Hampstead Theatre

The theatre is on Eton Avenue at Swiss Cottage, NW3 3EU, a minute or two from Swiss Cottage station on the Jubilee line — one of the shortest walks from tube to theatre in London. Despite the name it is not in Hampstead village, so head for Swiss Cottage rather than Hampstead station, which is a good deal further away up the hill.

Yes, and among the best in London for it — the building dates from 2003 and was designed with access built in. The entrance is at ground level with a push-button door, and level access leads to a lift serving every floor and both auditoriums, the Main House and Hampstead Downstairs. That lift has low-level controls, audio announcements and Braille lettering. Wheelchair spaces exist in both houses and can be booked online by choosing the seats marked with a wheelchair icon. Accessible toilets are on every level and left unlocked; the ground-floor one measures 1.66m by 1.40m with a 0.9m door. An infra-red Sennheiser system amplifies stage sound in the Main House, with in-ear headsets and hearing loops from the box office, usable with or without a hearing aid. Hearing dogs may come into the auditorium, or staff will happily dog-sit. Access contact: 020 7722 9301 or access@hampsteadtheatre.com.

Thirty minutes is plenty — the foyer is spacious, the lift reaches everything and there is no queue of stairs to climb. Check which of the two spaces your ticket is for, the Main House or Hampstead Downstairs, as they are entered from different levels. The café bar opens before performances and the foyer has a mixture of chairs and stools if you want to sit while you wait.

None. A theatre devoted to new plays in a modern building on a residential avenue does not attract a formal crowd, and none is expected. Wear what you find comfortable; the building is well heated and ventilated, so a heavy coat is more likely to be a nuisance than a help.

Not during the performance. Before it, afterwards and at the curtain call you are welcome to. Most of what is staged here is new work, often receiving its first production, which is an added reason not to record it — and in Hampstead Downstairs, the smaller of the two rooms, you are close enough that a screen is impossible to miss.

Yes — there is a café bar in the foyer, open before performances, with a lowered drop counter at both the box office and the bar itself. The foyer mixes ordinary chairs with stools, so there is somewhere to sit properly rather than perch. It is a comfortable place to arrive early to, which is just as well in a part of London with fewer options nearby than the West End.