Experiencing the joy of live theatre is an unmatched feeling. Going for a night out at the theatre is a chance to be social, be dazzled and be inspired.

We're thrilled that more theatres are providing greater accessibility features for disabled audiences, including step-free access, wheelchair seating areas, touch tours, hearing assistance systems, audio descriptions, British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation, captioned performances, and relaxed performances. Smart tech is also getting in on the action, with venues like The National Theatre using smart caption glasses for selected performances. These enhancements allow more disabled audiences to enjoy the wonder of stage productions.

However, finding comprehensive theatre access information can be tricky. Theatres present their accessibility information in different ways on their websites and some require you to get in touch to find out if they are accessible for you. That's where our Detailed Access Guides can help.

We’ve produced Detailed Access Guides for over 250 theatres and arts venues across the UK and Ireland. Our guides include information on inside and outside access, parking, bar and café spaces, lighting levels, box office opening times, toilets, different types of performances, available staff assistance, and more. Helping you decide if a venue is accessible for you before you book your ticket. 

Here, we spotlight 6 theatres in the UK that we have created Detailed Access Guides for. You can also filter by ‘Theatres’ on our search tool to discover quality assured theatre accessibility information at your chosen location. So, you can enjoy a showstopping trip to a play, musical or dance performance near you or somewhere new. 

 

Palace Theatre, Manchester

Palace Theatre is one of Manchester’s prominent theatre venues. Opened in 1891 and with a capacity of 1998 seats, Palace Theatre hosts an array of plays, musicals, opera, comedy, dance, concerts and sing-a-longs. 

A range of accessibility services are offered to disabled customers including a wheelchair lift, accessible toilets and a dual channel infra-red sound enhancement system in the auditorium. There is designated seating available, with 5 seats at each end of row B which have extra room to allow assistance dogs, with the seats in front removed. There is designated seating for blind/visually Impaired patrons, patrons who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing, and Patrons who require captions.

BSL, audio described and captioned performances are regularly scheduled, with some of the shows scheduling in relaxed performances too.

Guide dogs and hearing dogs are welcome at the Palace Theatre and they can stay with you while you are in the theatre. The venue also has an Access Champion who can answer any accessibility queries you may have.

An Access Membership Scheme can be joined, which allows online booking for accessible seats, registration for available Access concessions, and reserving Personal Assistant tickets for certain customers.

View the Detailed Access Guide here.

The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

High drama and high kicks are on the playbill at The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. Originally opened in 1971, the Crucible reopened after a £15.3 million redevelopment in February 2010. The performance area is a thrust stage which extends into the auditorium, enabling the audience to watch action on three sides. 

There are level entrances to the main foyers and lift access to each floor. There are also spaces in the auditorium for wheelchair users, which can be booked by calling the Box Office, as well as a number of seats which benefit from level access. There is a Changing Places toilet facility available on the ground floor, with accessible toilets available on other floors.

Throughout their season of productions, a variety of accessible performances are offered to ensure an enjoyable experience for all patrons. Staff receive disability awareness/equality training and for most productions, audio described, BSL interpreted, and captioned performances. Relaxed and dementia-friendly performances are available for selected productions. A hearing assistance system is also in place. In addition, touch tours of the set before performances are frequently provided for visually impaired patrons.

Familiarisation visits can be scheduled before attending a performance to help anyone feeling anxious become familiar with the venue's layout.

If you’d like to book accessible tickets, including wheelchair spaces - you can now do this on the Crucible Theatre website.

View the Detailed Access Guide here.

 

Bristol Old Vic

Comedy, drama spoken word, dance, and family shows can all be enjoyed at the Bristol Old Vic, the first British theatre to survive 250 years. The building opened in 1766 and some parts are original. In 2012, redevelopment was completed of the historic Georgian auditorium and rehearsal spaces.

There are designated spaces for wheelchair users located in the Dress Circle, where companions can sit with you. Accessible toilet facilities are available in more than one location.

