Access Review: Donmar Warehouse

“Cast disabled actors…they exist and they’re out there”.

So says Mike Lew in one of the opening pages of the script of Teenage Dick, and oh boy does this play stand as a testament to the fact that there’s absolutely no excuse to not hire amazing disabled talent. I was really grateful to receive press tickets for this performance.

I’m just gonna put it out there and say that I am absolutely not a theatre blogger, and so I will probably in no way have the skills of people like my lovely blogger pals Pippa and Shona.

What I will do, however, is share everything I can think about in terms of my access experience at the Donmar Warehouse.

My standard disclaimer here: I am an ambulatory wheelchair user with limited mobility. My experiences will be based off of that and whether it was accessible for me. I am not an expert in access for other conditions, but am hoping to get some training on this in the future and become more educated.

Quick Summary: What is Teenage Dick? 

Teenage Dick is a modern retelling of Richard III set in American school, Roseland High. Richard, played by Daniel Monks (a bloody revelation, by the way), bubbling with (often un-contained) rage at a life of torment because of his disability, plots to become Senior Class President.

“But like all teenagers, and all despots, he is faced with the hardest question of all: is it better to be loved, or feared?”

Available Pre-Booking Information

I was really impressed with the amount of information available about accessibility at The Donmar Warehouse.

They have three spaces for wheelchair users in the stalls – one is a fixed position, and two are removable seats, which can be taken out if necessary. There are two on the left side of the auditorium in rows C and D, and one on the right side of the central block of seats in row C.

Up to 7 days before the performance, they also reserve some aisle seats from general sale for people who may not be wheelchair users but still have access needs that would benefit from sitting there – which you can book by calling the box office. This is something I would have made use of before I got my chair.

And this is the first place I found where you can bloody book wheelchair spaces online, without logging in, or having to wait months to hear back about joining an access scheme. Omg.

There are also captioned and audio-described performances.

You can call or email their access team (020 3282 3808/access@donmarwarehouse.com) to have an online Access account set-up, where you can then book the audio-described and captioned performances.

You can also get a free companion ticket (when booked in advance) if you require one.

If you’re under 25, all accessible performances are available for free tickets via their YOUNG+FREE programme.

In terms of the building, the Donmar give the following information:

• The Donmar is wheelchair accessible. Please let the box office know about your requirements when booking.
• Guide dogs and hearing dogs are welcome at the Donmar, and our staff are happy to dog-sit for you. If you would rather keep your dog with you during the show, please let us know when booking.
• There is an infrared hearing system in the main auditorium. Please collect headsets from the box office. You will need to leave an item of ID (for example, a driving licence or bus pass) as a deposit, plus contact details.
• There is an induction loop in the box office for hearing aid users, available on request.

Individual Show Access Information

We want the Donmar to be welcoming to everyone. As part of this, we recognise that some audience members may appreciate additional guidance on the content of our plays

In addition to the main access information, the page for Teenage Dick also provided a bunch of information to help people make a decision as to whether it is something that they are able or comfortable to see.

Granted, I’ve not been to see a play for a while, so this was the first time I had encountered this much information pre-show.

The page for Teenage Dick says that it contains strobe lighting, strong language, violent scenes and loud noises, and then has a little drop down section which contain spoilers for for the play, and shares the content advisory information. You can read this here.

This is something that I’m sure a lot of people will appreciate – I know there are shows, even ones that are billed as lighthearted, that do not openly advertise some of the darker elements that may be upsetting to some people.

I personally had a number of years where going to the theatre was impossible because of sound triggers that I had, and even in this show there was a moment with the music that in the past would have been a big problem for me. So having this information readily available for people who need it, is great.

It’s also worth being aware that this play doesn’t have an interval and runs for 1 hour 50 minutes. I know everyone is different with what they prefer – I personally find it easier to ‘keep going’ and often dislike intervals, as I get stressed with people trying to get past me and often experience a significant drop in energy when I ‘stop’.

Getting to the theatre

The closest accessible station to the Donmar from where I live was Tottenham Court Road.

