Accessibility

We do our best to make our shows affordable and accessible to all Calgarians.

Information for our home base, the Big Secret Theatre, and other general accessibility information is offered on this page while more specific information can be accessed on the individual show pages - especially for High Performance Rodeo shows, which are spread out across multiple venues downtown.

Big Secret Theatre Accessibility

The Big Secret Theatre (BST) is located on the second floor inside the Arts Commons building, above the main Box Office and Cravings. 

Transit

Arts Commons is located within one block of both City Hall and Centre Street c-train stations, and is surrounded by multiple bus routes. 

Parking

There is one underground parkade with accessible parking spaces that have level access to an elevator that opens just outside the BST doors - the west elevator (not the one that’s closest to the parkade entrance doors). The parkade can fill up quickly, so we recommend coming early if you can. 

The City Hall parkade (across the street) has a much larger capacity of accessible parking stalls per level. Drop-offs can be made on 8th Avenue near the main entrance (under the Arts Commons sign). In the instance that 8th Avenue is closed, drop-offs can be made in the pull-off outside of the Max Bell Theatre, which can be accessed from 9th Avenue. 

Once inside the main floor of the building, the elevator just to the west of the main Box Office has access to the second floor, and opens up just outside of the BST doors.

Seating

The BST has a section of floor-level front-row seats that are reserved for accessible seating at every performance. When patrons with accessibility requirements arrive, front-of-house staff will lead patrons to this reserved seating and either leave or remove the collapsible seats, depending on the patron’s needs. 

Washrooms

The BST has one fully-accessible gender neutral washroom located on the same level, just across the mezzanine from the Theatre. There are additional washrooms on the balcony level, however, they are up about six steps from the theatre level.

If you are a member of one of the following groups and would like to notify us that you’ll be attending a particular performance, send us an email with your name and any information you wish to share. 

  • Neurodivergent and/or Autistic person
  • d/Deaf person
  • Blind and/or low vision person
  • Person with a disability or person who uses a mobility device such as a wheelchair

 

Accessibility Services

One Yellow Rabbits offers the following accessibility services for some performances, which will be listed here as they are available and will also be indicated on the individual show pages. 

ASL Interpretation

We provide live ASL interpretation for Deaf, Deafened, and Hard of Hearing Audience members.    

ASL Interpreted performances will be listed here when available.

Touch Tours

A touch tour is an opportunity for tactile exploration of the theatre prior to the performance for blind or visually impaired audience members. A "host" will guide people through an exploration of the set, props, and costumes of the play.  

Touch Tour performances will be listed here when available.

Audio Description

Visually Impaired audience members can wear headphones and listen to an actor describe the visual elements of the show in real time. Often offered in combination with Touch Tours.  

Audio Described performances will be listed here when available.

Relaxed Performances

Relaxed performances are designed to welcome audience members who would benefit from a more relaxed environment, including those with sensory concerns, autism spectrum disorders, learning disorders, dementia, and anyone else for who the regular theatre experience might be challenging.

Modifications to the production are generally made to help patrons reduce anxiety. This can include reducing the volume of loud noises, reducing or eliminating effects such as strobe lights, and keeping general lighting levels slightly brighter, in case a patron needs to leave the theatre.

Relaxed performances will be listed here when available.

Thank you for keeping theatre accessible!

One Yellow Rabbit is pleased to partner with Inside Out Theatre and their Good Host Program to present accessible performances for the 2024 Rodeo, which are made possible by a generous donation from The Nickle Family Foundation.