Fortune Theatre
Venue Information
- How to book (Phone)
- 020 7010 7905
- [email protected]
- Guide dogs
- Access dogs are not allowed inside the auditorium. Staff can also dog-sit, returning them to the owner during the interval and at the end of the performance.
- Wheelchairs
- No spaces for wheelchair users who have to stay in their chairs. The person in a wheelchair must be able to negotiate a few stairs as there is no access into the theatre for wheelchairs. Box A has a side entrance from Crown Court with one step down into the anteroom, and three shallow steps with a rail into the box, also a toilet in the ante room. Through the side EXIT door on Crown Court, there are 5 steps to the main Dress Circle.
- Sound amplification
- Induction Loop & Sennheiser Infrared
- Audio description
- No steps into foyer from street through double doors. Box Office counter to left. Dress Circle up 7 steps. 1 step between rows in auditorium. Row G has the most leg room. 21 steps down to Stalls, more than 40 to Upper Circle. Most staircases have handrails on both sides. Auditorium opens 30mins before the performance.
- Street to foyer
- There is step-free access to the Fortune Theatre main entrance, which is located on Russell Street. The Box Office is situated on the right as you enter the theatre Foyer.
- Foyer to seat
- 21 to Stalls, 7 to Dress Circle, 40 to Upper Circle.
- Level access
- Wheelchair users cannot be accommodated, but transfers are available.
- Lift / stair lift / ramp
- No
- Bars
- 3 licensed bars. Stalls bar 21 steps down from foyer with moveable seats, mezzanine bar 10 steps up from the Dress Circle and another at Upper Circle level. Drinks brought to disabled customers in plastic cups.
- Toilets
- Mens and Womens throughout. There is no accessible toilet. The private toilet next to Box A is the most accessible.
- Parking
- Air conditioning
- Yes
- Accepts Theatre Tokens
- Yes
The Fortune Theatre, once so succinctly described as the ‘most intimate of theatres,’ first opened to the public on Saturday 8 November 1924 and its original charm has not since waned. Located near Covent Garden, it is thought to be the second smallest theatre in the West End with its capacity of 432 spread over three levels. Above the door of the entrance to the theatre stands a famous statue of Terpsichore, one of the Muses of Greek mythology.
Built on the site of the Old Albion Tavern, it was the first London theatre to be built after World War I. During the Second World War, the theatre was used as the venue for ENSA, the concert party corps of the Forces.
The Fortune has seen many celebrated actors and actresses perform on its stage. Amongst the impressive roll call are Dame Judi Dench, Dirk Bogarde, and Maureen Lipman. The venue was also home to the ground-breaking revue from Cambridge, Beyond The Fringe, with the original line-up of Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, and Jonathan Miller.