Soho Theatre
Overview
Welcome to Soho Theatre. We are a charity and social enterprise, driven by a passion for the work we produce, the artists we work with and the audiences we attract. We own our own home, Soho Theatre in the heart of London's West End. A former Synagogue, we raised funds, purchased and redeveloped it, opening it for the turn of the millennium in March 2000. Today it is one of the capital's busiest theatre and comedy venues, with a year-round festival programme, audiences of 180,000 a year and a buzzing bar. Our roots date back to the early 1970s at the Soho Poly Theatre. A small but influential venue, Soho Poly was radical and relevant, capturing the excitement and innovation of its time. Today our work is wide-ranging, drawing from this fringe heritage, and adding a queer, punk, counter-culture flavour. We champion voices that challenge from outside of the mainstream, and sometimes from within it too. We value entertainment and a great night out. We produce and co-produce new plays, work with associate artists and present the best new emerging theatre companies and comedians. We present the early work of countless UK artists (many who become industry giants), and we present many international artists' London debuts. We have a thriving variety of artist and talent development programmes, artists under commission and in development, and two new writing awards including the national Verity Bargate Award for new playwrights. Work extends far beyond our Dean Street home, with a UK and international touring programme and connections. We present shows and scout talent at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and have close links with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. We are the UK's leading presenter of Indian comedians from the burgeoning scene there, and we have a Soho Theatre Producer based in Mumbai and regularly present work there. We film shows and create our own digital work, and this can be seen on Amazon Prime UK, inflight on British Airways and streamed from this site. And, we're expanding, into an additional 1,000 seat venue in Walthamstow due to open in 2024.
Contact details
21 Dean Street London London W1D3NE United Kingdom
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Access Card notes
For Deaf and Hard of Hearing Captioned Performances A captioned performance, has a screen displaying the written script alongside the action on stage. The best seats for this will be indicated on the seating plan. For access to these seats, register for an online access account. British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreted performances Our BSL interpreted performances feature an on-stage interpreter who converts spoken dialogue into British Sign Language. BSL has a unique structure and syntax and the interpreter will spend several weeks learning a play before performing their translation. Induction Loops We have Sennheiser induction loops, which can be linked to a hearing aid to amplify the on stage sound. We can also provide headsets to go with these if needed. These can be used in any seat in the Main House. For Blind and Visually Impaired People Audio Described Performances We don't want you to miss out on anything that happens on stage. Our audio described performances give you a live commentary about the action happening on stage through a pair of small headphones. Like a narrator telling a story, a trained describer will tell you about the things you might not be able to see, describing body language, expressions and movements, so that you can keep up with the action. There is a live introduction which will tell you about the characters, their costumes and the appearance of the set 15 minutes before the start of the show. Touch Tours To help you immerse yourself in the show we offer touch tours before each audio-described performance enabling you to explore the stage and get a feel of the set and costumes before the play starts. If you'd like to experience a touch tour before you come along to the audio described performance please let us know when you book your ticket so we can get everything ready in advance for you. Touch tours normally take place 1 hour before the start of the show. Relaxed Performances At relaxed performances there is a relaxed attitude towards noise, welcoming natural responses to the show. There is the freedom to enter and exit the space when needed and we have staff on hand to accommodate any assistance, getting to seats or taking breaks. Wheelchair Bookings Each of our three venues are accessible via our lift and we reserve wheelchair spaces in each venue, where you can choose to transfer in to a seat, or you can choose to stay in your wheelchair and we will remove seats to accommodate this. You can book into these accessible seats online, when you register with us for an access account. Make sure you log in to your account first and look for the wheelchair icon over the seat. There are wheelchair-user accessible toilets on the ground, second and third floors of the building. *Please note: We do not have wheelchair-user accessible toilets in our Downstairs venue. The nearest wheelchair-user accessible toilets are on the ground floor, accessible via the lift. For those who require an assistance animal We welcome assistance animals at Soho Theatre. When planning your visit with us, we ask you to call or email us with what show you'd like to see, the date and any further requirements, so we can make sure you are seated in the best place for you to enjoy the show and your animal to have the best experience.
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Access guidance
- The building is fully accessible via the bar, which has both standing and seated space. The theatre foyer also has quieter standing space, with limited seating. Both spaces are open to the public during the evening.
- The building is fully accessible. There is step-free access in the bar and foyer and all venues across the 3 floors. Floors 2 and 3 have accessible toilets and all floors wide doorways to accommodate all sizes of wheelchairs. We also offer complimentary companion tickets to those who need them.
- All venues are within a few feet of the lift and stairs. There is a seating by all entrances for those who need them. From the venue entrances, it is either a few feet of step-free access or a step or two up.
- All venues have toilets within a few feet of them. If a patron does require quick access, we can make sure they are seated by an exit for an effective and quick exit.
- We welcome assistance animals at Soho Theatre. When planning your visit with us, we ask you to call or email us with what show you'd like to see, the date and any further requirements, so we can make sure you are seated in the best place for you to enjoy the show and your animal to have the best experience.
- We offer complimentary essential companion tickets to those who need them. These can booked in over the phone, or via email if you have already purchased an access ticket.
- We don't want you to miss out on anything that happens on stage. Our audio described performances give you a live commentary about the action happening on stage through a pair of small headphones. Like a narrator telling a story, a trained describer will tell you about the things you might not be able to see, describing body language, expressions and movements, so that you can keep up with the action. There is a live introduction which will tell you about the characters, their costumes and the appearance of the set 15 minutes before the start of the show. Touch Tours To help you immerse yourself in the show we offer touch tours before each audio-described performance enabling you to explore the stage and get a feel of the set and costumes before the play starts. If you'd like to experience a touch tour before you come along to the audio described performance please let us know when you book your ticket so we can get everything ready in advance for you. Touch tours normally take place 1 hour before the start of the show.
- Captioned Performances A captioned performance, has a screen displaying the written script alongside the action on stage. The best seats for this will be indicated on the seating plan. For access to these seats, register for an online access account. British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreted performances Our BSL interpreted performances feature an on-stage interpreter who converts spoken dialogue into British Sign Language. BSL has a unique structure and syntax and the interpreter will spend several weeks learning a play before performing their translation. Induction Loops We have Sennheiser induction loops, which can be linked to a hearing aid to amplify the on stage sound. We can also provide headsets to go with these if needed. These can be used in any seat in the Main House