Theatre: questions and answers

The tonight page lists every show on our calendar tonight by start time, and the calendar lets you filter by day, city and kind of show. We start with sixteen cities, from London to Belfast, and check the programmes every day. →

Musicals play in the West End and at the big touring houses of the cities, such as the Bristol Hippodrome, which ATG's page calls Bristol's West End Theatre, and the Birmingham Hippodrome. The calendar shows which titles are running. →

The Royal Shakespeare Company is based in Stratford-upon-Avon, where it has three permanent theatres: the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the Swan Theatre and The Other Place. The National Theatre on the South Bank of the Thames has three theatres: the Olivier, the Lyttelton and the Dorfman. →

A pantomime is a British festive stage comedy for families: a well-known story such as Cinderella or Aladdin retold with songs, topical jokes and audience participation. Most big theatres stage one between late November and January, for example the Glasgow King's (Aladdin, 21 November to 3 January), the London Palladium (Cinderella, 5 December to 10 January) and the Belfast Grand Opera House (The Little Mermaid, 28 November to 10 January). Each theatre's page has its own dates and the recommended age. →

Official London Theatre, the ticket site of the Society of London Theatre, lists on-the-day discounts and advance bookings with a “tickets from” price for each West End show, and runs a Ticket Booth in Leicester Square Gardens. Elsewhere, ask the box office about concessions and book from the box office or the theatre's own website; resale sites often charge more than face value. →

Theatre Tokens are a gift voucher run by the Society of London Theatre, which Official London Theatre lists beside its tickets and Kids Week. Check where a token can be spent before you buy one. →

Musicals, pantomime, Christmas shows and weekend evenings at the big houses sell out early, so book those well ahead. Plays and smaller stages often have seats until the day itself.

The start time is on your ticket and on the show's page. Doors usually open earlier, with the bar and the programme in the foyer, and matinees run in the afternoon. At musicals it pays to arrive early for the bag check. →

No. Most people wear what they would wear to a nice dinner, and jeans are fine. At opera evenings and press nights you see more suits and evening dresses, but it is not required. →

Latecomers are often let in only at a suitable break in the show, and sometimes not at all. Allow time for the journey, the cloakroom and the toilets. →

Coats and large bags are often handed in at the cloakroom, at some houses for a small fee. Ask at the entrance whether the cloakroom is compulsory. →

At the end there is usually long applause, and a standing ovation is kept for special nights. That is part of the culture and not meant personally. →

Check the age recommendation on the show's page, such as “from 4 years”. Afternoon shows suit families best, and children usually need a ticket of their own. Some theatres have a children's centre of their own: Sheffield Theatres has run the Montgomery, a children's and family arts centre, since January 2025. →

In December there is the pantomime in most big theatres, The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol and other Christmas shows. The pantomime and Christmas page lists them. →

Many theatres offer relaxed, audio-described, captioned and BSL-interpreted performances: Capital Theatres in Edinburgh does so for most of its shows, and York Theatre Royal lists audio-described, BSL, captioned, dementia-friendly and relaxed performances. Ask the box office about wheelchair spaces before you book; the show's page has the dates where the house gives them. →

Shows come from the houses' own programmes. A ranking puts forward the highlights by house, performers and date; nothing is hand-picked yet. Nobody pays to be listed or picked.