Venue Description

Chelmsford Theatre is a 502 seat theatre which offers a wide range of large scale professional, touring and amateur performances throughout the year, from classical drama and dance to eclectic music, comedy and of course, all those all time family favourites including our Christmas Pantomime.

Accessibility

Wheelchair users are accommodated in five wheelchair accessible spaces near the front of the Civic auditorium. You should book this in advance, as the theatre cannot guarantee spaces upon arrival. Users of the designated spaces can be accompanied by a carer or companion whose seat will be adjacent or near to the designated space. Patrons who do not book one of the designated spaces and are able to make their own way to their seats unaided can enter the auditorium either via the foyer or one of the side entrances whilst leaving the wheelchair / motorised scooter in the foyer. For those patrons using walking aids such as sticks or crutches, access to the auditorium is permissible and once seated the walking aid must be stowed safely under the seat. For the safety of the individual and those in the nearby vicinity, patrons using walking frames will not be allowed to take these aids into the auditorium. If a walker is needed to be used, patrons are advised to book seats near the back of the auditorium and an able bodied companion must accompany you leaving the walker in the foyer. Our staff will look after your walker during the performance. These will usually be stored in the Civic foyer or by the Cramphorn Studio box office. Your companion must then assist you to the foyer to retrieve your walker. In the event of evacuation, all patrons are to leave the auditorium via the designated fire exits and will not be allowed to retrieve their wheelchair / motorised scooter / walking aid from the foyer first. Please contact the Box Office on 01245 606505 for further information on the above and for advice on seat selection. Patrons who need additional assistance to access theatres’ services may be eligible for a free of charge ticket for their companion. To register fill in an essential companion scheme form which can be downloaded from the link on the right-hand side. The Theatre is equipped with an Infra-Red audio enhancement system. Both infrared headphone receivers and necklace style induction loop transceivers (which work in tandem with an existing hearing aid set to “T”) are available and can be requested from the Front of House team before the performance commences. No fee is charged for the use of these receivers. Guide dogs are welcome and, if you wish, we can look after your dog whilst you enjoy the show. The theatre arranges signed interpreted performances of selected shows. The signer will always stand on the left hand side of the auditorium to stage right. Please inform the Box Office at the time of booking so that a suitable seat can be found. Some performances and films are described for those with a visual impairment. Infrared headsets will be allocated at the beginning of the performance. The sound from the performance can be heard in one ear, whilst the visual aspect of the show is described as it happens, in the other ear. The theatre arranges captioned performances on selected shows. Dialogue, sound effects and lyrics are displayed in English on text units. Please inform the Box Office at the time of booking so seats can be allocated that will optimise the view of the captioning screens, which are located at either side of the stage.

Accessibility Guide

Accessibility Guide Link: https://chelmsfordtheatre.co.uk/your-visit/access-information/

Accessible Performances

Relaxed performances take place on the last Wednesday of every month from 2.15pm. Organiser of the Lunchtime Concerts, Jeffery Wilson, offers interactive piano, percussion and vocal work. These concerts have a relaxed attitude to sound and movement and changes are made to the light. All are welcome. M&G sponsor an autism friendly Relaxed Concert annually in the Civic Theatre in the Spring season. The programme of this changes annually so please check with the Box Office which orchestra will be performing and when. 2018 will mark the first year of our Relaxed Pantomime performance with the intention to continue performances of this type around the festive period. This performance will be general admission with plenty of space in the auditorium for the audience to move around. The performance will be exactly the same but pyrotechnics will be removed, the house lights will remain on at all times and there will be no big flashes or strobes. There are also chill out areas with a mixture of bean bags and chairs. Please contact the Box Office for more information and to book - 01245 606505

Toilets

Information about the toilets has not been added for this venue.

Staff

Various members of staff received training with Dementia Friends 1 member of staff BSL trained Various members of staff received Autism Awareness training

Assistance dog facilities

Assistance dog exercise facilities

Guide dogs are welcome and, if you wish, we can look after your dog whilst you enjoy the show.