Access

Arriving at Taunton Brewhouse

Accessible Parking

The nearest parking is located in the Coal Orchard Car Park, where there are two disabled parking bays for Blue Badge holders. There are also a limited number of disabled parking spaces on St James Street.

You can find more parking in Canon Street Car Park, which is approximately an 8-minute distance away from the theatre. Parking at Canon Street Car park is free after 18:00 and there are 9 disabled parking bays.

Drop-Off / Pick-Up Point

If you need to drop someone off, please make use of our designated area at the rear of the building, which provides easy access to our Coal Orchard entrance. However, if you are dropping someone off, please arrive with plenty of time because this area can get quite busy.

Access in the Theatre

Level Access

There is level access in all our theatre spaces at Taunton Brewhouse. Our Riverside and Coal Orchard entrances are at street level and are fully wheelchair accessible, with automatic doors to facilitate easy access.

From our Foyer, you can locate our Box Office and Kiosk through the double doors next to the Riverside entrance.

In our Foyer, you can directly access our Bar, Gallery, Studio and Creative Hub.

For visiting companies, there is also level access throughout our backstage area, from the stage door, through to the dressing rooms, and onto the stage.

Wheelchair Spaces

Auditorium

In our Auditorium, we have two allocated wheelchair spaces in row A, with an Essential Companion seat beside each of them.

The dimensions of our wheelchair spaces are: 95cm Width and 80cm Depth.

Our wheelchair spaces do not have seats in them, so if you are a wheelchair user who prefers to sit in a seat or if you require step-free access, please book one of our other level access seats in row A.

Please have a look at our Seating Plan to get familiar with our theatre space before you arrive. Our wheelchair seats can be identified by the universal wheelchair symbol and A13 and A14 are our designated essential companion seats.

Wheelchairs and walkers can be stored in a safe space in the foyer when you are not using them. Our Front of House staff members and volunteers will look after them for you during the performance and return them at the end of the show or in the event of an emergency.

To make a booking, please contact the Box Office via telephone on 01823 283 244 (10am–4pm, Monday–Friday) or email [email protected].

Seating

Auditorium Seat Dimensions:

Seat: 45 cm Width

Arm rests: 30 cm Length (arm rests cannot be removed)

Space between seats: 18 cm Width

Leg room: 23 cm Length

Maximum weight: 155kg

Studio Theatre

Our Studio is on ground level and does not have tiered seating, so we can accommodate multiple wheelchair users in this space. To book a wheelchair space, please contact the Box Office on 01823 283 244 (10am – 4pm, Monday – Friday) or email [email protected].

Gallery and Creative Hub

Both our Gallery and Creative Hub are fully wheelchair accessible.

Facilities

Toilets

In the Foyer, via a gentle ramp, you will locate our gender-non-binary toilets. These consist of:

An accessible washroom fitted with a red emergency pull chord and baby changing facilities. This washroom signage has a ‘Disabled’ symbol, with a non-binary, toilet and baby changing symbol next to it.

A washroom with signage displaying a ‘Female’ symbol, alongside a gender-non-binary and toilet symbol.

A washroom with signage displaying a ‘Male’ symbol, alongside a gender-non-binary, toilet, and urinal symbol.

These washroom signs all have the message ‘Please feel welcome to use the toilet that best aligns with your gender expression’.

If you would prefer to use gendered washrooms, please find the toilets that bear gendered symbols only, located in our Box Office area.

At Taunton Brewhouse, we want everyone to have access to the toilets that they feel comfortable in. Please use whichever washroom you wish, and in turn, respect the choices of others.

Cloakroom

Prams cannot be taken into our Auditorium or Studio. Please leave them in our Cloakroom, which you can find in the Box Office area, along with any belongings you do not need with you while in the theatre.

Our Cloakroom is in a space used by the public, so please do not leave any valuables in there.

Access Facilities

Free Essential Companion Ticket

Taunton Brewhouse offers a complimentary Essential Companion ticket to anyone who requires assistance or supervision during their visit. The companion must be essential to enabling the patron’s theatre experience and capable of assisting them during an emergency.

To book an Essential Companion ticket, please contact the Box Office on 01823 283 244 (10am – 4pm, Monday – Friday) or find out how to book online here.

Hearing Loop

We have a Hearing Loop system installed in the Auditorium. If you require this facility, please notify the Box Office when you book or, if you’re booking online, update your ‘Other Preferences’ to say ‘Please provide a Hearing Loop during my visit’.

To access the Hearing Loop system in the Auditorium, you will need to switch your hearing aid to the ‘T’ position to pick up the loop.

Some shows are unable to facilitate the Hearing Loop system due to other technical equipment being used during the show. Please enquire at the Box Office for confirmation if you are unsure.

Assistance Animals

Taunton Brewhouse welcomes any assistance animals in our theatre. If your assistance animal will be accompanying you, please let us know when you are booking, so that we can ensure that you can sit together during the show or arrange for a member of staff or one of our volunteers to look after your animal for you.

Ear Defenders and Fidget Toys

We have a limited number of child and adult-sized ear defenders and fidget toys available on a first-come-first-served basis.

Our theatre spaces can sometimes be quite loud and busy. Please feel welcome to bring any items with you that help you cope with this type of environment.

Tour of the Theatre

If familiarising yourself with the space at Taunton Brewhouse before coming to watch a show would help you feel more at ease, please contact the Box Office on 01823 283 244 (10am- 4pm Monday – Friday) or email [email protected].

Our staff and volunteers would be more than happy to give you a tour and talk you through the sights and sounds that you might experience when you come to watch a show at the theatre or participate in a class.

Touch Tours

When a show is Audio Described, Taunton Brewhouse can often provide touch tours before the performance. Touch tours usually take place 1-2 hours before the performance and give blind and visually impaired patrons an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the space and set and feel the props and costumes – and sometimes meet the actors too.

If you would like to enquire about this service, please contact the Box Office on 01823 283 244 (10:00 – 16:00 Monday – Friday) or email [email protected].

Large Print Brochure

Click here to access our large print May – August brochure.

Access Performances

At Taunton Brewhouse we offer three different types of access performances. Please read the information below to find out more:

Audio Described

Audio Described (AD) performances provide an enhanced theatre experience to blind or visually impaired patrons. Audience members listen through a set of headphones to a live narrator who will introduce characters and describe the scenery, costumes, and action on the stage, including any changes in body language, expressions, or movements that the character’s make in-between dialogue. There will often be Introductory Notes delivered live through the headset before the performance, so please ensure you arrive in good time to hear these.

British Sign Language

Signed performances enable deaf and hard of hearing audience members who use sign language to watch performances with British Sign Language translation. A professional British Sign Language interpreter will stand at the side of the stage interpreting any spoken words or songs. You can find out where the British Sign Language interpreter will be positioned on our website or by contacting the Box Office.

Relaxed

Relaxed performances are specifically designed to be sensitive to audience members who may benefit from seeing a show in a more relaxed environment, including (but not limited to) people who have autism, auditory sensitivities, epilepsy, or dementia. These performances are less formal, and the Front of House team take a relaxed approach to noise and movement in the auditorium. The house lights will be set to dim throughout the show, so the auditorium will never be completely dark and loud noises, flashing lights, and pyrotechnics may be left out of the show.

Feedback

Access at Taunton Brewhouse is always evolving and developing, so if you have any feedback about our facilities or website, we would love to hear from you. Please contact our Box Office team on 01823 283 244 (10am – 4pm, Monday–Friday) or email [email protected]