FAQs

BEAM is a creative arts and culture venue situated in the heart of Hertford town centre. Located on the site of the previous Hertford Theatre, BEAM continues the legacy of bringing high quality entertainment and arts to the town, whilst growing to also offer brand new first-release films, a new, flexible studio theatre, community facilities including a Changing Place and a variety of public spaces to work, socialise or just relax in. We are proud to be a fully accessible and step-free venue.

We needed customers old and new to know that we’re more than just a theatre. We felt a name change was necessary to convey our ambition properly. Our values remain largely the same as before:

BOLD – a place for imagination and creative energy.

KIND – a place for tolerance and togetherness.

AWARE – a place for new ideas and growth.

With those in mind, we worked with our branding consultants, Hemingway Design and local creatives, groups and key stakeholders to come up with a new name for a building that will embody these important values. We also worked closely with the public during this consultation period so our name remained representative of what Hertford stands for.

Beams of light illuminate those in darkness and our work with local communities seeks to leave no one behind.  We’ll be “beaming” films onto big screens and putting professionals, amateurs and local young stars into the spotlights on our stages, a beaming face is friendly, positive and entertained and the building itself is constructed from beams of CLT! 

Our opening hours are always kept up to date, and are posted in the top banner of this website (desktop). Look up!

No pets are permitted at BEAM.

BEAM is committed to making sure we remain inclusive and accessible to all and we understand that some customers will rely on an assistance dogs to attend. BEAM reserves the right to turn away dogs who do not comply with Assistance Dogs UK guidelines surrounding assistance dogs. Please note, therapy dogs or animals are not permitted at the venue, in line with guidance from leading animal welfare charities.

Yes please! We use donations to help support our work within the local community, investing in programmes for schools and other young people’s groups, as well as community organisations and hard to reach communities to ensure that BEAM is an arts venue for all within East Herts and beyond.

You can find out more about some of our community work in our Get Involved section HERE

If you’d like to make a one-off donation, please visit our Donations page HERE

BEAM tickets can only be purchased on our website HERE. When our building is open, there will also be three self-service kiosks in our foyer for you to purchase available tickets from. Tickets cannot be purchased over the phone.

We are a cashless venue and do not accept any cash transactions.

BEAM tickets are non-refundable after purchase and cannot be exchanged to another date or show. If you are unable to attend, you may gift your tickets to family or friends.

To review our full terms, please click HERE

BEAM tickets cannot be rescheduled to another date or show. In the unlikely event that the show you have booked is cancelled or postponed, you will be offered the option to reschedule, turn your ticket into credit, or refund your ticket.

We have moved away from a traditional box office in order for our teams to be dynamic and responsive in a multi-purpose venue. We will always have a Welcome Team available when you arrive who can assist with any part of your visit, but you will not find them sitting behind a desk. To purchase tickets, we have on-site ticketing kiosks, which can be used whenever the venue is open or you can purchase online 24/7.

Please contact our sales team HERE

Absolutely! Complimentary tickets will be provided to Essential Companions for standard ticket holders who require additional assistance in our venue. 

Please be prepared to present the relevant documentation to support your complimentary ticket request upon arrival. Relevant documentation should be one of the following:

• DLA
• PIP
• Blue badge
• Attendance allowance letter
• Credibility access card
• Or another form of credible documentation 

This policy is for customers with permanent and/or long-term access requirements; it is not for people with temporary impairments. Essential Companions attending through this scheme need to be over 18 when they visit our venue.

When making a booking for the first time, you will be asked a few questions about your access requirements. If the relevant boxes are selected, the accessible seats which are invisible to the public will become available for purchase. These seats are marked with a wheelchair symbol and a C (for companion). Select the seats you wish to purchase, and in the following page, change the ticket type on one of those tickets to ‘Essential Companion’. At checkout, the price of this ticket will reduce to zero. For those purchasing Child tickets, we provide a complimentary Essential Companion ticket if required. However, please note that all children must be accompanied by an adult ticket holder at all times, regardless of whether this adult is their carer or not.

For further information on accessibility, please click HERE

Our ticket prices are as varied as the programme itself. We always aim to be an affordable venue, and our Stage ticket prices start from £16.

Yes there is a booking fee, however, we advertise our prices with a “what you see is what you pay” policy. This means that when we put a ticket price out into the world, we’ve already included the booking fee, meaning no surprises for you when you come to payment!

Give the gift of BEAM. Gift Vouchers are available for purchase on our website HERE and can be used for Theatre and/or Cinema tickets. You can buy a gift voucher for any amount.

Your gift voucher will have instructions when you receive it. They can only be used online and redeemable against a code provided to you. You’ll need to create an account with us to use your gift voucher.

