Over the coming months building refurbishment and development works will be taking place in the theatre. Most significantly, the works will affect the Bistro (main) Bar area on the Stalls level, which will be closed for the duration of the work.
We are carrying out significant works on the Theatre, including installing a new heating system, creating a new bar/café in our shop units on Westgate Road, and reimagining the Bistro Bar to create a second performance and multi-use space, These new and refurbished facilities will enable us to expand our offer for visiting productions, audiences, and the local community.
Once complete, the improvements will greatly enhance our customer experience. However, in the short term while works are underway, there will be a few changes to our customer experience and the way we that we operate – notably affecting our food and drink offering and toilet queues. We ask for your patience and are grateful for your understanding.
We would recommend that you arrive with plenty of time to buy or pre-order and drinks/refreshments, use the toilets and take your seat. We open the doors to our bars one-hour before the show starts and the earlier you arrive, the smoother your experience will be.
Please do listen to our staff who can point you to quieter bar and toilet queues and offer information on pre-ordering interval drinks, what stock is available at each bar etc.
Our food and drink offering will be made available across new ‘pop-up’ bars across the venue, instead of centralised around the Bistro Bar. Staff may encourage you to move to different areas of the theatre to purchase drinks/refreshments to reduce your wait time. We have also introduced self-service kiosks to order interval drinks from and, in time, will introduce service at seats. All of which we hope will reduce your queuing time and improve your experience.
Toilet queues around the building may increase as we lose access to the Bistro Bar toilets. To minimise the impact of this, some of our toilets will become gender neutral (single sex toilets will still be available). Signage will direct you to the toilets you prefer to use, and our staff will be able to advise on which toilets are likely to have shorter queues.
As well as those mentioned above, we are taking additional steps to minimise any inconvenience and ensure you still have an enjoyable experience with us at the theatre. These include requesting earlier access to auditorium seating from the productions, increased staffing, looking into ways you can pre-order drinks etc ahead of your arrival.
Our stalls levels is still accessible to wheelchair users and those with mobility needs. There is an accessible toilet at the back of the auditorium and pop-up bars at the front of the auditorium which are accessible via the central aisle. If you have any issues with ordering drinks or refreshments, please speak to a member of staff.
If you have any other questions regarding venue access, you can take a look at the accessibility page on our website or get in touch on 0191 243 1171 or [email protected].
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