Theatre Ambience - Welcoming Or Not?

Do agree re the NT foyers, emicardiff, though I think for me it's more a case of being free to do my own thing (use wifi/eat my own food/use one of their cafes) rather than any active sense of welcome or engagement with staff on most occasions.

Shocking that even working at a theatre still didn't improved your perception, merely change it.

Another aspect of visiting some of my favourite theatres is getting to know, and enjoy seeing again, the ushers; sometimes the paid staff but usually voluntary regulars. On every occasion that I've visited the Yvonne Arnaud for years, I've seen the same lady usher on a particular door for the Thursday matinee; goodness knows whether she ever goes away or has a break but I look forward to a brief chat if there's a suitable moment. It used to be the same at the Orange Tree but seems to have changed since the AD did.

Another key issue for me is whether there is reserved or unreserved seating: I LOATHE the latter and the expense of time queueing; thank goodness the Orange Tree and Southwark Playhouse (main space) switched to reserved seating. In some cases though I do wonder whether the change was for the benefit of the staff or audience!

Can't comment on the staff but on my first visit last week I loitered on the pavement for half an hour outside because the inside space is horrid and fills up so quickly. Thank God for a nice day...

...or the awful Kings Cross Theatre where I saw Lazarus ( well not in person but you know what I mean.... )

The Manchester Royal Exchange is my absolute favourite - a lovely space and so friendly. Back when I was a kid - when the North was rather bleak, see Smiths songs for details - they started putting on the after-show talks and events which I'd go to and the directors and actors would take the time to chat afterwards, too, and still do! Their studio theatre has a separate bar as its waiting room and it was interesting to compare the experience of waiting there and at the Royal Court for the same play recently (Wish List), both on first preview nights, both first come first served seating - the Royal Exchange lot were noisy, relaxed and chatty, the Royal Court queue quiet and - as seems to be the case generally in London - staring intently at iphones/tablets. The Jerwood Upstairs atmos felt more tense than the RE Studio, too - I presume the Royal Court audiences are largely made up of theatre/media professionals and there's a lot more riding on it than when a play opens in 'the provinces'.

I've only got back into theatregoing recently so I don't have much to go on - the Printroom at the Coronet bar was lovely, though - I could live in it - and the staff friendly. Notting Hill itself seems to have become bit of a desert, though, too much money, not enough people, just megabasements being dug for absentee owners.

Interesting thread!

I quite like the bar at Soho Theatre - certainly before matinees its a good place for a coffee with no problems getting a seat. Agree the Young Vic can get very busy, particularly with the large number of seats reserved for diners. And I'm another who ends up lurking outside the Almeida on most of my visits.

I sympathise with the need of many venues to "monetise" their space for the whole day. Problem I have is when they don't really have the space to do this without impacting the theatre audience. Worst offender is the Old Vic who have tried to turn the tiny downstairs bar into a "destination" venue for food and drinks, so it's always packed and the queue for the loos is worse than ever!

I have seen people with stalls tickets being refused access to the upstairs areas by the Old Vic's overly officious ushers!

I always find it incredible that the Old Vic has to have an usher stationed downstairs to manage the queue for the ladies. 

The bunker that is the Barbican 'wins' hands down for me. Last night at the NT i found several members of staff who couldn't be bothered to speak and acknowledge me

When I asked FOH staff at Shoreditch Town Hall were we should start to lurk for unallocated seating at a show recently they directed me to the far end of the hallway, along with, evidently, some other early arrivals. When the doors did finally open, they were at the other end of the hall, near the entrance doors and opposite their desk, as they must have known. Pissed me off mightily and for the first time ever I thought sod politeness and barged through to get a decent seat because I'd travelled several hundred miles since 6am and been waiting there a sodding hour. Horrible part of London, too. They do have an impressive number of bogs, though.

Found 111 is no more - at least not at that space.