Seating Plan for Sunderland Empire at High St West, Sunderland, SR1 3EX, UK
The auditorium includes Stalls, Dress Circle, Upper Circle and Gallery.
Plan Ahead & Access (from ATG)
Contact Us – Please see our Access Contact Us page for details
Booking Information for Sunderland Empire – Join our Access Membership Scheme to enable online booking for accessible seats, register for any available Access concessions and, for certain customers, reserve Personal Assistant tickets.
Access Parking for Sunderland Empire – We have limited Blue Badge parking down from the theatre. There is also an area that can be used as a drop-off. There is a car park at Livingston Road which also offers blue badge parking and is a short walk from the Theatre.
Step Free Access and Wheelchairs
Our Foyer, Stalls and Dress Circle Bar are all accessible by lift or ask us for At Seat Service when you arrive.
We have step-free access to our Stalls and Dress Circle levels. All stalls seats can be reached step free as can Boxes B and C and Row J in the Dress Circle. The main staircases in the theatre have handrails however there are no handrails inside the auditorium apart from in the Gallery.
For Wheelchair transfers, we would recommend aisle seats in the stalls. The following are held off for access customers – Stalls P19-20, P20-21, H1-2, I1-2. Please note Seat T19 is not suitable for a wheelchair transfer due to the pillar situated next to it. We have wheelchair positions in Stalls row D38, F38, H38, J38, L38 and M38. Please note wheelchair positions in Row L and M can only accommodate a small standard wheelchair. These wheelchair positions are situated on a gentle incline. Boxes B and C in the Dress Circle can accommodate up to two standard wheelchairs and 2 companions.
The average seat width is 43cm and there are non-moveable arm rests in the Stalls, Dress Circle and Upper Circle. The Gallery seats have no armrests. The doors into the boxes are only 66cm/2’2” wide – wheelchairs wider than this won’t get in. The lift door access is 86-88cm (2’2”) across all levels. The height of box barrier is 80cm (2’7”).
There aree Accessible toilets on both the Stalls and Dress circle Levels which can all be accessed via a lift in our foyer bar. Access can be gained via a radar key however our staff can provide one if needed.
All upcoming Audio Described, Captioned, BSL Interpreted and Relaxed performances are listed on our Assisted Performances page.
Visual Impairment Services – Information about our venue’s audio description, touch tours and other visual services can be found on our Visual Impairment Services page.
Hearing Impairment Services – Information about our venue’s hearing enhancement systems, signed performances and other hearing services can be found on our Hearing Impairment Services page. Our venue has an Infra-Red system. Please ask our door staff to supply one for you. A small deposit may be required and refunded on return of the headset. Please indicate at the time of booking how many headsets you require. We recommend Stalls row D – G seat numbers 11-30 for the best experience. For Captioned performances, we recommend seats in row A and B of the Dress Circle. We have 13 pairs of Infra-Red headphones and 10 pairs of headsets that work alongside hearing aids.