London’s theatres have, by and large, put in a lot of work to achieve a greater level of accessibility. Lamentably, there are still some exceptions which, without wanting to name names (but doing so anyway), include the New London Theatre on Drury Lane. Fortunately, these instances are rarer and rarer occurrences with modern theatre embracing disability both on stage and in the audience.
It’s notable that a lot of theatres, in London and beyond, provide helpful and detailed amounts of information about disabled access on their websites. This certainly makes our job easier but does not remove it by any stretch. It’s an excellent step but we think that you really have to put these statements to the test, which is what we do by visiting the theatres in person.
We’ve put together a run-through of the best London theatres – a combination of the most well known venues and a sprinkling of some slightly smaller places to see more up and coming plays:
The National Theatre, the jewel in the crown of British theatre, is not one but three separate theatres in one building on the South Bank – all three are accessible. The National are currently celebrating their Fiftieth Anniversary so there are many events going on around that. You may have seen the live televised celebration last Saturday – if you missed it, you can still watch it on iPlayer.
The National Theatre provides a very detailed explanation of the accessibility there. It’s brilliantly informative although we think that a real person’s experience ,as we’ve provided, helps to clarify. We found the access to be generally very good and the view from the disabled seats was great. We were just a little put off by able bodied people using the disabled loos!
The only real problem we’ve encountered is that the stair lift can be a little precarious. But it’s OK because you don’t need to use it unless you’re in a rush since you can just use the other lifts instead. Apparently they’re planning some more work soon to improve the access even more. You also need to book a disabled parking space in advance if necessary.
The Prince of Wales, on Coventry Street, is the London home of The Book of Mormon. The almighty smash hit has won 9 Tony Awards across the pond, including Best Musical. The satire of organized religion is by almost all accounts, utterly hilarious with brilliant songs and hasn’t even really offended the religion it lampoons. Such an achievement when it’s so easy to offend people these days.
Unlike the National, they haven’t got the same level of detail about their access on their website (although there is some info on the Delfont Mackintosh site). But of course that’s why we’re here and we can say that the Prince of Wales was brilliantly accessible. It’s really easy to get around, with plenty of disabled toilets and a lift. It’s obviously been refurbished with disability in mind. They make every effort to ensure you have a good time to the extent that you get a personal escort to get you to your seat and interval drinks on time. Outstanding!
The Menier Chocolate Factory is a 180 seater in Southwark which has been staging interesting and unusual plays, musicals and standup comedy since 2004. The Evening Standard has described it as “one of the most dynamic fringe venues in London”. They’re in the final week of American comedy, The Lyons, by Nicky Silver and about to start a run of Candide.
The access is pretty good, considering the small size of the venue, but not perfect. They look after less able guests well but suggest that they need to arrive thirty minutes early to use the one wheelchair seat available. The Chocolate Factory is not fitted with a hearing loop system either. But you can certainly visit if you use a wheelchair and there are more details on their website.
The Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square has a good reputation for promoting the best new plays and playwrights. The New York Times described it as ‘the most important theatre in Europe’. Their dedication to innovative new writing means audiences are almost always treated to something fresh and exciting (sometimes the do put on the odd classic). The Low Road, which was on there in May, was very creative and amusing.
The Royal Court Theatre is very accessible, with a flat entrance to the right of the main entrance and lifts if you need them. The seats are specific for wheelchairs like most other theatres and you should let them know when booking. They also have a disabled toilet. They have more information about the access online and have even produced an access audio guide podcast!
The Donmar Warehouse brings a diverse range of artistic output to the West End. With a capacity of 250 people, the theatre provides a chance to see incredible actors perform in a relatively intimate space. Since 2012, it has been led by Josie Rourke, who follows Sam Mendes and Michael Grandage as Artistic Director. When Roots, starring Jessica Raine, finishes at the end of the month, Tom Hiddlestone will be taking of his Loki horns and performing the title role in their sold out production of Coriolanus. Somewhere to look out for future productions as it sells out way in advance.
There is a lift to all levels of the auditorium and they have seats that are available on request from the box office. Seating is in the stalls and a disabled toilet is on the circle level – you will have to use the lift from the stalls to get there. The website says there is a 15cm step into the foyer from Earlham Street but they have a portable ramp to help you over that. Alternatively there is flat access to the box office through Thomas Neal’s shopping centre but that closes at 18.30. More access information is available on their website.
The Old Vic is another one of those ‘need we say much more’ theatres. Artistic directed by Kevin Spacey, who has been awarded an honorary CBE for his work there, for ten years now the Old Vic is one of London’s leading lights. Once James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave’s geriatric version of Much Ado About Nothing concludes on November 30th, the Old Vic will be moving onto a new production of Fortune’s Fool starring Richard McCabe and Iain Glenn from Game of Thrones (and of Olivier award nomination fame too!)
If you let the box office know when you buy your tickets, you shouldn’t have any problems accessing the Old Vic. You can enter through the side door and a ramp goes straight to the stalls. Disabled parking is nearby and there is an ‘adapted toilet’ is near the entrance to the theatre. Unfortunately, there is no step-free access to the foyer, box office or any bars so you might want to go somewhere else beforehand and stay seated during the interval. There are occasional audio described and captioned performances – more information here.
The Soho Theatre is a vibrant venue perhaps best known for its stand-up comedy. It’s another London theatre with a real emphasis on promoting new and exciting writing. We’re looking forward to seeing, the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe best show winner, Bridget Christie’s show there and her husband, Stewart Lee, will also be doing a long stint there over the winter (don’t worry they’re not performing as a double act).
It is refreshingly disabled friendly with easy access, a lift, plenty of disabled seats & toilets, room for Guide Dogs, a hearing loop system and a full access guide.
Finally, up to north London where The Almeida stages some excellent shows with lots of variety. For a sense of that variety you only need look at what’s on now and what’s on next. Right now, Lesley Manville is appearing for a few more weeks in Richard Eyre’s adaptation of Ghosts. After that they’re putting on a musical adaptation of American Psycho with Matt Smith, AKA The Doctor, playing the lead role. It sounds absolutely bonkers but possibly quite, quite brilliant.
Though the shows may differ in their nature, the quality remains consistent and the same can be said of the Almeida’s access. They have full access, a disabled toilet and an accessible bar. They provide extra information about guided performances on their website. The only problem is that the wheelchair spaces are in the front row of the stalls which can sometimes feel a little bit too close to the action!
