Accessibility to public places such as theatres and cinemas – key and notes
The main auditorium has spaces for up to 5 wheelchairs, with seats nearby reserved for people accompanying wheelchair users. Significant discounts are available for disabled theatregoers – 75 percent / 75% off is common. Advance booking is always advisable for these spaces. Access to the theatre is via the side entrance adjacent to the reserved parking spaces. Please contact the Theatre Manager / theatre manager when you arrive if you require assistance.
There are no steps between the foyer and the main auditorium and a toilet reserved for people with mobility difficulties is situated close to the front auditorium entrance. Assistance dogs are welcome in the stalls, and signed performances are a regular feature of many productions. Many of our ushers are BSL- trained.
Unfortunately it is not possible for wheelchair users to access the Studio / studio upstairs or the Circle Bar / circle bar, although handrails are positioned on all staircases for those with limited mobility. We hope to improve access to all areas in the future, but the nature of the building makes appropriate alterations both difficult and extremely costly. If you wish to have a drink brought to you in the interval, please ask staff for this service on your arrival.
Both the Main Auditorium / main auditorium and the Studio / studio upstairs have a loop system installed. Hearing-aid users can amplify the sound from the stage by switching their aid to the ‘T’ setting.
If you require any further information, please get in touch via the form on the ‘Contact Us’ page on our website.
Notes
access – noun – the method or possibility of approaching a place or person, or the right to use or look at something: eg The only access to the hospital village is by the main entrance. The main access to (= entrance to) the building is at the side.
theatregoer – noun – someone who regularly goes to the theatre (a cinemagoer = a person who regularly goes to watch films at the cinema).The theatregoing / theatre-going or cinemagoing / cinema-going (adj) public – people who regularly go the theatre / cinema
adjacent to – next to , adjoining
Pronunciation: Did you notice the different sound of close when used as an adjective or adverb from how it is pronounced (with a ‘z’ sound) if it is a verb?
An assistance dog is one trained to accompany and assist someone who is blind or whose vision is impaired – also known as a guide dog (plural guide dogs)
The stalls – the ground-floor seats in a theatre or cinema – eg We’ve got two stall seats / two seats in the stalls. Above this there is the circle or dress circle – a curved set of seats on an upper floor, with maybe a higher level still – the upper circle, and even perhaps a gallery / the gods at the very top, with the cheapest seats.
To sign is to communicate in sign language. A signer is a person who can do this. A signed performance is one where information is conveyed by a signer or signers.
An usher shows people to their places. You may come across ushers at a wedding, or at the theatre / opera / cinema etc. The verb is also usher – eg Bob is going to usher at the service.
BSL-trained – trained to use and understand British Sign Language – used for and by people who are deaf or have a hearing impairment
handrail – rail fixed to posts or a wall for people to hold onto for support
appropriate – did you get the spelling correct – in particular, the ‘r‘ after the double ‘pp‘ and the single ‘p‘?
Notice the structure in ‘If you wish to have a drink brought to you…’
A loop system helps a person who is deaf or hearing-impaired to hear sounds more clearly because it reduces or cuts out background noise. An electric current is fed to the loop by an amplifier that gets its signal from a connection with a source of sound which you can then pick up if you are sitting within the area of the loop and your hearing aid – or loop listening aid – is set to ‘T’. You can adjust your hearing aid for volume in the usual way.
A hearing-aid – a device used to help the hard of hearing hear sounds better
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