Districts 1 and 2 at Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre
Book these if the moving seats are part of why you are coming, and book elsewhere if the idea makes you uneasy. Districts 1 and 2 are the two large banks at either end of the auditorium and they rotate during the performance, so the view from your seat changes as the show goes on and the shape of the space changes with it.
Most people love it. Some find it noisy, and a few find it lands under dialogue at the wrong moment.
What actually happens
The two banks rotate for about 30 seconds at certain points in the performance, and while they are in motion you cannot enter or leave the section. Each District has a member of staff on its entrance, and getting out mid-performance means asking them.
You will also read that you cannot leave these sections until the interval. That is an impression of the same rule rather than the rule itself. The restriction is on the 30 seconds of movement.
Either way, anyone who leaves during the performance is not let back in.
Where to sit
Rows B to M. Row A is the cramped one in both of these Districts, which is the opposite of the main blocks. From row B the cast come close enough to play to you.
Nearer the hinge if the motion worries you. The movement is felt least towards the pivot end of the bank rather than out at the far edge. If someone in your party is unsure, that is the half of the block to ask for.
District 2 rather than District 1 if the screens matter to you. Both banks lose sight of the screen at their own end from the back rows, and the far screen largely duplicates it, so what you are trading is a glance for a head-turn rather than the content itself. Regulars lean towards District 2 on this.
Two practical things
The signage to District 2 is the worst in the building. Allow for a wrong turn, and ask rather than guess.
District 2 sends you out through a different door from the one you walked in by. That catches people at the end, when the whole audience is moving at once. Follow the signs and the ushers rather than your memory of the way in.
Moving Districts FAQs
Do the seats really move at Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre?
Yes. Districts 1 and 2 are two large seating banks that rotate for about 30 seconds at certain points in the performance, changing the shape of the auditorium around the stage. Every other District stays where it is.
Can I leave my seat if I am in a moving District?
Not while it is moving, which is about 30 seconds at a time. Ask the member of staff on your District entrance and they will sort it out. Leave during the performance and you are not readmitted, wherever you are sitting.
Is the movement noisy or distracting?
Opinions split. Some find it gentle to the point of barely noticing it; others find the mechanism audible and badly timed against the dialogue. If you would rather not find out, Districts 4, 5, 8 and 9 do not move at all.