NorthernAndBallet Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 When visiting a theatre what are your basic requirements? For me there's only one thing, and that's comfortable seating. I'm 6ft 3ins tall and need a lot of leg-room and so always book early to get an aisle seat, or somewhere else I can stretch my legs. Of course this means I don't get the best view or acoustics, and it might be quite draughty where I'm sitting, but needs be. I regularly visit the theatres in South and West Yorkshire and am always able to get somewhere appropriate, whether at the old Victorian theatres, the modern theatres...or the various other venues. What are your preferences and priorities? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Well you are a foot taller than me! I prefer sitting in the stalls, I like comfortable seats and (as long as they are not too low - as they are at the Palace Theatre in Manchester) I prefer sitting on the front row so I am not behind someone who is 6'3"!! Comfortable seats are always welcome too. I have often found there is less leg room in the circle, one of the reasons I prefer the stalls. On the ballet circuit I follow my favourite theatres (in no particular order) are The Lowry, Sunderland Empire, Liverpool Empire, Edinburgh Festival Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Norwich Theatre Royal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I don't necessarily ask for the seating to be *comfortable* (heaven knows, I have to sit in the balcony at the London Coliseum often enough), but I *do* need legroom as my leg doesn't bend too well. I don't know why it is that so many theatre designers think many people are amputated at the knee, but they must have gone to the same school as many bus designers (don't start me on why the designated disabled seating so frequently has absolutely minimal legroom ...). That's why I like the New Victoria in Woking, for example (and I think Wycombe Swan is the same?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vonrothbart Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 (edited) I prefer to be in the stalls, but not too far near the front, maybe row H ish in the centre. I along with a couple of friends used to go and see Bob Dylan quite a lot when he was touring Britain, and almost always got on the front rail. That's obviously quite different to a musical, as you would be too near in most theatres,especially Le Mis with the barricade for instance. Edited October 23, 2015 by Vonrothbart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huddsballetmum Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Like to have comfortable seating and plenty of legroom. I also prefer to be in the stalls somewhere in the middle, not too far away but not so near that I'm stretching my neck all the time. I love the stall seating in the Grand at Leeds. Ticks all my boxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I seem to be in a minority, but I far prefer circle - so much of the beauty of classical ballet is in the formations and floor patterns. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 It depends on what I'm seeing. Front row of a section is always good, or a side aisle seat with a clear view towards the centre, not just for guaranteed lack of a tall person in front of me (I was at Christian Gerhaher's Wigmore Hall recital on Sunday and could only hear him, not see him...) but because if people are misbehaving - fiddling with their phones or constantly fidgeting - a front-of-section seat means I have as few of them in my sightline as possible. Budget dictates that most of the time I take a cheap seat or stand, in which case I would rather be at downstairs or mid-level than right at the top. While most theatres offer better sound in the gods, I like being able to see performers at closer range. When I do splash out and treat myself, I always go for proximity even when there's a compromise involved; occasional front row seats at the ROH means you lose sight of the dancers' feet, for example, but I'd only ever spend that sort of money on dancers whose faces I like watching, so I can't understand why anyone would want to be miles away in the Grand Tier... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vonrothbart Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I seem to be in a minority, but I far prefer circle - so much of the beauty of classical ballet is in the formations and floor patterns. I agree with you if it's a ballet, and some musicals, for the same reasons. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 I can tell you what I don't like - the newly redesigned town theatre next to our ballet school! For some reason they decided that everyone has to come in from the top of the stalls and make their way down. There is no entrance near the lower rows - they did away with them. So today when we took over a hundred of our students, including pre-schoolers to see Nutcracker they all had to go down rather steep steps from row 20 down to their seats which were in rows 9, 7, 2 and 3. Having got them down there, of course we then had to take several of them all the way back up again to go to the loo. There is no central aisle either. They built a circle, which has very poor visibility - it's too high and away from the stage, so you wouldn't like that Pas de Quatre! I have to say that the sight lines are good in the stalls, but the logistics of getting to your seats and getting out again are a nightmare. I needed to get out quickly at the end in order to teach a class of older students, who didn't go to the performance, but I was stuck behind 13 rows full of people all climbing up at a snail's pace........ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Fire regulations? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Exactly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piccolo Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 My thought too. How is that allowed? Sounds dangerous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 What are your preferences and priorities? I, too, am 6' 3". I prefer leg room, elbow room, and no one in front of me to block my view. Plus, I don't want to feel obligated to slouch, slump or hunch because Janet is sitting behind me. To accommodate all of my needy needs, I prefer to purchase an entire box, if available. By the way, I purchased box 59 to see Companhia Nacional de Bailado perform Sleeping Beauty in Lisbon on 12 December, and my usual travel companion cannot go with me. If you are in Lisbon and would like to see Sleeping Beauty, let me know. I think I have some room for you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 One of the most important things for me would be enough ladies' toilets - I prefer not to spend the entire interval in the queue for the loo! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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