Charity: Immediate Theatre
Location: Dalston, Hackney, East London
Service: Advice from Access and Sustainability Advice Service (ASAS), access audit by CAE.
Status: Client has made immediate access improvements to its new office space and is now seeking funding to carry out more substantial recommendations from CAE’s access audit.
The client
Immediate Theatre was founded as a charity in 1996 by its current Artistic Director, Jo Carter, and is based in East London. The company provides workshops, activities, and theatre projects for its local community across a diverse range of ages.
The charity’s aim is to involve communities in creative projects that inspire wellbeing, break down barriers and engage people in the process of personal and social change.
Immediate Theatre runs three main projects, comprising:
- youth theatres, for people aged 4 to 18 (and up 25 for people with special educational needs)
- employability skills, for people aged 18 to 30
- over 60s, for people aged 60 and above.
The building
The organisation largely performs at external venues. Occasionally, they use their studio for performances.
The company moved to a new office in Dalston two years ago, which comprises a single-level, first-floor space of around 1,100 square feet. It has a main office area, which is open plan with a kitchen attached, a separate meeting room and a separate studio space.
The brief
Since Immediate Theatre moved to its current home in 2023, its staff have worked to ensure its space remains welcoming for all users.
James Creighton-Goode, Immediate Theatre’s Administrator, said: “One of our core values is centred around inclusivity and making sure everyone can access our facilities.
“Once we had moved offices, our next step was to get an access audit to understand what was needed to further develop the space into an environment that matches our values.”
The outcome
ASAS provided advice on:
- adding clearer signage around their building and on doors
- checking that travel routes are wide enough for people with access requirements
- installing accessible WCs.
James said: “The best thing about our ASAS session was that we got a clear, expert view on how we can make our office space more accessible and welcoming for everyone.
“ASAS gave us practical, achievable goals to work towards. It was really useful to have an outside perspective that not only recognised what we are doing well but also showed us where we can improve to make the space more inclusive for all.”
Following advice from ASAS, the company secured funding for an audit through London’s largest independent charitable funder, City Bridge Foundation. The audit was carried out in 2024 by CAE’s Access Auditor, Vidya Nathan, who was trained on CAE’s Pathways Academy course.
Following the audit, the theatre has:
- invested in further training to implement personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPS) for service users, which have given staff more tools to implement findings from the audit.
- applied for further funding to ensure they can implement the advice from the audit.
- made staff feel more confident talking about making the space more accessible and how to approach these discussions with service users.
The audit has made the organisation more aware of what elements of its building needs changing but will take longer to implement.
For example, its studio space does not carry sound well, so the team is working towards improving this. In the meantime, the studio space is used differently, depending on who is present, to ensure it meets everyone’s needs.
James added: “We’d recommend ASAS to other charities because the communication between us and ASAS was very clear and someone was always available at CAE to answer my queries. When I was put in touch with the person carrying out the audit, everything was explained, and that gave me confidence in the service being provided.”
For more information on ASAS and how we can help you, email our Access Advisor, Asa Hems, at asas@cae.org.uk or telephone +44 (0)754 6690 040.
Immediate Theatre’s workshop/performance space lit by large windows.