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Deaf Action
www.edinburghdeaffestival.co.uk
49 Albany St, EH1 3QY
Venue Description
Deaf Action is a beautiful building over 135 years old dating back to 1835, a former church in Edinburgh’s old town. Housing over three different size festival spaces, a spacious bar/lounge area that serves food and a beautiful hidden garden.
What makes this venue special?
Our venue is located on Albany Street, in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Edinburgh’s New Town. We are committed to preserving the heritage of the building as it was when it was gifted to Deaf Action in 1889. We are dedicated to making the last remaining deaf centre in Scotland a part of the Edinburgh International/Fringe – the largest arts festival in the world which takes place in the city where BSL was invented. We will be offering a space which is fully accessible for deaf and hard of hearing people. We have an aim to attract deaf performers from all over the world and to be an internationally recognised hub for Deaf Arts, History and Culture. We have committed four rooms to be used as an exhibition, cinema, social hub, and performance space.
Venue Programming
Deaf Action will be running the Edinburgh Deaf Festival every year, and according to the Scottish Sun newspaper we've already started to make an impact “Fest will show deaf artists’ diversity...it’ll break down barriers”. We have invited some international artists and performers to showcase their talents including theatre, comedy, circus, cabernet, dance and exhibitions to name just a few. Each show's running time is between 45 and 90 minutes. Our spacious Blackwood Bar can host a variety of different events. The vast majority of shows in our programme run for the full ten days of the Festival.
- Genres of Interest: Cabaret and Variety, Children's Shows, Comedy, Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus, Events, Exhibitions, Music, Musicals and Opera, Spoken Word, Theatre
- Contact Methods: To contact our venue manager, please email: [email protected] To contact our Festival teams, please email: [email protected] If you prefer to speak with one of our team, please get in touch by this phone number: 0131 556 3128 Our operating hou
Venue Manager Contact Details
Caroline Fraser
49-51 Albany Street
Edinburgh
EH1 3QY
Telephone: 0131 556 3128
Email: [email protected]
Viewing Details
The festival team are committed to making our venue fit your needs whenever we can. Our venue is open for viewing 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. Please contact [email protected] for more details, we ask for at least 5 working days notice.
Disabled Access Information
- Access description: Please get in touch with us as soon as possible if you require BSL/English interpreters for your performance to ensure that our festival is accessible. We may be able to provide Deafblind interpreters and/or additional support. Please get in touch with us if you are Deafblind and we can discuss support.
- Wheelchair Accessible Toilet
Venue Facilities
- Front of House Staff
- Technical Staff
- Bar
- Cafe or Catering
- Additional Venue Facility Details: There is a lift that can be used, several rooms that can be provided as changing areas for performers, and rooms are available for storage upon request.
Box Office
- Venue runs own Box Office
- Accepts Credit Cards
- Linked with Fringe Box Office
- Phone Sales
Press & Marketing
- Venue has Press Staff
- Own Programme Published
- Website: www.edinburghdeaffestival.co.uk
Performance spaces
- Blackwood Bar (audience capacity 90)
- The Church (audience capacity 40)
- Princess Joanna Suite (audience capacity 25)
- Geikie Suite (audience capacity 30)
- Brennan's Library (audience capacity 30)
Performance Space Details - Blackwood Bar (audience capacity 90)
Blackwood bar is located on the first floor of our building. It has a fully stocked bar with a stage space along with a mixture of fixed and non-fixed seating. We also have two widescreen TVs. During the day, this space also operates as a Café space offering a lunch menu.
Technical Details
- Type of space: Bar Space
- Stage Dimensions (width x depth x height): 7.10 x 9.99 x 3.70
- Type of stage: In the round / Cabaret Style
- Lighting: We have two fixed lightings that illuminate the stage and can be controlled with a mixer.
- Sound: There are two amplifiers and two microphones available.
- Storage: The venue has storage rooms which can be provided as part of a booking.
- Dressing Space: The venue has dressing rooms which can be provided as part of a booking.
Performance Space Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessibility for audience
- Wheelchair accessibility for performers
- Additional Disabled Access Details: We have a T-loop system available in the Blackwood bar.
Performance Space Licensing
- This performance space does not have an age limit.
Hire Details
- Deal Types: Box Office Split / Box Office Split with guarantee / Straight Hire
- Usual slot duration: 45 minutes - 1 hour
File Attachments
- ae41ce11-21ab-4deb-8e2a-9664ed32d6c5
- 90cec7bc-d4d4-4322-94e4-47b560fdd48e
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Performance Space Details - The Church (audience capacity 40)
Formerly a Church for the Deaf, an unique space that was designed to maximise natural light to improve visibility for the deaf and hard of hearing. It leads directly into a garden making it ideal for these summer events.
Technical Details
- Type of space: Gallery Space / Empty Room
- Stage Dimensions (width x depth x height): 9.00 x 3.80 x 3.50
- Lighting: Brightly lit space with skylights. No fixed stage lighting.
- Sound: No fixed sound system. Induction loop is in place.
- Storage: Two available rooms to be used as storage or dressing rooms.
- Dressing Space: Two available rooms to be used as storage or dressing rooms.
Performance Space Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessibility for audience
- Wheelchair accessibility for performers
Performance Space Licensing
- This performance space does not have an age limit.
Hire Details
- Deal Types: Negotiable / Straight Hire
- Proposed Charges and Charge Details: Please contact us at [email protected] or phone us at 0131 556 3128 to find out more.
- Usual slot duration: 45 mins to 1 hour
File Attachments
Performance Space Details - Princess Joanna Suite (audience capacity 25)
A bow back conference style room situated on the ground floor of the building. Suitable for small performances and as an exhibition space.
Technical Details
- Type of space: Gallery Space / Empty Room
- Lighting: No fixed lighting system.
- Sound: No fixed sound system.
- Storage: Storage space available upon request.
- Dressing Space: Storage space available upon request.
Performance Space Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessibility for audience
- Wheelchair accessibility for performers
Performance Space Licensing
- This performance space does not have an age limit.
Hire Details
- Deal Types: Negotiable / Straight Hire
- Proposed Charges and Charge Details: Please contact us at [email protected] or phone us at 0131 556 3128 to find out more.
- Usual slot duration: 45 mins to 1 hour
File Attachments
- ed9675ef-c739-4463-9f5e-0b5a3c9921fd
- 4e24d4d6-bf78-49f7-9916-d5df473e62fd
- 01849b69-8cd4-4454-870d-30f84b9f10a4
Performance Space Details - Geikie Suite (audience capacity 30)
A small cinema space in the basement of our building.
Technical Details
- Type of space: Empty Room
- Lighting: No fixed lighting system in place.
- Sound: A small sound system is in place.
- Storage: Storage space available on request.
- Dressing Space: Dressing rooms available on request.
Performance Space Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessibility for audience
- Wheelchair accessibility for performers
Performance Space Licensing
- This performance space does not have an age limit.
Hire Details
- Deal Types: Negotiable / Straight Hire
- Proposed Charges and Charge Details: Please contact us at [email protected] or phone us at 0131 556 3128 to find out more.
- Usual slot duration: 45 minutes to 1 hour
File Attachments
Performance Space Details - Brennan's Library (audience capacity 30)
Performance Space Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessibility for audience
- Wheelchair accessibility for performers
Performance Space Licensing
- This performance space does not have an age limit.
Hire Details
- Deal Types: Box Office Split / Negotiable / Straight Hire