Gift Vouchers are valid for 12 months after purchase. As long as you redeem your gift voucher during the 12 months after purchase, you can use it to buy tickets for any event on sale via our website.

Yes. We are an assigned seating venue, and all patrons require a BEAM ticket for that show and time.

Babes in arms do not require a paid ticket, but our team must be made aware of the number in your party before your visit.

We do not offer a blue light card on our ticketing site or in our cafe/bar.

We do not have a physical box office and no tickets can be collected on-site.

Your e-tickets can take a little time to generate. If you do not receive an email with your tickets within 30 minutes, and there is nothing in your spam folder, you can login to your account on our website (see the top right corner) where you will find your recent orders. You can download your tickets from there.

Due to the varied nature of our programme, we do not have a standard latecomer policy. Upon arrival, please speak with the FOH staff on the door, who will provide you with further assistance. Don’t panic!

Please contact our ticketing team HERE with your order ID and a clear description of the problem.

BEAM is located in the centre of Hertford town on The Wash. Our venue postcode is SG14 1PS, for use with walking to our venue only. This postcode will not take you to any public parking spaces. Head towards the grey flight tower that looms over our building – you can’t miss us. 

Please click HERE

BEAM is easy to get to, from wherever you’re coming from!

Located about 30 miles north of London and 30 miles south of Cambridge, Hertford is easily accessed via all major roads. The roads in town can be busy at peak times; please plan your journey accordingly.

You can get to Hertford by train or road. We have two train stations in our town which run direct services into London. The A10, A414 and A602 all come directly into Hertford. These roads link to the A120, A1, M11 and M25.

There is no public car park at BEAM, however, being in the town centre, there are plenty of options to park within a 5 minute walk. You can find out options HERE

Yes we do! Please click HERE

BEAM is proud to be fully accessible for everyone front of house and backstage. This formed a huge part of our recent redevelopment. Explore our accessibility page HERE.

Absolutely! Complimentary tickets will be provided to Essential Companions for standard ticket holders who require additional assistance in our venue.

Please be prepared to present the relevant documentation to support your complimentary ticket request upon arrival. Relevant documentation should be one of the following:

• DLA
• PIP
• Blue badge
• Attendance allowance letter
• Credibility access card
• Or another form of credible documentation 

This policy is for customers with permanent and/or long-term access requirements; it is not for people with temporary impairments. Essential Companions attending through this scheme need to be over 18 when they visit our venue.

When making a booking for the first time, you will be asked a few questions about your access requirements. If the relevant boxes are selected, the accessible seats which are invisible to the public will become available for purchase. These seats are marked with a wheelchair symbol and a C (for companion). Select the seats you wish to purchase, and in the following page, change the ticket type on one of those tickets to ‘Essential Companion’. At checkout, the price of this ticket will reduce to zero. For those purchasing Child tickets, we provide a complimentary Essential Companion ticket if required. However, please note that all children must be accompanied by an adult ticket holder at all times, regardless of whether this adult is their carer or not.

Please complete our contact form HERE and a member of our team will respond as soon as possible. If you require a call back, please leave your phone number also.

Yes, there are fully accessible facilities on our ground and first floor.

Yes! We are proud to be home to a Changing Places Toilet in Hertford town centre.

The public lift to the first floor is located near Social Two. It takes you to just outside the cinema screens, in the first floor café bar. This lift will be clearly signposted when you arrive and our team are happy to assist you in locating it. 

We understand that some customers will rely on assistance dogs to attend. BEAM reserves the right to turn away dogs who do not comply with Assistance Dogs UK guidelines surrounding assistance dogs. Please note, therapy dogs or animals are not permitted at the venue, in line with guidance from leading animal welfare charities Pets as Therapy and the RSPCA

• Food and drink purchased off-site, other than baby food, unopened bottles of water, or food required for medical purposes 
• Pets (other than assistance dogs)
• Professional camera equipment – photography and filming is permitted for personal uses only, unless otherwise requested by the production
• Vape pens – smoking and vaping is strictly prohibited in and around our premises
• Lasers 
• Flares/smoke bombs
• Drones
• Gas canisters
• Any sharp or pointed objects
• Illegal substances
• Any other items which we consider to be unsafe or pose a risk to public safety and/or security

At BEAM, we are committed to ensuring a safe environment for all. This includes members of the public, venue users, and staff. We take our security seriously. If you observe something suspicious or feel uncomfortable about anything while in the venue, please report it immediately to a member of our team. Any verbal, physical or sexual abuse towards staff or public will not be tolerated and will be reported to the police. 

Drones, and any other unmanned aerial, cannot be flown within or outside the venue premises. 

There will always be a qualified first aider at the venue during public opening hours. Please speak with a member of our team if you require assistance. 

If you have feedback from your recent visit, please complete this form HERE