Gateforth Street (Off Church Street)

London, NW8 8EH

Telephone: 020 7258 2920

Fax: 020 7258 2921

E-mail: mail@cockpittheatre.org.uk

Reservations: 020 7258 2925

Below you can find information about hiring the Cockpit Theatre.

Find plans, logos for print, technical specifications, etc here.

For the Press & Marketing Questionnaire click here.

Facilities

Fully equipped auditorium with retractable seating for 240 (in the round) or 180 (thrust), lighting rig, PA, backstage relay and LCD cinema size image projector.

Studio space with Harlequin rehearsal dance floor and mirrored wall.

Surround-sound recording studio (linked to auditorium).

Large foyer and bar, box-office protected by CCTV.

Large male and female dressing rooms with lit mirrors and showers.

Workshop and scene dock.

We negotiate all fees individually but as a guide, for a one day event or TV/film shoot involving up to 240 participants or audience, £300 - £400 (depending on complexity and hours of hire required) would cover:

• your space hire fee and use of sound/lighting equipment.

• ticket reservations answerphone service.

• the services of box-office/front of house (if required).

• qualified technical support to get you in, rigged, and through your technical and dress rehearsals. (Note that you are are required to provide your own operator and crew to run your show, however we can put you touch with some excellent technicians if you need.)

We don't usually undertake publicity or supply tickets - but we can help with virtually anything else. Ask us. Also ask us if you need a space for a small or short event: If we can help, we will.

We welcome all enquiries and have particular experience of:

• theatre productions and professional showcases.

• live event sound recording.

• TV and video shoots with/without an audience, school and college showcases & exhibitions.

• fashion shows.

City of Westminster College offers a wide range of courses including performing arts, art and design, sound and lighting, TV/video and photography. We therefore have a specific interest in:

• the work of new theatre directors and writers.

• events where participants are drawn from diverse fields of design.

• fashion, the Arts, multimedia, IT or music technology.

• Niche market events.

To book you can e-mail, ring us on 020 7258 2920, fax on 020 7258 2921, or call into the theatre.  We strongly encourage you to make email your first point of contact for hire enquires.  Email enquiries can be handled from off-site and tend to elicit a prompter reply than phone messages.  Once the terms of hire have been negotiated we'll make a provisional booking before issuing a contract for your perusal. If you would like to have a look at the facilities at the Cockpit you can visit anytime between 8.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday - please contact first so that we can expect your visit.

• The auditorium is well sound proofed. Noise interference is extremely low.

• If OB tenders are to be used, there is a very easy cable run across the roof to Gateforth St. City of Westminster Council is the authority to approach for large vehicle parking permission. (Single yellow line restrictions apply outside until 18.30 Mon-Fri.)

Theatre Manager: David Wybrow

email: dave@cockpittheatre.org.uk

Tel: 020 7258 2920

Fax: 020 7258 2921

Theatre technician: Helen Spall

Tech email: tech@cockpittheatre.org.uk

Tech office: 020 7258 2926

Box Office answerphone reservations service: 020 7258 2925

This service gives details of forthcoming shows and takes details of unpaid reservations which audience members pick up and pay for an hour before performances. We don't operate an advance sales service (although you can arrange this independently). Please quote only this number on posters/flyers etc.  Please see this page and ring the number to understand how the system works.

Local Area

For something easy: Rooftop Café, top floor of Alfies Antiques Market in Church St. Tues.-Sat till 18.00

For something cheap, fry-up or excellent Thai food: The Market Grill Cafe, Church Street. Mon.-Sat till 16.00

For something healthy: Kali Café, Church St. till 17:00

Fish and chips (eat in/take away): The Sea Shell, Lisson Grove. 17:00-22:30 (12:00-22:30, Sat)

Groceries and sandwiches: Tesco in Church St. till 21:00 (20:00 Sat, 17:00 Sun)

Fresh fruit: Church St. Market

Hardware/paint/electrical etc.: Leyland in Edgware Road, Mon-Sun

We can usually arrange short stay visitor parking for one or two cars but please arrange in advance. Long stay car parking is available in the area from £ 2.50 per hour (Bell St) to £16.50 per 24hrs (Park Road, Regents Park). The following numbers should help.

Masterpark (on Church Street/Penfold St) 020 7723 5148

Golden Eagle (on Church Street) 020 7723 0137

NCP (on Park Road) 020 7499 7050

NCP (on Maida Vale) 020 7290 6313

Acacia Car Park (On Kingsmill Terrace)  020 7722 1404

There is plenty of unrestricted parking in the surrounding streets from 18:30 onwards.  There are two disabled parking bays directly in front of the theatre.

Seating: There are 3 blocks of seating in the auditorium each with about 60 seats and 1 block with 40 seats (extendible to 60) and therefore a maximum a maximum of 240 seats (in the round only). These can be arranged into different configurations (IN THE ROUND, THRUST or a SINGLE BLOCK). The most common configuration is THRUST (audience on 3 sides) giving a seating capacity of 180.

Please consult us concerning your seating requirements.

Lighting Gantries: There are 2 lighting gantries. The LOWER GANTRY is 3.5m from the stage, The UPPER GANTRY is 6.21m from the stage. Each gantry has two scaffold bars for the rigging of lanterns or scenery. The auditorium is 8.53m high (please see plans).

Please note we have no conventional flying facility.

Stage: The stage measures 6.6m x 8.6m in thrust setting (6.6m x 5.9m in the round), and is constructed of solid concrete. Therefore nothing can be screwed or fixed directly onto it. The stage is painted matt black and any colour change carried out by an incoming company must be by prior agreement with the theatre manager. The theatre must be returned to its original state and colour by the end of the run.

