Belgrade Theatre
Overview
"The Belgrade is the largest professional theatre in Coventry and so we act as both the city and region's commercial and producing theatre. We are also highly respected for our ground-breaking community and education initiatives. Hamish Glen is the current Artistic Director and Chief Executive. The Belgrade is a registered charity and receives revenue funding from Coventry City Council and Arts Council England as well as project funding from these and other government sources. The Belgrade played a key role in securing Coventry as UK City of Culture 2021 and in 2019 we appointed Corey Campbell, Balisha Karra and Justine Themen as Co-Artistic Directors, with a remit to programme and direct the Theatre's produced work for UK City of Culture 2021."
Contact details
Belgrade Square Coventry West Midlands CV1 1GS United Kingdom
Access Card notes
Belgrade Theatre have developed their own Access Register scheme to understand our disabled patron's access needs before their visit and allow them access to carer tickets. For more information about the Access Register and how to join, please download the Information Sheet and accompanied Application Form from their website. The Belgrade Theatre now accepts the nationally recognised Access Card to make access to our theatre easier. Please show your Access Card to a member of our Box Office team when handing in your completed Access Register application form and to any other staff member if you require further assistance with your access needs.
Access guidance
- All entrances to the theatre have wide, automatic sliding glass doors. The floor throughout the ground and first floor foyer is carpeted, with hard surfaces marking the transition to our bars, the Belgrade Café and the lifts in the building. All public areas of the Belgrade can be accessed by disabled patrons via ramps and lifts. All of the Belgrade's facilities are located at ground floor level. This includes the Belgrade Café, our ground floor bar, one accessible toilet, foyer seating, Box Office and lift access. Our first floor is accessible via two lifts and includes an additional accessible toilet and seating. The Belgrade Theatre has a wheelchair on-site for use by patrons with limited mobility. If you wish to have temporary use of the wheelchair please speak to a member of our Box Office team in advance. A member of staff will then be in touch to confirm availability and further details. For information about accessible seating, please take a look at our Access Guide.
- Patrons with limited mobility who are arriving by car can gain access to a drop-off point via Upper Well Street at the top of Belgrade Square, outside Bella Italia. The point is marked by stainless steel bollards. The drop-off point is about 20m / 66ft from the B2 entrance and has a dropped kerb and a ramp that will give patrons easy access to the theatre entrance. Parking is not permitted in this area. For more information about parking, please take a look at our Access Guide.
- There are accessible toilets at the venue. A RADAR key is available from the Box Office. The ground floor toilet is not locked during evening performances.
- Please ask about Hearing and Guide Dog spaces when booking. Guide Dogs are able to join patrons booked into boxes with prior notice. We are also happy to look after Guide Dogs in the foyer during the performance.
- Many of our productions are audio described. Audio description is a live commentary by trained describers, interspersed with the actors' dialogue. Description is relayed via a discreet headset linked to the infrared audio system. When booking for an audio-described performance, please let us know if you require a headset and we will seat you in the best possible locations within the auditoria to receive the infrared signal. Headsets for the description are available from the merchandise counter and may be reserved at Box Office at the time of booking (a £5 refundable deposit is required per headset and an instruction sheet of how to use the headset will be provided upon collection). A Touch Tour is offered for a performance of the Belgrade Theatre's annual pantomime. TouchTours allow visually impaired people to visit the set, feel the props and interact with the cast prior to a performance in order to enhance their experience. Touch Tours are free and last about 45 minutes but must be booked for in advance. Please notify Box Office when booking your tickets. Some of our shows utilise the Difference Engine, Talking Birds' discreet new tool for making events and performances accessible to partially-sighted, D/deaf or hard of hearing audience members by delivering captioning or audio description direct to an app on their mobile device.
- Sign language interpreted performances are offered for some productions. Please notify Box Office when booking and we will ensure you are seated in the best seats available for a good view of the signer and the stage. Integrated Signed Performances are also available. These are performances where Sign Language Interpreters are a part of the performance and are sometimes offered for selected shows, although less regularly than our sign language interpreted performances. The Belgrade Theatre offers captioned performances for some productions. Captions convert the spoken word into visible text and are produced by a display unit installed on or near the stage and are delivered by an accredited captioner. These performances are particularly useful for people with hearing loss. Unfortunately we cannot offer both captioned and sign language interpreted performances for the same production, except for our annual pantomime. Some of our shows utilise the Difference Engine, Talking Birds' discreet new tool for making events and performances accessible to partially-sighted, D/deaf or hard of hearing audience members by delivering captioning or audio description direct to an app on their mobile device.
- Relaxed performances are adapted to be accommodating to those with Autistic Spectrum Conditions, individuals with sensory and communication disorders, those with learning disabilities and anyone who would benefit from a more relaxed environment. There are sometimes small changes to the show, auditoria doors are kept open and the lights do not go down fully. There is also sometimes an explanation of what to expect from the show at the beginning and you are free to come and go as you wish. We have a relaxed performance of our annual pantomime, as well as certain touring shows.