Accessibility

This guide has been put together to make people aware of what they can expect when visiting. If you have any special requests or requirements which are not covered, please get in touch via enquiries@empire-theatre.co.uk or 07778 025490.

Arriving here and box office

The entrance looks like this:

The steps measure 30cm deep.

The steps height is 17cm tall.

Handrail heights are 87cm.

Our double door opening widths are 150cm.

Our Front of House team are always available to lend a helping hand should it be needed. To the side of the theatre we have a free car park with designated disabled parking. Patrons can access the auditorium via the step free side door adjacent to the parking area, on arrival you may use the bell to summon a member of our Front of House team. The width of the ground level disabled access doors is 115cm.

    

Once you have entered the building all facilities are on a single floor with step free access to all areas of the theatre. Our Front of House team will be able to help you with any queries, sell tickets and food and drink. The box office counter height is 110cm and there is an opening within the countertop that facilitates a lower working height should it be required.

A wheelchair accessible toilet is positioned to the left of the box office, accessible through double doors measuring 112cm. The door in the corridor to access the wheelchair accessible toilet measures 81cm and the corridor itself measures 105cm wide. This is an all gender facility that also has baby changing facilities.

Seating

We have fixed seating with seating on a single level from rows A to F. The remaining rows of seats are on a slight slope/rake (rows G through to row Q). All seats have fixed armrests however the double seats in the rear row (Q) have no centre armrest. All seats, except those in row A (front row) have cup holders affixed to the rear of the seat in front.

Row G through to row Q are accessed via a small step, the step height of which is 16cm.

We have 33 booster seats. These will either be stacked at the rear of the auditorium by the entrance ready for you to take or you can ask for them at the box office. You are welcome to bring along your own booster seat for your child.

The seat dimensions are:

Our wheelchair places are found in rows A and E and are bookable online or in person at the box office.

These seats have a designated companion seat which is also bookable. These companion seats are free for those with an essential companion. An essential companion is someone who provides significant assistance beyond that which would be expected from a regular escort. The companion must be able to provide the necessary support throughout the visit, including in an emergency. You may be asked to provide evidence of your disability-related need for a companion. This could be through a recognised card scheme, such as the Nimbus Disability/Credibility Access Card.

Companion seats can only be booked over the telephone, via email or in person at the theatre; unfortunately they cannot be booked thought our ticketing website.

Once inside the theatre wheelchair users can access all parts of the building.

Dolby Accessibility Solution

We have three Dolby Accessibility solution units available for use within the theatre. These can be booked online with your ticket or reserved via the box office (call, email or drop-in), it is recommended that these are booked in advance given the limited number of units. These work with closed caption screenings. Not all films offer closed captions therefore it is recommended that you check with the theatre that your desired film is captioned before purchasing your tickets if you wish to utilise this solution.

The Dolby unit integrates hearing impaired (HI) amplified audio, visually impaired narrative (VI-N) audio, and closed captions (CC) in real time on a single dedicated receiver. The receiver can be configured to provide either CC display, HI audio on both ears, CC display and HI audio simultaneously, VI-N audio on both ears, or HI audio on the left ear and VI-N audio on the right ear at the same time. These configurations allow you to choose the experience you prefer.

Whilst we can provide over ear headphones we strongly encourage you to bring your own as they are more likely to be attuned to your specific needs. Your headphones will need to be equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jackplug which will plug directly into the Dolby unit.

The cinema team will be happy to help set these up with you at the cinema. To learn more about these, click on the link for a short video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWISK7p9YT8

 

Dementia Friendly Cinema

Each month we offer a dementia friendly cinema, this is a classic film i.e. an older release however it has been chosen due to its suitability to the target audience. This is offered on a Thursday afternoon each month. We open the doors at 1.45pm for a meet and greet and we welcome customers with a free hot or cold drink and cake. This can be taken in our ‘Green Room’ with friends or can be brought to you at your seat in the auditorium. The film starts at approximately 2.30pm. We don’t start the film until everyone is comfortable and sat ready to enjoy the film. There are no adverts or trailers run with this programme. We run the film at a slightly lower volume than we would for a main feature and we keep the house lights on low.

We pause the film for an interval mid-way and once again serve free hot or cold drinks and more cake! At the end of the film there are volunteers on hand to help people leave the theatre in an unhurried and safe manner.

This is open to anyone in our community who wishes to enjoy a film in a supportive environment, it is not just for those with dementia. This is always very popular and gives people a chance to meet up with friends, make new ones or just to enjoy a film with others in a warm and welcoming environment.

Autism Friendly Cinema

Our autism friendly screening is also run each month, usually on a Saturday afternoon. Where we are able, these are more recently released titles, and we run them with no adverts or trailers. We keep the sound a little lower than usual and the lights remain on low during the entire film. Again there are volunteers on hand to offer any assistance that may be required.

Air Conditioning

Whilst we can offer a historic setting for you to enjoy films, dramas and live music it does not mean that you have to do so in an uncomfortable environment. Our venue is full of the latest cinema, sound and vision technologies but we have also invested in a modern air conditioning system so that you can be sure of a comfortable environment to enjoy the show no matter what the weather is like outside and if you want to jump around, sing and dance at one of our live shows you don’t have to ever worry about it getting too hot or fear sitting in a cold draughty seat whilst enjoying the latest releases or getting engrossed in a live streamed opera or ballet.

We hope you found this information useful, if however you have any comments please do contact us via email : enquiries@empire-theatre.co.uk.