A range of accessible performances are available including audio description, captioned, signed and relaxed performances. A sound enhancement system through use of a headset or individual loop is available for all performances. Guide, hearing or other working dogs are welcome. There is a resting space located on the Balcony, created with disabled artist Raquel Meseguer Zafe. 

There are concession rates and a free companion ticket bookable where necessary.

Bristol Old Vic is part of the Bristol Access Venues network. This group consists of venues in Bristol that promote accessibility excellence, continually improving access provision, staff awareness, and training.

View the Detailed Access Guide here.

 

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford Upon Avon

Discover a rich selection of comedies, tragedies, and histories at the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. The RSC's mission is to make Shakespeare accessible to everyone by unlocking the power of his plays and live performances. They perform plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries, as well as commission original work from contemporary writers.  

Four seats are available in the front row of the stalls at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre for people who are visually impaired, Deaf, deafened or hard of hearing. There is lift access to all levels of the theatre with eight wheelchair spaces, which are booked on a first come, first served basis.

Assisted performances are run for all shows, and touch tours are offered before audio-described performances, allowing patrons to experience the set, costumes and props used in the play.  For every RSC show you can download the audio notes, which are produced and circulated to patrons for an audio-described performance. They give details of the characters, set and costume. If patrons are attending a BSL interpreted performance, you can book onto a signed theatre tour to find out more about the magic of the RSC, from the 1800s all the way to the present day. BSL interpreted tours are also available at other points throughout the year.

 There are accessible toilets on each floor of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, including the Rooftop Restaurant, with alternating sides for transferring. 

View the Detailed Access Guide.

 

Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London

Music, art, literature and festivals fill the dynamic programme of events at the Southbank Centre. A complex of venues on the South Bank of the River Thames, the Centre comprises of three main venues; Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall & Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery. Royal Festival Hall is the largest performance venue within the Southbank Centre complex, with a total capacity of over 2,700 and is home to the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

All ticket offices, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants across the site. Event accessibility is being increased through various formats, such as British Sign Language interpretation, speech-to-text transcription, audio description, captioning, and pre-event touch tours. More relaxed performances and sensory adapted performances are also being introduced, which are particularly suitable for autistic patrons and people with sensory and communication disorders and learning disabilities. 

Accessible toilets are available on all floors of the Royal Festival Hall. A Changing Places toilet is located on Level 1, Royal Festival Hall, which includes a height-adjustable bench, a tracking hoist system, a centrally-placed toilet, a height-adjustable basin and a shower.

Their Access scheme enables customers to book concessionary tickets for companions and lists information on upcoming assisted events.

View the Detailed Access Guide.

 

Sadlers Wells, London

If you love to experience live dance, Sadler's Wells is just the ticket! Sadler’s Wells is the leading performance venue for dance artists, showcasing ballet, contemporary dance and modern musicals by leading national and international dance companies. The present-day Sadler’s Wells Theatre opened in 1998 and is the sixth theatre to have stood on the site – the first dating back to 1683. Located in Angel, North London, Sadler’s Wells has three theatres, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Lilian Baylis Studio and Peacock Theatre.

Accessible features include disabled parking, wheelchair spaces, lifts and flat access to auditoriums, bars and café, accessible toilets and guide dogs are allowed. Audio described, British Sign Language, captioned and relaxed performances are offered to make dance as accessible as possible.

Staff members receive disability awareness and equality training. There is normally a staff member with BSL skills on duty, and all staff are trained to BSL level 3.

An Access for All membership scheme is available, which offers discounts and provides you with additional access information about forthcoming shows and events.

View the Detailed Access Guide here.

 

Help us promote accessibility at more theatres

It’s amazing that an increasing number of theatre venues are providing greater accessibility to enable disabled people to engage with and enjoy the wonderful British Arts scene. Our Detailed Access Guides are here to help make your theatre outing as enjoyable and as stress-free as possible.

If you've enjoyed a positive accessibility experience at a theatre, you can encourage them to obtain a Detailed Access Guide - find out more here.