Get-in: Scenery can be stored in the workshop and scenery dock during a run. Access to the workshop is via a dock door (3.3m high x 1.45m wide). Whilst there is a car park at the rear of the theatre, it is not possible to drive a LUTON VAN or BIGGER VEHICLE into the car park due to a over hanging building.

Dressing Rooms: There are two large dressing rooms, male and female, both with lit mirrors, showers and adjacent toilets.

Parking & Access

Parking is unrestricted in Gateforth Street and Church Street after 6.30pm. Any time before and you will be clamped. Saturday is a common day for get-ins but it is also Market Day on Church Street, access to the theatre is via Salisbury Street (see map). Church street is a one-way street traveling towards Edgware Road.

NB The theatre is owned by City of Westminster College and is extensively used for teaching during termtime. Generally this means that all set and props must be struck to the scene dock after each evening performance leaving the auditorium clear.

Wheelchair users (a maximum of four, audience or performers) are generally admitted to the auditorium via the side fire exit, avoiding the use of an oversteep ramp between the foyer and theatre. There is level access to foyer, box office, bar and toilets.

Audience members that need or prefer to remain in their wheelchairs through the show are generally accommodated in front of the centre seating rake (the one below the control box).
Please give us notice of your visit so we can be ready to assist you.

Companies please note: Provision for audience wheelchair users means that the available acting area (thrust) should be considered as 6.6m x 8m. Where companies use the theatre in the round, the acting space is maintained at 6.6m x 5.9m but audience capacity is limited to 225.

Mainline stations: Marylebone (nearest) and Paddington Underground: Edgware Rd, Marylebone, Baker St, Paddington Buses: 6, 16, 98, 138, 189 (get off by Church Street)

By Road: The Cockpit is in Gateforth Street off Church Street off Lisson Grove off A40 Marylebone Rd. Approach from Lisson Grove (Sunday - Thursday) or via Salisbury Street and Samford St (Friday/Saturday).  See maps here.

Westminster City Council licenses The Cockpit. All staged events are carried out in complete compliance with all relevant health, safety and fire regulations. The duty manager is charged with enforcing these regulations and his or her decision relating to any matter whatsoever affecting the health and safety of the audience is final. Please let us know in advance if you expect to use live flame, guns, smoke, strobe-light, pyros, lit cigarettes or any other live effect as part of your show. All set, props and costume must be flameproofed.

Please note that all fire notices and door signage is current and must be adhered to; all corridors must be kept completely clear and fire doors cannot be propped open.

All companies are expected to: complete a risk assessment for their production (our technical manager can help with this); have read and understood the House Rules; have the appropriate insurance for their production.

Smoking

From 1st July '07, the Cockpit became a non-smoking building in accordance with the stupid new laws.  We can apply for a dispensation to smoke onstage as part of a production under certain circumstances, if we are given at least 14 days written notice.

The following lists of equipment and facilities outline what is generally available for use at the Cockpit but breakages and breakdowns do occur. Please check your requirements with our technician at least two weeks before arrival. Also, we are constantly adding to our stock. Please ask if there's something specific you require that isn't shown.

If we can help, we will.

6 x Strand Harmony 15/28 1kW Profile (medium throw)

5 x CCT Sil 30 1kW Profile (medium throw)

2 x CCT Sil 15 1kW Profile (long throw)

15 x Strand Patt 23 500W Profile (short throw)

7 x Strand Prelude 16/30 500W Profile (short/medium throw)

22 x Strand Patt 743 1kW Fresnel

8 x Strand Patt 123 500W Fresnel*

2 x Strand Prelude 500W Fresnel

8 x Thomas Parcan 64 1kW Par lamp

14 x Strand Patt 264 1kW Profile (medium throw)

* 6 x Patt 123’s used for house lights (8 x for in the round).

60 x 2kW (10amp Fuse) dimmable ways on 63amp 3 phase supply, 20 ways per phase.

RED PHASE : Top Gantry Channels 1-20

YELLOW PHASE: Lower Gantry Channels 21-40

BLUE PHASE: Central Tee & Channels 41-56

Floor. Channels 57-60

Strand 300. Fully programmable.

6 x Patt 123 fresnel, 500W. Control is through Strand 300.

Ample selection of 15amp cables, adapters, splitters and grelcos available. (NB We do not have DMX cable)

A small amount of scaffolding and various stands available for use.

Soundcraft Spirit LX7, 24 Channel, 6 Aux. (One channel used for show relay)

2 x H/H VX1200 (2 channels per amp)

4 x Electrovoice S200, 300W per cab.

Sony Minidisc

Teac Cassette Deck

Kenwood CD Player

Revox B77 2trk recorder

Samsung DVD/VCR Player

4 x Shure SM58

7 x K&M boom stands

Various selection of XLR, Jack or speaker cables available. All equipment and cables wired Pin2 Hot.

We own a Hitachi CP-X958 LCD Projector which is excellent for screening videos, computer graphics and other visual media. The projector is not included in the hire, but can be used by special arrangement.

Our technical staff are excellent and very helpful. Please note though that they are there to provide support and advice only to your technical team. Please let us know in advance if you are not bringing your own designer, riggers, operators etc.

We have an additional sound system, which is available for hire. Please ask when booking.

2 x Bose 802

1 x Bose 502B

6 x Yamaha SV12Me Monitors

2 x Matrix UKP1000

2 x Matrix UKP1300

1 x Allen and Heath Mixwizard 16:2 DX

All connecting leads provided.