Accessibility at the Royal Opera House

• All levels of our Main Stage auditorium, other than our Orchestra Stalls, have step-free seating and lift access.
• This includes more than 100 seats in the Stalls Circle, Balcony and Amphitheatre which are accessible without needing to use steps. Many more seats in these areas and in the Donald Gordon Grand Tier and Orchestra Stalls are accessible by ten steps or fewer.
• There are up to 19 wheelchair spaces in the Main Stage auditorium. Wheelchair spaces in the auditorium are clearly labelled in our online booking system. If you require further information, please contact our Access Team.
• Accessible toilets are available on each level of the auditorium. 
• The lifts at auditorium left provide easy access to the Paul Hamlyn Hall and Crush Room.
• The lifts at auditorium right provide easy access to the Level 5 Bar, Piazza and to the Crush Room.
  
  See Main Stage seat map
  See Main Stage step plan
  See Main Stage surtitle view
  See Main Stage seat types

• There is lift access from the Main Foyer to the Linbury Foyer. 
• The Linbury Theatre is accessed via the Linbury Foyer, which is above the Upper Circle level. Ticket holders can access their seats either via another lift or by using the stairs. Please note, our Linbury Theatre lift currently does not have capacity for electric wheelchairs, however we do have wheelchairs in house that can be borrowed for access to lower levels.
• Lift access is only to seats on the right-hand side of the auditorium. Please be mindful of this when booking. 
• There are six wheelchair spaces in the Linbury Theatre.
  
  See Linbury Theatre seat map
  

• There are two wheelchair spaces, and a number of level access seats in Row A. If you require step-free access to the Clore Studio, please contact the Box Office and speak to a member of staff when you arrive.

Sensory adapted performances are performances that have been modified to suit people with sensory sensitivities. They may be suitable for people who are neurodiverse, have epilepsy, or learning disabilities. They are designed to help those who may feel overwhelmed by the atmosphere in a non-sensory adapted production. Sensory adapted performances also include a more relaxed audience environment and may be suitable for audience members with young children, those with physical conditions that may find it difficult to stay seated for long periods, or anyone who wants to enjoy a more relaxed experience when attending a show.

What to expect:

• Certain lighting effects, sound or staging elements are softened/omitted to reduce the impact of unexpected or potentially overwhelming moments
• House lighting is left on and audience members can leave the performance and return to the space when needed
• A separate chill-out space is open to anyone who would like to take a break or requires a quiet place to go to during their visit
• Ear defenders are available on request
• Visual story guides are sent out a week before the performance, and are available on the website in advance, to prevent surprises or shocks during the show
• Pyrotechnics and other startling stage effects are reduced or removed
• Other changes are sometimes made in consultation with audiences

Relaxed environment performances offer a similar audience experience to our sensory adapted productions, without the additional adjustments to sound, lighting and the content of the performance itself. For relaxed environment performances, we create a visual story guide which is emailed to audiences and available on the website in advance. We sometimes make limited adjustments to the performance itself, but we would recommend our sensory adapted performances to those who have additional sensory needs.

What to expect:

• House lighting is left on and audience members can take time out from the performances to leave and return to the space when needed
• A separate chill-out space is open to anyone who would like to take a break or requires a quiet place to go to during their visit
• Ear defenders are available on request
• A visual story guide detailing what to expect when attending and a plain language synopsis of the performance and any specific sensory/content information is emailed to audiences and available on the website in advance

We offer a number of audio described performances of our productions. Audio description may be useful if you are blind or partially sighted. An audio description of the characters, actions, costumes, and set design is provided through a headset as the story unfolds. To reserve an audio description headset for an audio described performance, please email boxoffice@roh.org.uk.

What to expect:

• Audio description headsets are available to collect from Box Office upon arrival.
• Front of House staff are available to give instruction on how to use the headset if needed
• On occasion, we provide additional Touch Tours before the performance, designed to help you familiarize yourself with the set, props and performance space.
• An Audio Introduction is broadcast 15 minutes before the start of the performance and five minutes before the end of each interval.

BSL users can get reduced-price designated seating for our British Sign Language interpreted performances. Please register for Access Scheme Membership to receive booking forms for each BSL interpreted performance. Our BSL interpreted performances offer a professional BSL interpreter positioned on-stage to narrate the dialogue/libretto.

What to expect:

• The name of the interpreter and specific information is sent out to audience members and made available on the website ahead of the performance.
• If you are registered for our Access Scheme, we provide information about the best seats to view the interpreter through our tailored booking process.
• We offer additional surtitle translations for all opera performances, including those sung in English. The surtitles are displayed on a screen above the stage, or on a monitor close to your seat.