Venue Upgrades FAQ
Ramp Works and Venue Upgrades
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Dancehouse will be undergoing building works to upgrade the front ramp entry. This will improve accessibility for all Dancehouse users.
During the works, there will be changes to how and when you can access Dancehouse..
Importantly, there will be NO ACCESS TO THE FRONT DOOR of Dancehouse.
The works begin on Monday 19 August 2024 and will be finished by Friday 6 September 2024 at the latest.
During this period, access to all Dancehouse spaces will be via the rear of the building via the laneway on the left hand side of Dancehouse.
All users will enter Dancehouse through the back yellow gate at the end of this laneway. From here, climb the outside stairs in the garden to enter through the back door. (Please note that the door at ground level near the back-of-house bathrooms needs to remain locked.)
Everything will be well sign-posted and it’s a straightforward process with Dancehouse staff and ushers always on-hand at the beginning of any booking.
When you first arrive for your booking during this period, please pop in to Dancehouse Office (just outside the Upstairs Studio) for a quick sign in, and to check for any further details regarding your booking.
The front of the building: Skylab, Foyer, and Foyer bathrooms remain accessible via the internal staircase.
For Upstairs Studio bookings, you may occasionally have people walking through the space to access Skylab. Please be courteous of each other if this happens.
For more detailed information, check our Frequently Asked Questions below or give us a call to discuss.
Thank you for your patience and understanding throughout this period as we make some excellent improvements to Dancehouse.
— Dancehouse
Dancehouse Office Phone: 03 9347 2860 (Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm)
Dancehouse Emergency Phone: 0455 633 838 (Outside office hours—this number is call only)
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Frequently Asked Questions
When are the works being conducted?
Monday 19 August 2024 – Friday 6 September 2024 (at the latest, hopefully earlier)
How can we get in the building?
Access to the building during this time will only be via the laneway (to the left of the building) and entering through the yellow gate at the end of the laneway on the right hand side.
This gate will be left open at all accessible times*.
From the yellow gate entry, you will then only be able to access the building through the emergency exit door, which is at the top of the outside stairs in the back garden.
The lower level door in the back of house area (near the toilets) will remain closed and locked and will not be accessible at any time throughout this period.
If the gate and or emergency exit door is closed and it is outside of the accessible hours listed below, there will be NO ACCESS to Dancehouse.
This means that some bookings times will be unavailable in the evenings and over the weekends due to staffing and building accessibility. All existing bookings will be honoured.
Booked in the Sylvia Staehli Theatre?
People who are booked in the theatre will need to go upstairs first via the outside stairs, and then back downstairs via the internal stairs to the green room and kitchen to access the theatre. You can access the theatre by either door, the one underneath the back of house stairs, or the one on the opposite end of the kitchen. This is the suggested door as it is where you will find all of the light switches just inside the door on the left hand side. Please be aware that there is a step up into the Theatre.
If you require wheelchair access to the Theatre during this period, please contact the office on 03 9347 2860 upon arrival. Ramp access to the side theatre entry is available from the laneway.
Please note that this requires access via a portable ramp with a 350kg weight capacity and the laneway access is a mixture of flat pavement and cobblestones.
Booked in the Upstairs Studio?
You will be able to go straight ahead from the outside stairs entry to the back entry door of the Upstairs Studio.
Booked in Skylab?
Any bookings in Skylab will only be able to access Skylab via the Upstairs Studio. Please enter the building through the back outdoor stairs, go straight ahead to go through the Upstairs Studio, then Skylab is one level down from Upstairs Studio on the internal staircase.
*What are the access hours?
The starting time of bookings will only be available between the following hours:
Monday to Friday: 9am-6:30pm
Saturday: 11am-5pm
Sunday: 9:30am-1:30pm
These are the only hours that the building will be staffed and you will be able to access the building.
Will the foyer be accessible?
Yes, the foyer and foyer toilets will still be accessible and available to use during this period.
You will just need to go through either the Sylvia Staehli Theatre or Upstairs Studio to access the foyer.
There are additional bathrooms available in the back of house kitchen area.
Please be courteous of hirers in the other studios and move through their space promptly and quietly to get to Skylab or the Foyer.
Exiting the building
There will be no access to the front door at any time. Everyone exiting the building MUST go through the emergency exit door in the back of the building outside the Upstairs Studio.
Down the outside stairs and out via the yellow gate and down the laneway.
You will not be able to exit through the lower level door in the kitchen area or through the emergency exit doors in Sylvia Staehli Theatre.
If any of the exit doors are propped open, please leave them open. If any of the exit doors are closed, please close them again behind you.
If your booking concludes in the evening (out of access hours*) after the staff have closed and locked all of the doors, you MUST close the emergency exit door and yellow gate behind you as you leave.
Please double check these doors are firmly closed and locked when you leave.
Who can I talk to for more information?
Feel free to send through any questions or queries via the following avenues:
Email:
Jacqui and/or Molly at [email protected]
Call:
Dancehouse Office Phone: 03 9347 2860 (Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm)
Dancehouse Emergency Phone: 0455 633 838 (Out of office hours, this number is call only)