Access

The toilets are located to the right of the café seating area, and to the left after the entrance to the outdoor space.

We have a set of female toilets and a set of male toilets. Each toilet is adjustable so an adult can use the standard seat and children can use a smaller seat that folds down.

We have one gender-neutral accessible toilet with handrails and space for a wheelchair to enter/exit.

There is also a baby changing room without a toilet in it and space for one wheelchair or pram (room dimensions coming soon).

We also have access to a Changing Places toilet in Darlington Hippodrome that can be accessed via our café doors that also lead to the buggy parking area. Darlington Hippodrome stay open until 6pm unless there’s a show on that finishes later.

• Bench – Height Adjustable, Adult Sized, Wall Mounted
• Hoist – Ceiling , Loop
• Peninsular Toilet
• Washbasin Height Adjustable
• Slip Resistant Floor
• Floor Space (sq. m) – 10.0
• Emergency Alarm
• Privacy Screen
• Paper Roll
• Colostomy Shelf
• Unisex
• Signage in the room
• Drop down grab rails
• Wall grab rails
• Large Bin

Audiences can now join our access scheme and book free essential companion tickets online when they login to their account.

Companion tickets are for adults with a registered disability who wish to bring another adult to assist and support them in bringing their child(ren) to a performance. A disabled adult is entitled to one free companion ticket per event.

If it is the child that is disabled, then the accompanying adult will be required to purchase a general ticket to attend with the child. This will not be a free companion ticket.

In order to sign up to the scheme we ask that you email a copy of one of the following documents once you’ve completed the below form:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) letter
• CredAbility Access Card
• Universal Credit letter
• Pension Credit letter
• Attendance Allowance letter
• Disability Living Allowance (If aged under 16)

Please complete this form to join our Essential Companion Scheme and we will be in touch with you once we’ve processed your application.

If you have any questions please contact us via access@theatrehullabaloo.org.uk or call 01325 405680.

Entrance

The Hullabaloo is accessed at ground level. When you arrive at The Hullabaloo, you’ll come to glass double doors with metre long handrails that come out into the street either side of it. The doors open outwards into the street. These are not automatic. A member of staff will always attend the doors to open them for you. In the unlikely event that someone is not around to open the doors and greet you, please press the doorbell on the right hand handrail.

Café

When you come into The Hullabaloo, you enter directly into our café space. Seating is to the left- and right-hand side of the entrance. There are approximately 10 tables with chairs in total. The café counter is ahead of you and slightly left. Our food display is displayed at a low height and the paying point/till/food collection point has a lowered counter.

Buggy Park & Changing Places

If you continue left past the café counter, you’ll get to a set of locked double doors that open outwards. Behind these doors is the buggy park, Changing Places Facility and the rest of Darlington Hippodrome. As with the entrance, a member of staff will always attend the doors to unlock them and open them if needed.

When you want to return back into The Hullabaloo, there is a doorbell to your right. It’s a large, green button. Press the doorbell and a member of staff will come to unlock and open the door for you if needed.

Creative Play Space

When you arrive through the main entrance, our Creative Play space is straight ahead of you behind double doors that open out towards you. Our hosts are always around to welcome you into this space and give you a tour on arrival. Our Creative Play spaces are always changing, with new themes, technologies and play offers. Please check our ‘What’s On’ Page to see which one we have in this month for more information ahead of your visit. Our Hosts will be able to advise you on how to enter this play space.

Outdoor space

Weather permitting, our outdoor play space is open all summer and is accessed via double doors that open outwards. If the doors are closed and you need assistance going through them please notify a member of staff.

Our outdoor space is one level, apart from a very small tier of stairs used as seating. We have some small planters out here, a water table and small wooden mushrooms. On the walls is a large chalkboard and large metal chimes.

Theatre

To the right and slightly down the corridor is our theatre. It is a black box theatre with low, bleached-style seating.

You can enter the theatre via the back of the seating area, this is a curved entrance with a small set of stairs and a handrail to your right. You will arrive to a staired isle that goes down the middle of the seating area. The back row is stool seating, the rest is regular seating.

