Palace Theatre Manchester
The Palace Theatre of Varieties opened on Whit Monday 1891 and cost its owners the then colossal sum of £40,500. In the late 1970’s the Palace Theatre underwent a major refurbishment and re-opened in 1981 with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar and has since then retained its position as the premier provincial touring venue.
Contact Details
Security
Getting Here
Access
Contact Us - Please see our Access Contact Us page for details
Booking Information - Join our Access Membership Scheme to enable online booking for accessible seats, register for any available Access concessions and, for certain customers, reserve Personal Assistant tickets. Details on how to book Access tickets online are on our Booking With ATG Access Membership page.
Access Parking - There are 2 bays outside the stage door bar entrance and there is on-street parking on oxford street up to Pizza Express. There are also bays on Whitworth Street, Whitworth Street west (after Gorilla and the Ritz), and on Great Bridgewater Street.
Step Free Access and Wheelchairs
The Circle Bar at the Palace Theatre is accessible and can be accessed via a lift on the ground floor or ask us for At Seat Service when you arrive. Rear Circle, row R can be accessed without steps but is reached via lift from the ground floor. We have four wheelchair spaces and companion seats Circle R 8&9, R12&13, R 33&34 and R37&38. The seats at The Palace Theatre are 17.7 inches wide on average.
We hold some seats at the back of the circle for customers with limited mobility. We recommend booking aisle seats on rows Q and R for transferring from a wheelchair.
The stalls is down 15 steps with no lift access.
Accessible Toilets - Accessible Toilets can be found on the circle level at The Palace Theatre. There is an emergency pull cord in the accessible toilets should you need assistance from a member of staff.
Access Performances - All upcoming Audio Described, Captioned, BSL Interpreted and Relaxed performances are listed on our Assisted Performances page.
Visual Impairment Services - Information about our venue’s audio description, touch tours and other visual services can be found on our Visual Impairment Services page. We recommend seats in the AA-C area for customers who require a closer view of the stage. For Audio Described shows, please book tickets through the Access Line for best availability or book tickets in the centre stalls area. Touch Tours may also be available to accompany Audio Described performances. This will be advertised on the website or brochure page for each show. For Hearing Loop users, The signal will work best in the centre stalls area.
Hearing Assistance Services - Information about our venue’s hearing enhancement systems (MobileConnect and The Loop system), signed performances and other hearing services can be found on our Hearing Assistance Services page. We have a number of BSL and captioned performances throughout the season. For Captioned performances, we recommend seats in the centre of the stalls and to not book limited view seats or seats too far back due to the venue overhang. Seats with the best view of the captioning units are held back from general sale and set aside for patrons who require a good view of the screens. Please contact us for more information if required.
Useful Links - For any resources such as Symbol Resources or links to our Euan's Guide page, please see our Additional Resources. An Audio-Introduction for The Palace Theatre and Opera House is available on Soundcloud, please click here. To watch a video about our Audio Described Performances click here.
Further Information and Questions - Details of company-wide Access Services are available in our Access Section. Any other questions please see our FAQ’s.
Please note - Booster seats are available for customers to use in the stalls. Please speak to a member of staff upon arrival if you would like to use one (please note: there might be a hire charge which will need to be paid). These are only available in the stalls. Booster seats are not permitted on any other level of the theatre.