Access and Facilities at the Olivier Theatre

Access bookings for the Olivier are handled by the National's own access team, and they will talk through routes and seat positions with you before you book.

Both levels of the Olivier are reached by lift. Four lifts run from the main ground-floor foyer and serve the Stalls foyer on level 2 and the Circle on level 3, and staff will direct you to the right one on the night. They take wheelchairs and mobility scooters. There is also direct lift access from the underground car park during opening hours. Our National Theatre guide covers the route into the building itself, the car park and the Blue Badge arrangements.

Which level to book

The Stalls is the level with the wheelchair spaces, and the back of the Circle is the level with the least walking once you are in the auditorium.

  • Stalls, level 2. Five wheelchair spaces at the back, in row R, with flat access from the foyer and one small step beside them. Everything forward of that is down steps.
  • Circle, level 3. Level access from the entrance straight to row G at the back, then 18 steps down to row A. The steps are quite steep and there are handrails on all the aisles.

One thing to weigh if you are booking forward in the Stalls: there is no handrail on the centre aisle. The side aisles are the better walk down if you are unsteady, and the Circle has handrails throughout.

Wheelchair spaces

The five spaces are at the back of the Stalls in row R, on the flat, straight off the level 2 foyer with no steps between the lift and the seat. Nothing overhangs the back of the Stalls, so the view from them is the full height of the stage rather than a compromise, which is not always the case with a wheelchair position at the back of a theatre.

There is an accessible toilet on the way into the Stalls auditorium, and toilets on both levels.

Hearing

A hearing loop is installed in the Olivier, and infra-red headsets are available from staff. Smart caption glasses are not available at the National at the moment; they are out of service across all three of its theatres, so do not plan a visit around them.

Assisted performances

For The Story, to 24 October 2026:

  • Captioned: Saturday 10 October, 2:30pm, and Wednesday 21 October, 7:30pm
  • BSL interpreted: Wednesday 14 October, 7:30pm
  • Relaxed: Saturday 17 October, 2:30pm

The Story has no audio described performance left, and no chilled or dementia-friendly one. Audio description returns with The Jungle Book on Saturday 19 December at 1:30pm, Friday 8 January at 7pm and Saturday 30 January at 1:30pm, each with a touch tour 90 minutes before. Suddenly Last Summer lists its assisted performances on its own page.

Planning the evening

Arrive 30 minutes before the performance: it's a big building with more than one entrance, and a bit of a maze the first few times.

For The Story, latecomers may not be admitted. If you need to step out during the performance, staff will get you back in where they can, and otherwise there's a screen in the foyer showing the rest of the act.

Photography, filming and phones are not allowed during the performance.

Access FAQs

Is the Olivier Theatre wheelchair accessible?

Yes. Four lifts from the ground-floor foyer serve both levels, and there are five wheelchair spaces at the back of the Stalls in row R, reached on the flat from the level 2 foyer. There is an accessible toilet on the way into that auditorium, and the National's access team books the spaces.

How many steps are there inside the Olivier auditorium?

From the Stalls entrance on level 2 it is 25 steps down to row A at the front, and the side blocks are raised and reached by steps. In the Circle you come in level with row G at the back and it is 18 steps down to row A. The Circle steps are steep, with handrails on every aisle; the Stalls centre aisle has no handrail.