Venue Description

A 400-seat theatre in the heart of Ipswich, Suffolk's county town, The New Wolsey Theatre was established in 2000, building on the foundations of the regional repertory company that had opened the theatre in the late 1970s.

Accessibility

The auditorium is accessible from the street without encountering any steps. Row C is accessible from the Ground Floor Foyer without using steps, and Row K also, via the passenger lift to the Bar area on the first floor. For each subsequent row there are two steps. There are six spaces available for wheelchair users in the auditorium, four in Row C and two in Row K. Guide and assistance dogs are welcome throughout the building and, if you prefer, we will happily look after your dog whilst you watch the performance. The Box Office is located inside the main entrance. It has a low level service. There is one accessible toilet on the ground floor near to the Café Bar and one in the Bar on the first floor. You can pre-order interval drinks to avoid queuing. Touch Tours for visually impaired audiences are available before Audio Described performances. Touch tours introduce blind and partially sighted visitors to the arrangement of the stage and help participants to engage with the ideas, props and costumes. We also offer Familiarisation tours for audiences that are living with Dementia or are learning disabled or feel anxious about coming to the the theatre. Please contact the Box Office for information on booking these tours. We have Audio Described, BSL interpreted and captioned performances as well as relaxed and dementia friendly shows too. We also have audio enhancement equipment and some of our staff are trained to BSL level 3 For Access Guides, Accessible Brochures and information on Accessible Performances please follow this link to our website. http://www.wolseytheatre.co.uk/access/

Accessibility Guide

Accessibility Guide Link: http://www.wolseytheatre.co.uk/access

Access Statement

Access Statement Link: https://www.wolseytheatre.co.uk/access/

Accessible Performances

We have Audio Described, BSL interpreted and captioned performances as well as relaxed and dementia friendly shows too. We also have audio enhancement equipment available.

Toilets

The downstairs disabled toilet has step free access, doors wide enough for a manual or power wheel chair, grab rails with easy to use taps taps and locks. The same can be said for the upstairs disabled toilet if the lift is used to bypass the stairs.

Staff

Our staff have yearly access training and we have been awarded Most Welcoming Theatre by the TMA. ALl our staff have had D/deaf awareness training and some of our staff are trained to BSL level 3. The staff have also received Sighted-Guiding training and Dementia friends sessions.

Assistance dog facilities

Other assistance dog facilities

We have water bowls available for assistance dogs.