Donmar Warehouse, London
The Donmar is on Earlham Street in Seven Dials, two minutes from Covent Garden, and it holds 251 seated places plus 16 Standing. The audience sits on three sides, and the stage is the floor of the auditorium rather than a platform above it, so the actors work at your eye level a few feet away. No seat is more than four rows back. It sells months ahead, sometimes before a cast has been announced.
The auditorium is taken apart and rebuilt for every production, so what a given seat sees depends on the show as much as on the plan. Look at the theatre's own map for the performance you are booking, which is where the restricted-view flags for that staging appear.
Book the middle of the Stalls. It is the angle the production is staged for. Round the sides of either level you watch across the stage rather than into it, and on the wrong show that means a lot of backs, and other restrictions.
Below: the seating plan and how the seat numbers work, what the Stalls and the Circle each see, how to find the entrance, what the theatre can do on access, where to eat and drink in Seven Dials, and the brewery and the bananas.
Quick facts
- Address: 41 Earlham Street, Seven Dials, London WC2H 9LX
- Nearest tube: Covent Garden, about 3 minutes
- Levels: Stalls and Circle, with Standing places behind the Circle
- Capacity: 251 seated places plus 16 Standing
- Lift: yes, to all three floors
- Arrival: arrive 15 to 20 minutes before, no later
- Operator: an independent charity, not part of a theatre group
What's On at the Donmar Warehouse
A Month in the Country, Brian Friel's version of Turgenev directed by Lyndsey Turner, plays until Saturday 3 October 2026.
Three more are on sale after it:
- Ilford Boy, Saturday 10 October to Saturday 28 November 2026. A world premiere by Danny Lee Wynter, directed by Tim Sheader
- The King's Ransom, Saturday 5 December 2026 to Saturday 6 February 2027. A world premiere by Stuart Slade, directed by Matthew Dunster, set in Memphis in 1977
- No Man's Land, Saturday 13 February to Saturday 10 April 2027. Harold Pinter, directed by Patrick Marber
Runs here are about eight weeks each and the theatre puts on four to eight productions a year, so the thing you want to see is on for a shorter time than a West End musical.
What tickets cost
Three prices, and the theatre keeps the same three whatever is on. For The King's Ransom they are £76, £59 and £30. For Ilford Boy they were £70, £55 and £30. The money moves a few pounds with each production, so expect somewhere from around £30 up to around £76 and check the exact figures against the show you are booking.
Most seats are between £30 and £75, depending on the production and where in the wrap you sit.
There is a transaction fee of £1.75 per booking when you buy from the theatre. It is charged once on the order rather than on each ticket, and it is the same online, by phone or at the counter.
Book tickets for the Donmar Warehouse
The Donmar sells its own tickets, so booking goes to the theatre's own Box Office.
Book tickets
Donmar Warehouse FAQs
Is the Donmar Warehouse a West End theatre?
Yes. It is a producing theatre in the middle of Theatreland, a couple of streets from Cambridge Circus, and its productions are listed alongside every other West End theatre. What throws people is the size: with 251 seated places plus 16 Standing it is a fraction of a commercial West End theatre, and some listings file it as Off West End for that reason. Some people simply call it The Donmar.
How many seats are in the Donmar Warehouse?
251 seated places plus 16 Standing, over two levels. The Stalls run rows A to D and the Circle runs rows A to C, so the furthest seat in the building is four rows back.
Can I buy tickets at the Box Office?
Yes. It is on Earlham Street and opens Monday to Saturday, 11am to 6pm, and midday to 6pm on Bank Holidays. Popular productions here sell out months ahead, so a walk-up on the day is a long shot rather than a plan.
Is there a dress code at the Donmar Warehouse?
No. The theatre does not publish one, so wear what you like. It is worth dressing for the temperature rather than the occasion.
Does the Donmar Warehouse get hot?
It can. The auditorium is air-cooled through a ventilation system rather than air-conditioned, and in summer it gets warm, especially with a full audience packed close together. Wear layers you can take off. The front rows of the Stalls stay coolest, because the heat rises and collects under the Circle.
Can I take a bag into the Donmar Warehouse?
A small one. There is no cloakroom at all, so anything you bring has to fit under your seat, up to 45 x 50 x 30cm. Bags may be searched on the way in, and large camera equipment may have to be left with staff outside the auditorium. If you are arriving with luggage, deal with it before you get to Earlham Street.
Is there an age limit at the Donmar Warehouse?
Children under 10 cannot be admitted to the auditorium. Above that the theatre says most of its productions suit ages 14 and over, and it publishes content advice for each one, including a separate note on themes you can choose not to read if you would rather not know.
Can I get food at the theatre?
Not a meal. The bars sell snacks and there are ice creams in the interval, and there is a café on the foyer level for hot drinks. You cannot bring in hot food or alcohol bought elsewhere. Eat first nearby: the places we send people to are all within a few minutes.
What happens if I arrive late?
You watch the start on a monitor in the Circle bar. If the production has an interval you can take your seat then; if it is a straight-through single act, and the Donmar programmes plenty of those, there may be no way in at all. The same applies if you leave your seat during the performance: you may have to wait to get back in, and you may not get your own seat back.