Rep Birmingham
4
4
Date of visit: February 2016
I have experience of challenges around: moving around
Overall Rating
Good
Fantastic customer service, especially on the phone.
Disabled Access In and Around
Excellent
Lifts were available, there was ample access to the main auditorium through every entrance. Accessible seats were available for those who wished to transfer and those who wished to stay in their wheelchair.
Parking & Transport
Good
Parking was reasonable, multi-storey with disabled bays nearby. We parked on nearby double yellow lines using Blue Badge
Accessible Toilets
Poor
It was easy to find and there were two in the theatre, both of which were in use while we were there. Fortunately, the REP is attached to Birmingham Central Library, which has multiple accessible toilets. We have since visited this location again, and discovered that although there are 2 accessible toilets, theatre policy is for some reason to lock one of them after the performance has finished. Although this does cause problems, the downstairs toilet remains open (RADAR key only). It is also worth mentioning that Birmingham Central Library closes in the evening, meaning that their toilets are only accessible during and after a matinee performance.
Staff
Good
Everyone we encountered was helpful, patiently explaining what was going to happen.
Additional Information
We were on the second floor, and had transferred out of the wheelchair, so the staff asked if they could put it away in the cloakroom (on the ground floor). We complained because it was a fire risk and they relented and let us keep the wheelchair at the back of the auditorium, out of the way. I have visited again since, and this has not been my experience on subsequent trips. This is possibly because of our seating location. We were located near the front of the auditorium, but in subsequent productions we have sat near the middle and received no objections about the location of the wheelchair. I do not have a hearing impairment, but i have been to a captioned performance. Although the captions were slightly behind in some places, they were mostly correct and clearly legible for the entire performance,
