Accessible Events

Wheelchair spaces are available for all events, subject to availability, and Companion Cards are accepted for all ticketed events. Our three theatres have an Assistive Hearing system.

Some events at Riverside are Relaxed, Auslan Interpreted, Audio Described, Captioned, or provide Tactile Tours.

The access services offered for each event are listed on the event page, which has access icons and descriptions of the services offered.


Access Features

At Riverside, we value the comfort of our guests, so it is important to us that our programs and venues are accessible for all.

If you require specific seating, audio assistance, accessible parking or need a staff member to help you to your seat, we are happy to assist.

Please take a look at the various ways we can assist with your visit to Riverside and get in touch with our Box Office team if you have any questions or would like to make a booking.

Email: boxoffice_riverside@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au

Phone: 02 8839 3399

Wheelchairs

Riverside offers level access and space for wheelchairs in all three theatres.

Please contact us by calling our Box Office to discuss the availability of accessible theatre seats and to book.

Courtesy Wheelchairs

A courtesy wheelchair (standard manual wheelchair) is available for loan, if required. Please see our Front of House staff to secure a courtesy wheelchair.

Companion Card

We accept Companion Cards for all ticketed events. A Companion Card allows the cardholder to book a free ticket for the companion who will assist them during their visit. Companion Card tickets do not cover additional items such as meals, VIP packages or Meet & Greets.

Please contact our Box Office to book. You will also need to have the card with you on the day of the event.

Find out more about the Companion Card program

Parking

Limited paid parking is available at the venue for patrons with a current accessible parking permit. Please note that these spaces need to be pre-booked and there is a fee of $8 for parking.

Entry to parking is via Market Street, at the back of Riverside Theatres and there is a ramp from the car park onto the theatre loggia for access into the venue.

Your accessible parking permit number will need to be provided at the time of booking. Please contact our Box Office for availability and to book.

Assistance Animals

Guide dogs or service animals trained to assist people with disability are welcome inside all areas of Riverside Theatres.

To ensure appropriate seating is allocated please discuss with us your requirements and whether an assistance animal will be in attendance at the time of booking.

Accessible toilets

Accessible toilet facilities are located at either end of the Riverside Theatres foyer.

Auslan Interpretation

Some productions are selected to be interpreted using Australian Sign Language (Auslan). This provides an opportunity for patrons who are Deaf to access the show. The aural cues that are essential to the storytelling and the theatrical experience are translated into sign language.

Auslan interpreters are discreetly positioned for comfortable viewing by Deaf patrons.

Open Captions

Patrons with hearing impairments can access select live performances and cinema sessions through captioning. Open Captions are visual text displayed on screens during the performance, enabling patrons to read what is being said. Caption text is prepared from the script of the performance by highly trained staff. Where open captioning is provided, it is visible from almost all seats in our venues. Please contact our Box Office if you would like further information.

Surtitles & Subtitles

In films that contain Subtitles film, the dialogue is presented in writing, often as an English translation.

Please note, subtitles only appear in the feature, not the trailers.

Hearing Assistance

Riverside has an FM transmitter-receiver hearing system in all three theatres to assist patrons who are hearing impaired. Patrons can choose from a single ear earpiece, a neck loop for telecoil-equipped hearing aids and cochlear implants or their own headphones, to amplify the sound from the stage. This system is adaptable for people with all types of hearing loss.

To access this free service, please pre-book the hearing system with our Box Office and your receiver and earpiece or loop will be waiting for you to collect from the Bar prior to your performance at Riverside.

Audio Description

Select performances and cinema screenings are audio described for the benefit of blind or low vision patrons by providing a narration that provides detailed information and descriptions of the visual elements of a performance. This includes actions, expressions, gestures, sequences, costumes, and scenery. AD is relayed via a free headset and receiver linked to the FM radio system.

Descriptive Pre-Show Notes

Descriptive Pre-show Notes are prepared by an audio describer and made available to patrons to screen/read to download or request prior to attending the show. These notes provide a description of scenery, costumes, props and some context for the play, are part of the audio description experience.

For select productions, Riverside is trialling Descriptive Pre-show Notes Only to select, low action shows to provide greater access opportunities. These notes are designed to enhance the experience of a production in lieu of a full audio description.

Tactile (sensory) Tours

Tactile tours are an access initiative for people blind or low vision attending a show with audio description.

Tours tend to be held ninety minutes prior to show start and run for 20-30 minutes and introduces participants to the stage space and some of the physical elements of the set, props and costumes in the show.

Tours are strictly limited in size and often take place onstage.

All tours require bookings through our Box Office and will not run if there are no bookings 72 hours prior.

Relaxed Performances

Select performances throughout the year are provided as relaxed performances. These are sensory friendly performances where the perceived ‘rules’ of theatre are modified to allow patrons with Autism and other specific needs to enjoy the performance in a welcoming environment.

Modifications will differ depending on the show, but can include:

  • The house lights being dimmed, but not turned all the way down;
  • The understanding that patrons may come and go from the theatre as needed;
  • Elements of the show that might include loud noises or sudden bright lights being toned down or removed.

Along with these performances, Riverside offers social stories. These are easy to read, visual stories that explain and prepare patrons for the social situation of coming to the theatre and seeing a show.

Additional Access Information

Users who are deaf or who have a hearing impairment can call (at no cost) through the National Relay Service:

  • TTY users phone 13 36 77 then ask for 02 8839 3399
  • Speak and Listen (speech-to-speech relay) users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 02 8839 3399
  • Internet relay users connect NRS (relayservice.com.au) and then ask for 02 8839 3399

Social Stories & Seating Requests

Upon request, we may be able to provide other services other than listed above to help make your visit more comfortable. These include providing a social story with images and simple language about what to expect when coming to Riverside, or arranging for you to be seated early or near to an exit if you feel as if you may need to leave the theatre at all during the show.

Contact us with any request you might have and we’ll do our best to arrange it for you.

Download social stories for the theatres at Riverside here:


Inclusion

Welcome Here Project

Riverside is proudly part of the Welcome Here Project. LGBTIQ+ diversity is welcomed and celebrated at Riverside. At Riverside, we pride ourselves on creating and promoting a safe environment for everyone.

Learn More

All Gender Bathroom

An all-gender toilet facility is located at the east end of our foyer, near door 6.

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    Australian Aboriginal Flag

    Riverside acknowledges the Dharug people who are the traditional custodians of the land of Parramatta. We pay our respects to the elders past and present of the Dharug nation and extends that respect to other Aboriginal people visiting this site.