Overview

The Southwark Playhouse offers both classic and contemporary plays. It has two studios, the Large seating 200 and the Little seating 100. I attended "Wasted" a rock musical about the Brontës in their Large studio. There is also bar/ café.

Transport & Parking

The two nearest tube stations both have limited accessibility. Elephant and Castle tube station only has step free access on the southbound Northern line. Borough tube has step free access northbound. Both stations are about a 5 minute walk away from the theatre. There are a number of bus routes that stop close by the theatre.

Access

All the facilities are on the ground floor. There is a low step from pavement to entrance but there is also a ramp. The entrance double doors are not automatic. Immediately in front of the entrance door is the box office. The box office desk is at standing height. Customers have to walk through the bar to get the auditorium. Although it was busy when I visited there was plenty of space. There is a bar which is at standing height. Near the bar are a couple of high tables and stools. However there is a room beyond this with lower tables and chairs. The auditorium is designed to accommodate flexible seating. When I visited the front row only was step free. There were only five rows in total with each row being one extra step up. I had to walk round the stage , which was in the centre of the room, to get to my seat. The website says that there is space for two wheelchair users and when I visited some of the front row seating had been removed for a wheelchair user. The website says assistance dogs are welcome. They also use STAGETEXT Captioned Performance, but not for the performance I attended. The production I saw used flashing and strobe lighting. This was mentioned on the website but I don't hear a message before the production started announcing this. I noticed one lady seated opposite put on some sun glasses when the lighting effects started and I did not notice her return to her seat after the interval.

Toilets

On the ground floor there was an accessible toilet which was identifiable with a sign on its door. The toilet was spacious and clean, with grab rails and an emergency cord.

Staff

Staff were very welcoming and helpful throughout. The person checking the tickets also directed everyone to their seat.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I very much enjoyed my first visit to the Southwark Playhouse. The production was excellent. There were only four actors and the roles were physically demanding, they were singing, dancing and acting and all four were outstanding. The venue is very welcoming. Bar/ café had a nice selection of drinks, food and snacks. In the bar there were jugs of water and glasses for people to help themselves. I look forward to visiting again in the future.

Photos