beforehand. This way, parents who do not wish for their children to be exposed to such language can make an informed choice – and perhaps decide to avoid the play.
The Advisory category does not restrict admission by age. It is simply consumer advice that offers an indication of the nature of the content, which may also indicate the content’s target audience. An advisory of “16 years and above” may accompany a play that touches on more mature content such as coarse, language, nudity or prostitution. While such content may generally be more appropriate for those 16 years and above, parents who feel that their underaged children are mature enough can choose to bring them to the play.
Making your choice
The classification of arts entertainment helps you make an informed choice. Do remember:
- to check for any of the rating or advisory given for a performance before you purchase the ticket. Ratings and Advisories are reflected in publicity brochures and ticketing outlets like SISTIC. To view an example of how an advisory is reflected on a brochure, please visit here
- that if an age advisory is given, adults such as parents or teachers should take note that the content is better suited for children of a certain age.
To view an example of how an advisory is reflected on a brochure, please see here
Learn more about ratings and consumer advice for the various media