Theatre foyers

I think it’d be nice if some Theatres opened their main bars on a Sunday, for example, when there’s no show. It’d be lovely to be able to sit their and appreciate the building with fewer people around than before a show.

The Apollo Victoria's Foyer is lovely with old art-deco features, but it simply is not large enough to cope with the size of the audience. It doesn’t help that the doors to the auditorium are not thrown open until 30 minutes before a show. Could they not make it 45 minutes before a show? It’s extremely hot and chaotic if you like to get to the theatre early to relax in one of the bars, only to find that you are squashed against the wall in their tiny foyer.

My favourite theatre has got it right - the Edinburgh Festival Theatre. When the theatre was relaunched in 1994, they built a sweeping glass extension to the front of the main auditorium to serve as the front of house area. There are plenty of seats in the bars, plenty of toilets, lots of points to buy merchandise, and the whole building is bright and airy. I also like how the box office is an open plan desk rather than having the clerks sat behind huge windows. There are 5 floors worth of FOH areas and a lift to all floors, and it is very aesthetically pleasing and great to see a theatre that has gotten it right.

I agree about the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh. When I've been there's plenty of space to sit and chill.

The Bridge theatre is nice (if you can get a seat) with the well stocked bar, cafe type thing, pretty lights and spacious foyer! Being so modern it also has the lovely perks of self service water stations and lovely toilets! (I haven't had to queue yet)

Drury Lane is obviously pretty grand with it's lovely staircases and decor to admire. The Taittinger Terrace is great too especially on a sunny afternoon/evening.

This is something I've been thinking about myself over the last few days.

All week I've been getting emails from theatres imploring me to vote for them as the most welcoming in the country.

In good conscience, I can't vote for any of them.

Take the world-famous Crucible Theatre, for example. It has a foyer larger than many actual theatres, but it's now closed to the general public, with not just a barrier, but a security guard too. Even on an afternoon/evening when a performance is taking place, I always feel like I should apologise for wanting to cross the threshold, once I've been frisked and given a DNA sample.

I love the public spaces of The Crucible Sheffield. Brutalist architecture outside, white concrete and huge jewel coloured doors inside. It’s beautiful but they need more seating.

The Lowry tried to imitate it with some success. The bar there is nice and you can go in the Gallery and see his paintings.

Another fan of the Lowry and the Royal Exhchange. While for London, you really can’t beat the Bridge theatre foyer.

Can’t say I agree about the Royal Exchange. The architecture is impressive but the bar area is noisy with those wooden chairs that make your ears bleed when you move them. Its badly laid out, dark and feels pokey despite being quite a large area. There’s that absolutely pointless gift shop selling bits of jewellery that I’ve never seen anyone buy anything from. Huge opportunity to sell theatre related stuff or even just quirky gifts but I imagine they contract it out so that it doesn’t have to be run by the theatre.

The bar at the Hope Mill is eclectic and cosy but it’s getring increasingly hard to enjoy it because audiences are getting there so early now, that it’s permanently busy.

Another unique "foyer" space, but I love the regents park open air bar/eating areas, beautiful foliage and lights!

Hampstead Theatre has a nice foyer and bar area, particularly downstairs which is usually fairly quiet. I also like Southwark Playhouse.

Home in Manchester is great, along with the Lyric Hammersmith upstairs foyer, they both feel inclusive and comfortable (unlike some which seem to treat the ticket holders as an irritation - yes, Young Vic, I'm looking at you). They have an airy feel, whilst not feeling barren or antiseptic.

For a more bohemian vibe there's the Battersea Arts Centre and its adjacent public areas to the main entrance. For the Edinburgh festival the Pleasance Courtyard is vibrant and geared up to furnish your needs in the thirty minutes you might have between shows. Now also much improved as they've redone the loos, so taking out the hell hole that was only beaten by the old Union Theatre's Victorian squalor.

I also like the Underbelly George Square at the Edinburgh Fringe. It isn't really a "foyer" but they have lots of food stalls and bars, and the atmosphere is amazing. You just need to sit in one of their deck chairs and just appreciate that you are sat in a public park underneath a giant upside-down purple inflatable cow, as the noise of bagpipes and buses loom in the distance.

Although not the biggest or most practical I love The Savoy Theatres foyer. The moment you enter you just feel like you've stepped back in time. Also why you see it pop u0 in tv dramas and films now and again

Big fan of the Birmingham Hippodrome’s foyer! Always striked me as very well kept and fresh which I think suits the venue well

When were you last there? They did a FOH rebuild a couple of years ago so I'm interested to know if you saw the previous version or if you saw the new one but are still not impressed?