ACCESS

Here at TOM (The Old Market), our aim is inclusion. We want to make it possible for everyone to enjoy our shows, and we cannot wait to welcome you to our little venue!

ACCESS FACILITIES AND HOW TO BOOK

We have reasonable adjustments in place to make your customer journey simple and fuss-free, so please let us know if there is a form of communication that suits you best.

Personal Assistance (PA) tickets: The Old Market provides Personal Assistance (PA) tickets across all our events for customers who would otherwise be unable to attend the venue. We accept this at face value and on a basis of trust (no proof required). If you require a PA ticket alongside your booking, please contact us ahead of your visit to arrange this.

Compass Card scheme: Compass Card holders can get 15% off a ticket on selected events (matches our friends discount) by attaching their unique promo code to the cart. Available online, in person, or over the phone. Additional PA tickets can be added and processed as above.

SEATED EVENTS

Wheelchair spaces: We can allocate up to two wheelchairs and two PA spaces at our full-capacity seated events. These can currently only be booked via phone or in person. These spaces are reserved on DD13-DD14 and HH16-HH17:
Click here to see where Wheelchair + PA spaces are located on our full seating plan
For events with lower capacities (such as TOM’s Film Club), we can allocate up to two wheelchairs and two PA spaces on A13-A16.
Click here to see where Wheelchair + PA spaces are located on our rake-only seating plan

STANDING EVENTS

Wheelchair Spaces and Side Seats: Should you require a wheelchair space or a side seat at one of our standing events, we can accommodate up to three wheelchairs and three side seats maximum between both of our viewing areas. We cannot offer seats to accompanying PAs, but they are welcome to stay nearby during the course of the event. Spaces and seats must be booked in advance of an event, but once you arrive at our venue, there may be an opportunity for you to pick the area that suits your needs the most (subject to availability):
1) Our first viewing area is located at the front of the auditorium (in front of the stage, near the side entrance doors). You will get a better view from here. This area is available on both our generic standing and immersive events.
Click here to view area 1
2) Our second viewing area is located just by the entrance to the auditorium (accessible from TOM's Bar). This is a safer, more contained area, but you won’t get as good a view from here. This area is only available on our generic standing events and is not available on any of our immersive events.
Click here to view area 2
· T&Cs: Available over the phone or counter (not currently available online). Must be reserved in advance of an event. Subject to availability. Please note; due to the nature of our multi-format venue, the set -ups may change.

TRAVEL AND ARRIVAL GUIDE

By Car or Taxi: The nearest car park with accessible parking bays is the NCP Regency Square Car Park, which is 0.5 miles away from the venue. There is also limited parking available right outside the venue, on the street, for blue badge holders (blue badge parking is located on double yellow lines, please arrive early to make sure you secure a space). Taxis are able to drop customers off right outside the main entrance of the venue.

By Train: Brighton station is the nearest train station to the venue and is 1 mile away.

By Bus: If travelling by bus from Brighton, the nearest bus stop is 160 metres away on Western Road. The stop is called Brunswick Place (outside the Farrow & Ball shop). If travelling by bus from Hove, the nearest bus stop is 170 metres away on Western Road. The stop is called Norfolk Square (outside the Co-op Supermarket). Bus services include: 1, 1A, 2, 5, 5A, 5B, 6, 46, 49, or (at night time) N1 and N5. The 700/ N700 Stagecoach bus also runs along this route.

VENUE DESCRIPTION AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARRIVE

· Before you get to us, if you require assistance (such as early entry), please let us know before your visit. We can let you in around 10 minutes before doors open.
· Before an event, the Box Office, TOM’s Bar and the performance space opening times are event specific. For most seated events, our doors open 45 minutes prior to start time, and for standing events, the door time is nearly always the same as the stated start time. Please check your booking confirmation for start times and keep an eye out for emails from us for more information closer to the time of an event.
· Upon arrival at the venue, please make yourself known to our Box Office or Front of House team, who will welcome you and be able to advise you where to go. As we have moved to e-ticketing for all our events, your downloaded e-ticket is all you’ll need to show us in order to gain entry. Please note, we may ask for photo ID at specific events. We will always let you know if that is that case in advance of the event.
· The Old Market has step free access from the street and throughout the venue, including access to the Box Office, TOM’s Bar and the Main House.
· Access to the lower level in the venue is either via 19 steps or via platform lift, which is 31” wide and 43” deep. This provides access to our toilets (including our accessible toilet).
· We also have a platform lift from our stage door to the backstage dressing rooms, which is 32” wide and “43” deep.
· If you wish to sit in our tiered seating area, please note that the seats are raised two steps per row, each step measures 43.5” wide, and we have a total of 22 steps.

ACCESS USER GUIDES AND USEFUL LINKS

Click here to download a copy of our ACCESS POLICY

Click here to download a copy of our VISUAL JOURNEY

TO ASSIST WITH YOUR VISIT

Toilets: We have an accessible toilet available within the venue. It is accessed via the platform lift, and is 12 metres away from the bottom of the platform lift. Radar keys are available to collect from Box Office.

Assistance Dogs: We welcome assistance dogs into the venue and will be more than happy to provide them with water for the duration of your visit. During a performance, an assistance dog would be sat next to you. In order to secure a space for your assistance dog, please let our Box Office team know at the time of booking.

Strobe Lighting, Flashing Lights and Haze: We may occasionally have performances which contain strobe lighting, flashing lights and/or haze. Wherever possible, we will try and give customers this information in advance of booking. If you have any concerns, please call us to discuss further.

Breakout Spaces: We can provide a designated space as a breakout or sensory space. If you will require this, please contact us ahead of your visit.

Customers with Medical Requirements: We welcome any attendees who may need to bring medicine, food, drink or medical equipment with them to manage a medical condition. Please let us know at the time of booking if you need to bring any of this with you when you visit us so that we can let our teams know.

Assisted Performances: We are always striving to provide a number of different assisted performances to TOM, including Audio Described, British Sign Language Interpreted, Captioned and Relaxed performances. Please check our website show listings for all assisted performances.

ACCESS NEWS

We have now launched our Access Hub! Inclusion is very important to our ethos, so we have started an initiative to be led by and created for our wonderful access audiences. What works for you? What doesn’t work? Can you help us improve our access policy? Are you full of creative ideas? If you would like to be part of our Access Hub sign up by clicking here

We are currently in testing mode to see if we can offer you all the ability to book wheelchair spaces, access seats and PA tickets online. We will keep you all posted as this progresses!