Welcome
The Minack Theatre is an internationally renowned open-air theatre on the Cornish cliffs at Porthcurno in the far south west of Cornwall. We welcomed over 300,000 visitors in 2019 either to watch a performance or to explore the theatre and learn about the extraordinary work of our founder, Rowena Cade. Our main season runs from March to November, with 200 performances of more than 40 different productions ranging from Shakespeare to contemporary drama, musicals, opera and one-night music events. Our hugely popular children’s story-telling programme runs three days a week in all school holidays including the winter months.
Level access
There is level access from the main entrance to:
Entrance shed in the car parkTicket Shack in the Car ParkTheatre toiletsCar park toiletMinack ShopExhibition CentreAccess with steps
There are steps from the main entrance to:
Minack TheatreHearing
Visual
General
Getting here
Travel by public transport
We advertise a local taxi firm who can provide transport from the bus stop to the Minack car park.
Travel by taxi
Parking
From our main entrance and car park the ramp to access the site is steep, ranging from 11% to 15%. We will review this in the future. Staff will assist wheelchair users if necessary. We have our own electric wheelchair available that customers can use on request.




Arrival
Path to main entrance
Main entrance
Our main entrance is located in the car park, once signed in at the entrance desk, access is via our entrance door which is a double door: single opening is 930mm, double opening is 1930mm, staff are always on hand to open the second door if necessary.

Getting around inside

Ticket/ information desk
Entrance shed in the car park
This is a ticket and information point in the car park also selling retail items. The low section has no desk, often a member of the team will greet customers in the car park.
Ticket/ information desk
Ticket Shack in the Car Park
This is a ticket, information, retail and refreshment point in our car park which is open daily selling tickets to visit the theatre and for performances.

Things to See and Do
Spectator/ Audience viewing areas
Accessible Balcony
This balcony offers a full view of the theatre.
We provide chairs with arm rests for the less mobile and the balcony is accessible to wheelchairs.
There is also an induction loop provided in this area for the hard of hearing.



Public toilet
Theatre toilets
There is an adapted toilet at the top of the theatre which is easily accessible with a wheelchair and which has baby changing facilities, non-slip flooring and facilities for visitors with limited mobility.
The door is side-hinged.
Hand-washing facilities are designed for ease of use by visitors with limited mobility, e.g. lever taps. There is an audio-assist system in this facility.


Public toilet
Car park toilet
This toilet is accessed via paving from our grass car park.


Shop
Minack Shop
Assistance can be provided by staff.
Exhibition Centre
The Exhibition Centre has reasonable lighting, and a level, easily negotiable surface with a separate entrance and exit.
The doors are secured open when the site is open for visitors.
In extreme weather, the doors may be left closed, but a member of staff will be available to assist customers as appropriate.
The Exhibition panels were revamped in 2014 to improve the contrast of the text for those with vision impairments.
Touch screen films and audio visual film give more detail of the history of the theatre in an audio format.
There are bench seats and a row of chairs with arms available in the audio display room of the Exhibition Centre.



Getting around outside
There are a 130 steps from the entance and just over 100 steps from the accessible areas at the top of the site to the lowest part of the theatre. These have been built over the 80 years that the theatre has been in operation. As the site has evolved, these steps are not uniform in size or depth. There are handrails around the site and the placing of these are reviewed annually.
Visitors: during opening hours when no performances are in progress, visitors are free to explore the theatre auditorium, stage and backstage areas at their own pace.
The theatre holds up to maximum of 700 people for performances (270 for socally distanced performances). Audience members are directed to the appropriate area by stewards and assisted where appropriate.

Minack Gardens
There are areas of sub tropical planting around much of the site with a more extensive area for visitors to explore around the main entrance.


Customer care support
We are generally able to provide copies of scripts in advance of performances which can be followed either on paper or on a tablet device for customers who are hard of hearing. We also offer headsets for free that enhance the audio for performances.
We offer BSL interpreted and audio described performances on a selection of our productions. Audio description can occasionally be provided on request. Call the box office on 01736 810181 for information.
We can charge scooters or wheelchairs within one of our buildings if they charge via a 13 amp plug.
Emergency evacuation procedures
As we are mainly an open air attraction, we do not use a fire alarm within the theatre space. There are alarms within the buildings, but these do not have flashing lights.
Customer care support