Getting out of the Northern line proved not to be any problem – the platform was flat enough so that I could roll straight off, and then use the lifts to exit the station.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case on the way back, with the platform not being level enough to the open train door for me to be able to roll on (even backwards) with my travel powerchair. This meant that I had to pop out and have Sebastian lift the chair in – which is something we both hate to do. I highly recommend checking out Ellis Palmer’s video about level access at Tottenham Court Road and just being aware that not every station that is billed as fully accessible is for every chair.

I do find it pretty stressful once out of the station – there’s often a music performance right in front of it with a big crowd of people, and then even more people making their way in all directions.

There’s also a lot of terrible pavements and building work happening on the first road we take when turning right out of the station – with steep drops and broken bits – so Sebastian often holds onto my chair so I don’t fly out.

When it’s wet, I’ve lost control of my chair on this bit a few times. It’s worth crossing the road and walking on the pavement parallel to where Foyles is, as it’s more flat and less busy.

Bar making a bad decision on what road to turn down and then having to go ridiculously far to find a drop kerb, the rest of the walk to the theatre was uneventful.

When we rolled up, we noticed that there was a small step going into the theatre, but before we even got fully there, a member of staff spotted me and had brought down the ramp without us having to look for someone, queue up, or ask. Which is always welcome!

My seat

The space for my wheelchair was in a little cubby at the back of the stalls. Sebastian’s seat, and all the other seats in the row, were on a raised platform next to me. At first I felt like it was another one of those times where I was a bit too separate from him, but actually he was close enough that I didn’t feel like I was sitting alone during the performance.

This was one of the few times when sitting in the stalls that I didn’t panic with people walking in front of me. I tend to worry I’ll get knocked into and injured – but my space was placed in such a way, with no seat in front of me,  they still had plenty of space to walk.

Because of where I was sitting, I was able to see the actors as they waited by one of the entrances as they used the main doors to the space (and I could see down that little corridor). This didn’t bother me, but may take some people out of the action on stage.

Toilets

There is an accessible toilet on the second floor of the theatre, which is easily accessible by lift. I suppose this was probably the only ‘somewhat irritating’ thing about our visit. We were sitting in the stalls on the first floor, which meant that every time I wanted to go to the loo, I had to go upstairs.

Before the show, this wasn’t a bit deal, but afterwards, I basically had to wait for everyone to use the lift go downstairs to leave the theatre and there was a fair amount of waiting around for that.

I did find the door to the loo itself really heavy. I’m not an accessible loo expert, so I’m sorry if I miss things out in here, but I’ll share what I can!

The room was one of the bigger accessible loos I’ve been in at a theatre, and didn’t feel cramped. The loo itself was probably the lowest loo that I’ve sat down on. There were grab rails that can be folded up and down next to it. There was a red cord to the right of the loo that hung about an inch off the floor. There was no Changing Places table.

The Vibe

This is a big one for me, because as much as I love going to see shows, I often find that the size of some theatres, and the number of people who visit each performance, overwhelming.

Because this is a smaller theatre, that’s obviously going to be mitigated a fair amount. But I just found the whole experience pretty relaxing – which isn’t something I often say.

Every member of staff that I met was great. From the minute we entered, I felt like there was someone close by to ask a question to if needed, and I felt like there was support easily available if necessary.

I didn’t go to the bar on the first floor, but Sebastian told me it was getting a bit crowded and stressful in the hall – but the circle bar on the second floor (where I stayed and chatted to a member of staff behind the bar for a bit after I went to the loo) was pretty empty and quiet.

Final Thoughts

This evening out was probably one of the least stressful evenings I’ve had out in London for a while.

It was one of those rare occasions where I came home and felt ‘this was really worth the energy’. I thought many aspects of the show were great, I loved the disability representation, and really gave me a lot to think about (that I would share if I was more confident in my actual performance reviewing skills!)

The whole experience (bar Tottenham Court Road being a pain in the arse on the way back) was really easy, and that’s not something that we can often take for granted.

I hope you found this helpful. I’d love to know if you found this helpful or if there’s any other things you’d like me to look out for for future reviews.

Teenage Dick is running until 1st February 2020. You can find out more here.

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