Theatre ahead of the Curve

Leicester’s new £61 million state-of-the-art Curve Theatre recently hosted a visit by the Queen. But how well would it host visits by disabled people? Sarabjit Parma has been taking a look

Outside the Curve, a spectacular glass facade reveals a foyer and café. This stunning building is incredibly curvy inside and out, and the marvellously fresh design seems to emphasise its size and scale. First impressions don’t shout “theatre” in any way.

The Curve has three entrance points, all step-free, with automatic doors. The foyer consists of a café where the counter is at a practical height for a wheelchair-user as well as a person of short stature.

The small printed menu at the food counter may be hard to read for a partially-sighted person or a wheelchair-user, but counter staff do help if you struggle with it or need your food or drink carrying over to a table.

The bar, on the ground floor, is quite high and if you’re a wheelchair-user or of short stature you wouldn’t be able to see over it, but there’s also a lower counter and the reception is convenient for just about anyone.

The step-free auditoria are all accessible by spacious lifts. And once inside, seats anywhere on the plan can be removed to accommodate wheelchair-using patrons.

Accepted practice on the provision of bespoke audio-described (AD) and subtitled performances for blind and deaf people is that members of those groups can’t just turn up to any show, because choice and provision are limited. AD headsets and infra-red hearing loop sets have to be booked in advance.

Touch tours are available 90 minutes before each performance that let blind people explore the set, clothes and props but these also have to be booked in advance.

Some performances are Sign Language interpreted. If you are deaf or blind, always call the ticket office ahead of time to let them know your particular needs.

Presently there are no signs of Braille around the Curve but there are tactile signs that have big raised lettering that is almost 3D. With improvements being made continually, Braille installation could be a possibility in the future.

For now, refreshingly, access of a variety of sorts and for a variety of people does seem to have been significantly on the design agenda for the architects and builders of this truly 21st century performance space.