Return to the Forest

Our full address is Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester M3 4JQ and the what3words is chop.feeds.chase.

You can approach Aviva Studios along Water Street (coming from Quay Street) or along Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield). Both entrances to the building have double sets of glass doors.

Once inside Aviva Studios, there is step-free access to all areas of the venue. The flooring throughout the building is smooth concrete.

The entrance to the Warehouse is by lift or stairs from the Social. Two lifts and a staircase to the Warehouse are located in the Social opposite the bar.

The entrance to the Andrew Law Hall is by lift, escalator or stairs from one side of the Social beside the brick arches. There is only one escalator, and this will take you up to the Andrew Law Hall before the show, and will be reversed so that you can travel down at the end of the performance.

The Social has a range of seating, including those with arms and backs.

The bars in the Social and Hall Foyer have lowered accessible service points.

Our building is large. We have portable stools available to borrow if you would benefit from resting along the way during your visit.

We have wheelchair spaces and seats at standing events for all events.

There are accessible toilets on all public levels of our building.

Accessible toilets are located inside the main toilets space in the brick arches of the Social.

Here you’ll find a mixture of accessible cubicles with left- or right-hand transfer, towards the back of the space, as well as ambulant accessible cubicles with grab rails, as well as a Changing Places facility.

The toilets in the brick arches of the Social are split into male, female and gender neutral – all of which contain accessible cubicles. There are shared handwashing facilities in each arch – they have soap dispensers under the mirrors to your left and dryers to the right. There are separate handwashing facilities inside the accessible cubicles.

There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in both Hall Foyers, at stalls and circle level.

There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in the Warehouse Foyer.

You do not need a key to use the accessible toilets at Aviva Studios.

Assistance dogs are welcome in our building, and we can provide mats and water bowls on request, just ask a host when you arrive. We can also take care of your assistance dog if you do not want to take your dog into the performance space. Please also refer to our assistance dogs policy.

If you are bringing an assistance dog to a ticketed event, please let us know in advance by contacting access@factoryinternational.org or calling our access phone number: 0161 817 4531 (phone lines are open 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday).

To book access tickets and essential companion tickets please call 0161 817 4531 (Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm) or email access@factoryinternational.org, or book online.

Access bookings can be made by email, phone or online. They are also available in person at Aviva Studios.

The exhibition space is completely step-free and is accessed from the Social via a lift. It has been designed with clear pathways and lots of room between exhibits.

This is an immersive performance where the audience will, at times, be standing, sitting or moving between spaces. There will space to sit on the floor for those who are able to. There will also be seating available. 

There is a relaxed performance of Return to the Forest on Sunday 10 May at 11am.

There is an audio described performance of Return to the Forest on Sunday 10 May at 2pm. The audio describer is Adae Bajomo.

We know that some of our audiences appreciate detailed information on the content of our shows in order to make informed decisions and to prepare themselves or members of their party.

This productions features haze, gentle flashing lights and, at times, loud music. The performance will include some gentle participation for those who wish to be involved. There will be Audience Guides to take care of you, but we ask all our audience members to be considerate of each other as you move through the space.

This page will be continuously updated as the production is developed and rehearsed and will be finalised on Monday 4 May 2026.

If there are specific themes or technical effects not spoken to above that you are concerned about, please reach out to us by emailing access@factoryinternational.org or by giving us a call on 0161 817 4531.

There will be a What to Expect Guide available for the relaxed performance on 10 May.