Accessibility – FAQ
How many stages does the National Theatre have? Where are they located?
The National Theatre's performances take place on three stages located in two adjacent buildings:
– in the Bogusławski Hall, which is located in the main building of the Theatre, at pl. Teatralny 3
– and on the Jerzy Grzegorzewski Stage at Wierzbowa Street, and on the Studio Stage located at ul. Wierzbowa 3 (entrance from ul. Fredry).
Can the Theatre be reached using public transport?
The Theatre can be reached by bus, tram and metro.
Stop: pl. Bankowy
Buses: 107, 111, 171, 518, E-2
Night buses: N11, N13, N16, N21, N41, N42, N61, N63, N71, N91
Trams: 4, 15, 16, 18
Stop: Metro Ratusz Arsenał
Metro: stacja Ratusz Arsenał
Buses: 107, 111, 160, 190
Night buses: N21, N41, N71, N91
Trams: 4, 15, 18, 20, 23, 26
Stop: pl. Teatralny
Bus: 111
Stop: pl. Piłsudskiego
Buses: 111, 128, 175
Night bus: N44
Stop: pl. Zamkowy
Buses: 116, 128, 175, 178, 180, 503, E-2
Night bus: N44
Are there any parking spaces near the Theatre?
There are public parking spaces in the immediate vicinity of the Theatre as part of the Paid Unguarded Parking Zone in Warsaw. Use of the car park is subject to a fee. The fee for parking in the Paid Unguarded Parking Zone is collected on working days from Monday to Friday, excluding the following days: May 2, December 24 and 31, between 8:00 and 20:00. The fee for parking a vehicle must be paid immediately after parking the vehicle. There are disabled parking spaces designated in the car parks at pl. Teatralny and ul. Niecała.
How can I get to the Theatre buildings?
The main entrances to the Theatre building at pl. Teatralny 3 and the building at ul. Wierzbowa 3 are accessible from pavement level, without steps.
How can a person in a wheelchair get to the Theatre?
On the outside of both Theatre buildings, buttons are installed to call a Theatre employee who will help open the second part of the double door and make it easier to get in. In the main building at pl. Teatralny 3, on the inside, anti-panic locks are installed.
Is access to all rooms in the Theatre provided for people with reduced mobility?
It has been ensured that viewers with special needs in terms of movement have free access to public rooms in both buildings of the Theatre, including: box offices, foyers, cloakrooms, buffets, toilets and the auditoriums. The box offices, cloakrooms, and passenger lifts are located close to the entrances to the buildings, at the level of the pavement.
Are there places for viewers in wheelchairs in all auditoriums in the Theatre?
In the auditoriums of all stages, seats for people in wheelchairs are readied based on prior notification. Sometimes, for staging-related reasons, seats for viewers in wheelchairs are specially prepared. We ask viewers with reduced mobility to inform the Theatre about the need to prepare a place for a wheelchair when purchasing tickets at the box office or when booking tickets by phone. We cannot guarantee seats for people in wheelchairs who buy tickets/entrance passes an hour before a performance.
Due to the layout of the auditoriums at individual performances, the number of seats for viewers in wheelchairs is determined and depends on the arrangement possibilities of the individual stages.
Are there barrier-free passageways in the Theatre?
In the corridors and in the foyer of the main building at pl. Teatralny 3, the edges of stairs are marked with high-visibility, non-slip tape. A passenger lift with voice signalling of floors and announcements about opening and closing doors, equipped with buttons with raised pictograms and Braille, is also available for audience members. Entry to, and exit from, the Bogusławski Hall is possible via emergency double doors.
In the building at ul. Wierzbowa 3, due to the difference in levels between the box office foyer and the level of the Jerzy Grzegorzewski Stage on Wierzbowa Street, a platform lift for wheelchairs is provided in the cloakroom hall. The lift is equipped with controls on the platform. The building also has handrails by the stairs, and a passenger lift with voice signalling of floors and announcements about opening and closing doors, equipped with buttons with raised pictograms and Braille. The Studio Stage, located on the 3rd floor, can be reached by lift or stairs.
Are the Theatre's box offices located in places accessible to people with special mobility needs?
The box offices, both in the case of the building at pl. Teatralny 3 (where the Bogusławski Hall is located) and in the case of the building at ul. Wierzbowa 3 (where the Stage at Wierzbowa Street and the Studio Stage are housed), are located near the entrances to the buildings, by the main passageways in the Theatre, in places accessible to a person in a wheelchair. The box office counters are located over 90cm from the floor.
What facilities does the Theatre box office have for those buying tickets?
The box offices are equipped with screens displaying the layout of the auditorium for individual performances at the Theatre and information on the availability of seats for a given performance. The box offices are equipped with induction loops.
Does the Theatre have toilets for people with reduced mobility?
Toilets for those with reduced mobility are available in both Theatre buildings; at pl. Teatralny 3 they are located on the 1st floor, and at ul. Wierzbowa 3 on the ground floor and in the basement, level -1 (close to the lift). The toilets are equipped with alarm buttons with audio and visual information.
Is there a room with disabled facilities in the Theatre?
In the building at pl. Teatralny 3, there are three rooms with disabled facilities: two of these facilities are located in the toilets for people with reduced mobility on the 1st floor, and the third set is in the audience service room.
Is there seating in the Theatre foyer?
On the premises of the Theatre, both in the building at pl. Teatralny 3 and in the building at ul. Wierzbowa 3, there are chairs, armchairs with armrests and benches.
Is there a place in the Theatre that allows for quieting down?
For people who need a moment of quiet and respite from excessive stimuli, a quiet room has been prepared in the building at pl. Teatralny 3 on the 4th floor, in close proximity to the foyer by the Bogusławski Hall. To use the quiet room, you must notify the audience service staff in advance of your need.
Can people with an assistance dog attend a performance?
You may enter the Theatre with an assistance dog. The Theatre's audience service staff will inform you as to where and on what terms viewers with an assistance dog can attend and move around the Theatre. They will also help ensure a comfortable time while you are in the Theatre building.
Are the stages equipped with induction loops or other hearing aid systems?
The Bogusławski Hall is equipped with a system of electronic hearing aids. These allow people with special hearing needs to listen to the performance on an individual basis. Headphones for individual listening can be borrowed from the audience service staff. Installation of the system was possible thanks to funding from the PFRON fund.
Performances in the Bogusławski Hall that feature individual listening include: Forefathers' Eve, Kordian, Picnic at Hanging Rock. A new play adapted from Joan Lindsay's novel, Mary Stuart, Alice's Wonderland, King Lear, Faust, and Hamlet.