Park Theatre opened in 2013, transforming an office building in Finsbury Park into a thriving cultural hub. It hosts creative, dementia-friendly and other community events, alongside a programme of professional productions. Carys Thomas is the creative engagement manager at Park Theatre, working on the Dementia Friendly Park programme. We sat down with Carys to find out more about it

Tell us about Park Theatre. What sort of shows do you put on?

Park Theatre stages theatre productions in our two theatre spaces: Park 200 and Park 90. Alongside our shows on-stage, we have a vibrant creative engagement programme, including our flagship project, Dementia Friendly Park.

Through this programme we host a wide range of free dementia-friendly workshops which use a whole host of creative practices – improv theatre, music, creative writing – to provide spaces for creativity and connection for people living with dementia and their carers. We want members to feel supported, relaxed, and uplifted through creativity.

Can you tell us about what it means to be a dementia-friendly venue?

We have a vibrant dementia-friendly community at Park Theatre and accessibility is at the heart of that. We ensure our staff are trained ‘dementia friends’ through the Alzheimer’s Society and we have dementia-friendly signage and lift access throughout the building. We hope that our work can encourage other organisations to do the same – that it shows how easy and beneficial it is.

How are performances adjusted to ensure they are suitable for people who have dementia and their carers or family?

We host a range of accessible performances, such as captioned, audio description, British Sign Language, dementia-friendly and relaxed performances.

Dementia-friendly performances are sensory adapted, meaning we lower the sound and lighting levels. We also provide a visual story ahead of their visit, so they know what to expect when visiting the theatre. It contains lots of images along with helpful information including photographs of the theatre to help you find your way around; descriptions of the main characters in the show; notes to highlight any potentially distressing elements of the plot and production; and an outline of the story.

We also reduce the capacity in the auditorium and provide a breakout room for anyone who wishes to go into a safe space. People are more than welcome to come in and out of the auditorium during a relaxed show if they want to.

Why was becoming a dementia-friendly venue important to Park Theatre?

It has so many benefits, but I think most important is that it shows people living with dementia that we are a supportive place – whether they are coming to see a show, attending a workshop or just having a cup of tea or a pizza. Being a recognised venue is a way for Park to show that we have considered them and that we are here to welcome them. We are very happy to have accomplished this. It means a lot to us.

Find out what’s on, including a list of relaxed performances, on the Park Theatre website. For more information about Dementia Friendly Park, email engagement@parktheatre.co.uk or visit the Park Theatre website

Find out more about becoming a dementia-friendly business.