If you need step-free access, you can enter via the front, directly to our first row of seating. This seating is adaptable for instances such as needing a wheelchair space or Deafblind Interpretation for our BSL Shows.

If you would like to book a wheelchair space you can select YES/ NO when prompted with the question ‘Wheelchair user attending?’ at the checkout stage of booking your tickets. This will then notify us that a wheelchair space is required and one of our friendly team will contact you to discuss your options. This might be requesting to park you wheelchair outside of our theatre space or planning seating arrangements to include you/your wheelchair and accompanying family/friends in the theatre.  You’re also welcome to call us on 01325 406680 to book a space or to notify us of any requests.

Please also talk to one of our team members if you require wheelchair charging.

If you are coming to see a show, you can request a headset when booking your tickets or by speaking to the box office staff on 01325 405405. If you haven’t pre-booked Hearing Assistance, please call the office on 01325 405680, email us at info@theatrehullabaloo.org.uk or speak to a member of Hullabaloo staff in the building.

This is free to use.

There are two types of hearing assistance available.

1. 1. Loop Adapter with a Receiver– this allows the person to use their own hearing aid.

2. Headphones with a Receiver – this allows the person to use headphones. They can use their own headphones or request some from Theatre Hullabaloo.

Receivers and headsets can be collected from one of Hullabaloo Hosts on the day of the event.

This includes the café, toilets and theatre space (unless the performance or activity is not suitable for dogs). By unsuitable for dogs, we mean that a show might include particular triggers for that dog (puppets, real food, other animals, loud noises, other special effects). To find out more information on if a guide dog would be able to be brought into a show, please call the Theatre Hullabaloo office on 01325 405680 or email info@theatrehullabaloo.org.uk.

Please note that assistance-dogs are not allowed in the Creative Play space. This is because the Creative Play space is our smallest enclosed space with children exploring the installation freely. Unfortunately for this reason, assistance-dogs cannot go into Creative Play as it would be potentially distressing for the animal and distracting for the children.

We can, however, help enable a guide dog user into the space by offering to look after the guide dog whilst they go into the space. The Hullabaloo Host will be able to guide the person into and around the Creative Play space using sensory guides if appropriate.

Although The Hullabaloo is always pretty chilled, we do have specific “relaxed / neurodivergent friendly performances” where families with additional needs might feel more comfortable.

The performance / event / activity will not have been changed from the standard version, but by identifying it as “relaxed/neuro-divergent friendly” we hope to provide an inclusive environment where parents and families feel comfortable in that space no matter what their needs. This is because, in theory, more families in that performance has experience with neurodiversity in some form and may be more familiar with the behaviours within these families e.g. more noise or movement. However, the show itself, is exactly the same as a standard performance.

Anyone is welcome to book tickets for any show or activity that they feel is suitable for them and their family. If they have a neurodivergent child or other family member, they do not have to attend the identified “neurodivergent friendly/ relaxed performance” show. Similarly, you do not have to have a neurodivergent person in your group to attend a “neurodivergent friendly/relaxed performance” show.

Tickets can be booked as standard via the box office in person, on the phone or online.

For these sessions in particular, we are able to offer the following:

• pre-show information is available to help you prepare for your visit. This will include more details about the show, for example, if puppets are used, if there is a flashing light sequence, if the space goes dark at any point. Where possible, we will also include a Visual Story for the building and the show itself.
• pre-bookable ‘Meet & Greets’ where you can peek into the theatre before the show begins and meet the performers – this could either be the performers in costumes or in plain clothes
  we can also give you a tour of the venue
• If you are a neurodivergent adult and would like to discuss coming to The Hullabaloo please don’t hesitate getting in touch with us via the details below.

To book any of the above or if you’d like any further information on any of our shows please get in touch with us on 01325 405680 or access@theatrehullabaloo.org.uk and we can have a further discussion.

We also run Neurodivergent Friendly sessions in our Creative Play space on select dates – look out for new dates on our things to see and do page.

Often the interpreter will be integrated into the show so it seems as though they are part of the show.

A BSL interpreted show and non-verbal show will be clearly marked on the website and on marketing material.

Tickets can be booked for these shows as standard via the box office or online and anyone can attend a BSL interpreted performance.