Best Place To Sit: Tobacco Factory Theatres
Tobacco Factory Theatres is one of Bristol’s most adaptable theatre spaces but where is the best place to sit?
Tobacco Factory Theatres in south Bristol, is a fantastic venue for a diverse range of theatre. It produces and commissions its own in-house shows as well as providing a theatre for touring productions. You can find Shakespeare, major plays, opera, children’s shows, cabaret, comedy to Avant-garde productions on its programme.
The theatre opened in 1998 with an auditorium full of reclaimed church pews and mismatched chairs. It gradually shifted to red and grey fold out chairs – the type you didn’t want to sneeze too hard when sitting on. During these years, the theatre had Early Bird Seating. This often involved one person at the front of the queue armed with a laundry basket of jumpers to claim the best seats extended family and friends.
Thank goodness for the current seating, which was installed in 2013. This put paid to elbows at dawn, with bookable seating – that was comfortable for the first time.
If you’ve never been before, which is the best part of the auditorium to sit in?
The Main Factory Theatre
The beauty of the Factory Theatre auditorium is that views of the stage are excellent no matter where you sit. The auditorium is raked so you are highly unlikely to have your view spoilt at all.
The layout and seating does vary from in-the-round, thrust and end-on depending on the show. Big shows such as the Christmas production or in-house productions like Shakespeare tend to favour in-the-round. Smaller touring productions tend towards thrust.
If you are particular about the kind of seat you like to sit in, here’s some more details about what we’ve found when visiting the theatre.
A Row – This is banquette seating which is very low and close to the ground. This is particularly good for children’s shows and family theatre. It’s not so great for bad backs or if you think you might need a winch to get you off the ground again.
B Row – This offers an uncluttered view of the stage. A Row is not always used but even when it is, it is so close to the ground it doesn’t get in your way. If you hate actors interacting with you, this does tend to be one of the target rows.
C – D Rows – These rows are probably optimal in terms of traditional sightlines. C 12 – 20 and D 12 – 23 are ideal for touring productions that are thrust. These are the seats on the left hand side of the auditorium as you enter through the auditorium doors from the theatre bar.
G1 – G43 – This row is much higher off the ground than other rows. There is a ledge for feet to go, but it does feel a bit strange, even if you are not particularly short in height.
G1 and G2 – This is a good option for neurodivergent people. There is no one sat behind you so it is a safe corner for those who find other people annoying or overwhelming.
Coordinating Seats – You will sometimes find yourself having to coordinate when standing up or sitting down. Although each seat has its own distinct space, they run in pairs throughout the auditorium. A sense of British awkwardness is ideal when tackling the situation.
Single Seats – One of the quirks of the layout is that depending on the show, there may be an odd single or double seats on their own. This is perfect, once again, for neurodivergent people. The pillar does slightly invade the sightline, but it’s not a big deal and is also the payoff for having a seat all to yourself. Check with the box office for details of these seats.
Pillars – The theatre’s website clearly shows the location of the pillars in the auditorium. If you are sat behind them, they will be in your line of sight. This can be quite annoying if you can’t filter them out. E13 and E27 are probably the worst offenders. Book them if you must.
Different views from around the theatre
The Spielman Theatre
During a period of redevelopment in the last decade for Tobacco Factory Theatres, it was able to open a second theatre in 2018 – the Spielman Theatre.
The Spielman Theatre is a black box theatre on the same floor as the main Factory Theatre. It has retractable tiered seating with nothing to interfere with sightlines. It offers a great view no matter where you sit.
A Row – The capacity of the Spielman Theatre is 72 – unless A row is added. This row is low seating that’s close to the ground. This is clearly marked as such on the theatre’s booking pages.
Central B and C Row – These are likely to be the optimum in terms of sightlines, but can feel a bit close in the hotter months.
G1 and G2 – These seats are in the back row in the furthest corner of the auditorium. G1 is quite spacious. It’s perfect for people who are neurodivergent and wish to be at the furthest point away from people. G 12 is another good option for this. It’s in the back row with no one sat behind and right on the end of the aisle.
A closer look at the Spielman Theatre during the incoming for Misplaced Theatre’s production of A Life On The Stage
For more information about Tobacco Factory Theatres and the Spielman Theatre, visit: https://tobaccofactorytheatres.com
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