Information for Patrons

The only way to ensure you are purchasing legitimate and official tickets is through the Isaac Theatre Royal website (www.isaactheatreroyal.co.nz) which will link directly to our official ticketing agency, Ticketek (www.ticketek.co.nz).

The recently well-publicised resale “scalper” market for the purchase of unofficial tickets is a growing concern for customers, government regulators, artists, venues, promoters and ticketing agencies. There are many resale “scalper” websites such as Viagogo that use predatory and misleading means to lure unsuspecting ticket purchasers. Be aware, if you start looking for event tickets with an internet search engine such as Google or Bing, you may well be directed to an unofficial “scalping” site. These sites buy keywords for your search and often dominate the search results ahead of official ticketing agencies. These websites are designed to look official and they reassure purchasers with promises of ‘guarantees’ and ‘official tickets’ where in fact these tickets are being resold in breach of the ticketing agency’s official terms and conditions. These tickets may be void and are usually offered at two to three times face value. You risk paying an excessive price and not gaining admission to the event. Please avoid these sites at all times.

The Isaac Theatre Royal has two performance spaces: The main Auditorium which seats up to to 1292 over three levels and The Gloucester Room, an intimate studio space.
See Seating Plan

Every ticket sold to performances at the Isaac Theatre Royal with a purchase price of $15 or over is subject to a Redevelopment Levy from $1.00, to a maximum of $2.50, paid at the point of purchase by the customer. We sincerely appreciate your support via this small donation to ensure the Isaac Theatre Royal is consistently maintained and technically enhanced to bring world class live entertainment to Christchurch and provide an award-winning venue for our local, national and international arts communities for many generations to come.

Join our Royal Friends via the website for free to receive a regular e-newsletter packed with details of up-coming shows, competitions & special promotions.

We recommend arriving early to secure on street parking nearby. The most convenient Wilson carpark is located beside the Press building opposite the theatre on Gloucester Street.

Bar facilities are available on each floor of the Isaac Theatre Royal, opening 1 hour prior to the performance so you can enjoy a relaxing drink with friends before the show, or enhance your theatre experience with an antipasto platter at the Royal Supper Club.

Pre-order your interval drinks at any bar to beat the queue later.

The show must start on time, so listen carefully for the 15 and 5-minute calls from our Front of House Manager over the foyer speakers. Many shows have lock outs determined by the promoter so make sure you are seated in advance of the show’s start time. Check show times in advance on our website or on your tickets.

The length of a show is not usually known until it arrives at the Isaac Theatre Royal. Please check the What’s On section of our web site for the particular show and/or contact or visit the Ticketek site.

Have you experienced the glamorous ITR bathrooms yet? They’re really worth a visit! Patrons are advised that the main bathrooms for the venue are located on the Dress Circle level, up the marble staircase. Ladies can be found past the Ravenscar Foyer bar to the left of the Gloucester Room. Gents turn right at the top of the stairs. Ladies, Gents and Accessible bathrooms are also located on all levels.

The Isaac Theatre Royal is committed to being a modern accessible venue for all our theatre patrons.

All three levels of the Theatre are accessible via an elevator which is situated inside the main entrance foyer to the right-hand side of the entrance and adjacent to the Stalls foyer bar area. The elevator serves the foyer areas on each of the three floors. Wheelchair seating is available on the Stalls and Dress Circle level. Read more about the Theatre’s accessibility features

All phones, cameras (still & video) must be switched off upon entering the auditorium.

A show promoter will determine if there is a lock-out for late arrivals. This can sometimes be as long as the entire first act and will be announced prior to the show. 

Our Front of House Manager is on duty throughout all performances at the Isaac Theatre Royal to assist patrons. It is our policy that all children and patrons with special needs are the responsibility of their parents/caregivers/guardians or carers. The Theatre reserves the right to ask patrons who are causing a disturbance to leave the theatre.

Intoxicated patrons will not be allowed into the auditorium. The Theatre reserves the right to evict any visibly intoxicated patrons from the premises.

We reserve the right to refuse entry of unaccompanied children under the age 12. A limited number of children’s booster cushions are available on request. A ‘babes in arms’ lap-pass policy may apply to some shows and is at the discretion of the promoter

Isaac Theatre Royal exclusively use Red Badge Security at all events.

As part of our routine security management, we will either have random or full bag searching in place on entry into the auditorium. This is to ensure the continuous safety to our patrons and guests.