As a campaigner for promoting accessibility in theatre, it has saddened me to hear stories over the past few months of the lift being out of order at The Other Palace Theatre.
If you have been to The Other Palace (formerly the St James Theatre), then you will know that the main auditorium is on ground level, but the studio space is down quite a few steps. I have heard stories of one person having to be helped down the stairs whilst someone else carried an oxygen tank for them which is unacceptable.
The Other Palace website currently says:
‘Update 21 Nov 2017: The lift in The Other Palace is currently out of order and will be unavailable for some time. This will only impact your visit if you are visiting the studio or restaurant upstairs; all other areas remain unaffected, including the main auditorium, toilets and bar area.’
That was over a month ago now and despite several complaints I hear have been made, nothing seems to have been done to resolve the problem permanently. Apparently attempts have been made to fix the problem but within hours it is broken again.
For a theatre the says it is accessible, The Other Palace seem to have been dragging their feet with sorting out this problem, which I have been told has resulted in some people having to return their tickets and go home because the lift is out of order.
Hopefully The Other Palace will show some festive spirit and get this fixed so all people, regardless of ability, can enjoy the great shows that are staged in the studio space.
Last month, I presented the Park Theatre the Achievement In Creating Accessible Theatre award for their great accessible programme. Watch the award below and hear why I am an advocate for making theatre accessible to all people.