National Arts Council Danger in the dark for elderly
A visit to Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay to watch a show turned out to be a stressful experience for senior citizens like me.

On Sunday, I went to the Esplanade Concert Hall to watch an Indian musical show.

After an announcement to the audience to take our seats, I moved in through the door only to be faced with a totally dark hall, on top of having to manage several small flights of steps.

I was left to locate my seat in the dark after being led to my designated row by an usher. I was told that this was a decision made by the management to maintain the ambience.

What surprised me was that the ambience was given priority over the safety of the elderly.

Since I feared having to go through the same situation after the show, I made a request to the usher to get the management to consider having the hall brightly lit to avoid any mishap when it was time to leave.

She promised me that this request would be conveyed to the management.

She also suggested that I fill up a feedback form, as there had been previous complaints about this matter.

This "dark hall" policy in concert halls is an accident waiting to happen.

Padmini Kesavapany

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/forum/danger-in-the-dark-for-elderly

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