Skip to main content
NC State Home
Arts NC State
University Theatre

Content Considerations

At University Theatre, we believe that live performance is a shared, powerful experience. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment where audiences can engage with challenging, thought-provoking, and transformative theatre with confidence and peace of mind.

To help you make informed viewing decisions for yourself and your party, we use a two-tiered evaluation process:

  1. Specific Disclosures: Directly identifying sensitive topics, sensory hazards, and/or staging conditions.
  2. Baseline Ratings: Applying familiar, movie-style ratings (G, PG, PG-13, R) to cover general thematic tone and any non-enumerated content.

How We Evaluate Content

When preparing advisories for a production, our team evaluates how the content is presented before detailing what specific items are included.

Step 1: HOW Content is Conveyed

Sensitive topics are experienced differently depending on how they are delivered on stage. We categorize engagement into three levels:

  • Mentions/Reference: Offstage events or brief dialogue references (e.g., “Reference to self-harm”).
  • Discussion: In-depth conversation, debate, or monologue between characters without physical representation on stage (e.g., “Extended discussion of domestic abuse”).
  • Depictions/Portrayal: Actions physically simulated, enacted, or portrayed live on stage (e.g., “Graphic depiction of physical assault”).

Step 2: WHAT Content is Explicitly Enumerated

While broad ratings convey the general tone of a production, certain sensitive topics and sensory effects require direct callouts. If a production features any of the items listed below, they will be explicitly identified on the show’s individual page rather than grouped under broad terms:

  • Violence
    • Suicide / Self-Harm
    • Rape
    • Sexual Assault
    • Forced Pregnancy
    • Incest
    • Domestic Violence / Intimate Partner Abuse
    • Animal Cruelty or Death
    • Murder
    • Acts of Violence
    • Simulated Gunshots
  • Adult Content
    • Simulated Sex
    • Commercial Sex Work
    • Drug Use
    • Alchohol Abuse
    • Abortion / Pregnancy Loss
    • Death / Grief
    • Human Trafficking / Enslavement
    • Smoking (Cigarettes or Herbal Substitutes)
  • Strong Language
    • Profanity
    • Explicit Hate Speech / Racial Slurs
    • Graphic Sexual Language
  • Audience Interaction & Staging Boundaries
    • Physical Actor-Audience Content
    • Audience Selection / Interactive Staging

Baseline Ratings for General Content

Any theme, narrative conflict, or dramatic element not explicitly enumerated in the list above falls under our general baseline ratings. We use Motion Picture Association (MPA) guidelines to describe the overall tone, language density, and age-appropriateness of a production

Rated G – General Audiences

All ages admitted. Nothing that would offend parents when viewed by children. Contains no nude content, sex scenes, drug use, or severe violence; language is minimal and strictly non-explicit.

Rated PG – Parental Guidance Suggested

Some material may not be suitable for children. Parents urged to give parental guidance. May contain mild profanity, brief non-graphic violence, or light thematic elements, but no explicit sexual content or drug use.

Rated PG-13 – Parents Strongly Cautioned

Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Requires higher caution from parents. May contain stronger violence, brief non-explicit nudity, sensual content, drug references, or a single use of a harsh sexual expletive.

Rated R – Restricted

Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. Contains adult themes, persistent crude/graphic violence, explicit sexual dialogue, pervasive profanity, nudity, or hard drug use.

Finding Information on Show Pages

For every production in our season, you will find a dedicated Content Considerations and Themes section on its individual webpage, formatted to give you clear expectations before you purchase tickets or enter the theatre. An example is listed below:

Rating: Rated R

Considerations: Depiction of simulated sex, physical abuse; Discussion of suicide, abortion; Pervasive profanity; Use of theatrical haze.

Themes: Adolescence, repression, rebellion, youth activism.

Questions or Specific Sensitivities?

If you have questions about a specific production, sensory accommodation, or content detail not addressed on the show page, please contact our Front of House team prior to your visit by emailing [email protected].