A visit to Hawkins High (a.k.a. Phoenix Theatre!)
5
5
Date of visit: August 2025
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: accessing toilets and moving around.
I use or have experience of: disabled toilet, wheelchair
Overall Rating
Excellent
I visited this theatre with my husband to see Stranger Things: The First Shadow. The show was absolutely incredible and the theatre had been renovated since then and the accessibility was much better. I was even able to book my tickets online which I always prefer doing where I can. You do need to have an Access Card with Nimbus to be able to book online. The theatre was opened in 1930, so it’s a very old building. When I had been before the step-free entrance was down a side street and led to very restricted seating options that were right on the side of the theatre. Since then, the main entrance has been redone. There is now step-free access into the main foyer where the main bar and merchandise stand are located. There’s also an accessible toilet and a lift to take you up to the dress circle. When you arrive you’re still greeted by an access host, like most West End theatres, and they help you navigate the busy foyer, up the lift and to your seats. The wheelchair spaces, wheelchair transfer seats and companion seats are located at the back of the dress circle and are right in the middle. I found the view to be really good from here. But it’s worth noting that you are quite far away from the stage. I personally didn’t find that a problem and found all of the performance, set and visuals to still be clear and easily visible. There’s another accessible toilet by the lift at the dress circle level. The staff were really lovely and helpful. We were able to order drinks and snacks via our phones using a QR code and it was brought to us quickly. I really enjoyed this trip. The theatre is located in an area of London that I find one of the easiest to get to as it’s near to Tottenham Court Road which has step-free access to three Underground lines. The step-free access available now means getting into the theatre doesn’t feel like hard work and it’s a much simpler process than before. I definitely recommend visiting the theatre and I also recommend the show!
Disabled Access In and Around
Excellent
The entrance was step-free with two sets of double doors that were propped open and staffed as we arrived. I was asked to do a quick bag check and they scanned our tickets before we were allowed to move into the main foyer area. Once our tickets had been scanned we were met by an access host who gave us the option of going to the bar and merchandise stall before we made our way up to our seats, or they could take us up in the lifts straight away. In the main foyer there was a bar and merchandise stall. The bar had a lowered section of the counter and spanned most of the main foyer area. There were also some seats available although as it was so busy there weren't many free seats and it would have been difficult to make my way over to any. We opted to head straight upstairs to our seats. The wheelchair spaces are in the same space as the wheelchair transfer seats. They're located at the back of the Grand Circle which is the highest tier of seating. The seats are located in the centre of the seating, giving a clear view of the entire stage. A platform lift has been fitted to take you from the foyer to the Grand Circle. We were shown to the lift by a member of staff who instructed us on how to use the lift and another member of staff was ready to meet us at the top. They then directed us to our seats. When we got to our seats there was a sticker on the arm of the seat with a QR code. This allowed us to scan the QR code and order drinks and snacks to our seats which was really useful and allowed us to avoid the busy bar area. After the show we had a very similar process as when we arrived. A member of staff met us at our seats and showed us to the lift which then brought us out right by the exit. Having the member of staff available to show us to the lift both times was really useful as they helped to clear a path through the busy areas of the theatre. It’s worth noting that the Grand Circle is the only area that has step-free seating available which is via the lift I've described. Seating for the Stalls and Dress Circle is via stairs. I didn't find this to be an issue. I booked the tickets online and also had brief communication with the access team via email. This email exchange confirmed that I would be staying in my wheelchair, not transferring, and that I had a companion coming with me. I also found these seats to still have a good view.
Accessible facilities: Step-free entrance, Wheelchair-accessible viewing area, Wheelchair-accessible food and beverage outlet, Lift to some areas
Parking & Transport
Good
I travelled to this place by train
The theatre is located just 210 metres from Tottenham Court Road which has step-free access to the Elizabeth line, Central line and Northern line. There is a bus stop directly opposite the theatre, on the other side of the road, where the following buses stop: 14, 19, 24, 29, 38, 176, N5, N19, N20, N29, N38, N41, N279. A bus stop 110 metres south from the theatre, on the same side of the road, has the same buses going in the opposite direction. There is very limited parking around the theatre as it’s central London. I would recommend using public transport if you’re visiting.
Accessible Toilets
Good
There were two accessible toilets available, one was on the ground floor, next to the lift. The other was in the Grand Circle next to the lift at the top. Both were very clean and well-maintained. I was able to use the toilet on the ground floor but not the one upstairs due to how busy the theatre was. Both toilets were opened with a standard handle which twisted up on the inside to lock. They also had a horizontal grab rail on the inside of the door to assist with closing it from inside. There was a small coat hook on the door but it was quite small and high so I wasn't able to reach it. The downstairs toilet was on the small side, but still had a fair amount of space. I would have been able to have someone in there with me to assist as well as my wheelchair. But it's a fairly small wheelchair, so those with larger chairs may struggle. It had space for a right-side transfer with a grab rail mounted on that side of the toilet that could be raised and lowered. Another vertical grab rail was also mounted next to it. On the other side of the toilet a horizontal grab rail was mounted underneath the toilet paper dispenser. The flush was a handle on the toilet cistern and it was on the side with the transfer space. So you didn't need to reach over the toilet to reach it. The flush handle had a wider end to make it easier to operate. The sink was a small sink with a single tap. The tap had a long handle which twisted to control the flow and temperature of the water. Above the sink was a manual soap dispenser and a vertical grab rail was mounted on the right of the sink. There was a paper towel dispenser in the corner to the left of the sink which also had an open-top bin beneath it. The paper towels could just be pulled out of the bottom of the dispenser very easily. To the left of the paper towel dispenser there was a baby-changing station on the wall. The red emergency cord was hanging freely to the floor as well.
Facilities: Accessible toilet
Staff
Excellent
The staff were absolutely incredible from start to finish. The were there to help throughout our visit but always gave us options to allow us to make our own decisions about our visit. For example, when we arrived they told us how they could help and let us decide whether we wanted to browse the merchandise or spend any time at the bar or whether we wanted to go straight to our seats. Once we were at our seats they let us know where people would be stationed throughout the show should we need anything. They also came to briefly check in during the interval too. They were great at helping us navigate the crowded areas and made our visit really enjoyable.
