Guide to Relaxed Performances

The Berlin Showcase and our cooperating venues have set a joint goal of making the festival offerings more accessible to more people. Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states the right of people with disabilities to equal participation in cultural life. As publicly funded theaters, we see it as our responsibility to actively participate in implementing this article.

About one-third of this year's productions will be so-called "relaxed performances." [The English term will also be used in our German-language materials.]  We want everyone to feel welcome at the Berlin Showcase - even those who are often told that they are "too loud" or "too restless." We would like to explicitly invite all people who feel more comfortable in an inclusive atmosphere to attend specific performances of the Berlin Showcase. 

We create synopses of the productions that contain precise information about the play and the theatrical effects it uses (such as bright lights or loud music), the venue and the sequence of events, so that visitors can decide whether the performance is suitable for them. 

As organizers, we follow guidelines created by Diversity Arts Culture and see ourselves as learners in a continuous process of opening and change. Given the background of our different structural and personnel conditions and possibilities, we are working to implement various measures for better accessibility in the festival program and to find a specific means of implementation with each individual artist of the guest performances that will offer "relaxed performances." To this end, the theater teams and the artists are participating in training sessions. 

If you have experiences in booking and attending our performances, especially the "relaxed performances," that you would like to share with us, we would be glad to receive your feedback via info@theater-on.de Subject: "relaxed performances."

 

Concrete measures we want to carry out at our venues:

Seating and audience capacity 

In the "relaxed performances" we offer our audience alternatives to traditional theater seating. As you may already have experienced at theater for the very young, there will be seat cushions, but also beanbags, which allow various sitting and lying positions during the performance. To ensure a more relaxed setting for viewing and leaving the room during the performance, we will make fewer seats available than usual for these performances. 

Pre-admission

Alternative suggestion from Vera:

For a "relaxed performance" we will extend the admission time to 10 minutes before the performance begins. This way you can get to know the space and calmly find your seats. On request and if possible, the stage and auditorium can also be viewed or experienced before the start of the performance, in order to take the pressure out of the moment of admission.

Lighting in the auditorium

We always leave the lighting in the audience area on for at least 30% of the "relaxed performances". There are exceptions for some performances. These are noted in the detailed information sheets.

Leaving and re-entering the auditorium

At a "relaxed performance" you can leave the auditorium during the performance and come back in again if you wish. In the foyers of our theaters you can relax and take a deep breath. To make it easy for you to find your way out of the theater and back in again, we always leave the doors or curtains ajar. Our on-site team will also help you find your way. 

Synopsis of the individual productions

To help you prepare for your visit to our theater, we provide detailed information about each piece on the websites of the Berlin Showcase and the participating theaters, covering these aspects of the performance:

- Content of the play, e.g., whether it will be very emotional or rather funny, or will contain violence 

- Timing: Duration of the performance, post-play time, pre-admission.

- Sensory stimuli: Here we describe if and when factors such as bright lights, sudden light changes, loud noises or music, flying objects, or confetti will occur in the play and whether the performers will come very close to the audience or ask the audience to join in. 

 

If you have any questions that are important to you, please feel free to contact us at any time.