Accessibility
At Cultura Nova, we believe it’s important that everyone feels welcome. We’re constantly working to improve our accessibility and hospitality, so that as many people as possible can enjoy our festival.
Do you need extra support to attend our festival? Please feel free to contact us – we’d be happy to work with you to find suitable solutions.
📧 Email: info@culturanova.nl
📞 Tel: 045 - 571 6607 (Theater Heerlen box office)
What do we mean by accessibility?
Below, we explain a number of terms you may come across in our communications:
Language no problem
These performances contain little or no spoken text. The emphasis is on visuals and/or music, meaning that language is not a barrier to enjoyment.
Assistance dogs welcome
Your service, assistance or guide dog is very welcome at all festival venues. Please ensure your dog is wearing a harness that clearly identifies it as a service dog.
If you’re unsure whether a performance is suitable for your dog (for example, due to loud noises or crowds), please get in touch with us.
EXTO facilities
EXTO stands for Extra Accessible facilities (formerly MIVA). These include:
- Wheelchair spaces
- Adapted toilet facilities
- Accessible routes
Wheelchair spaces are available at Theater Heerlen and Theater Kerkrade. You can book these via the website or by telephone on 045 571 6607.
🔗 More information about accessibility at Theater Heerlen
Do you have any questions or concerns about the accessibility of a venue or performance? Please feel free to get in touch.
Specific offer:
20Hertz – Sharon Wesseling (NL) / VV || ENERGY
FRI 4 SEP 8.30 pm
A new style of dance, ranging from stillness to euphoria. In the urban performance VV || ENERGY, 20Hertz, the dance company led by Sharon Wesseling and comprising hearing, hard-of-hearing and deaf dancers, takes you on a journey through two worlds that complement and reinforce one another: from a dreamlike world full of visual intensity to an overwhelming explosion of light, rhythm and energy.
VV || ENERGY breaks with the traditional dramatic arc of theatre and demonstrates how stimuli, rhythms and energy can be experienced in different ways, whether one can hear or not. The result is a total sensory experience in which dance, visuals, light and sound merge into a new, inclusive language. In 2025, Sharon was nominated for the Dutch Dance Days Innovation Award for her groundbreaking work. She has developed her craft over a number of years through Cultura Nova.
Dutch Sign Language Interpreters During a short interval between the two performances, Dutch Sign Language interpreters will be present. This will make it easier for deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing visitors to engage in conversation with one another
Special offer:
BOT/WAAN Music Theatre
SAT 29 AUG 8.00 pm
SUN 30 AUG 4.00 pm and 8.00 pm
In the world of WAAN, absurdism gloriously overtakes reality.
With a boot full of stress and a caravan full of postponed plans, four mates set off for who-cares-where. As long as it’s far away. Until their compass goes haywire, each finds themselves down their own rabbit hole, and the caravan turns out not to be the caravan at all.
In WAAN, fact and fantasy rub shoulders, and it turns out to be surprisingly easy to lose one’s bearings completely. In a world where absurdism gloriously overtakes reality, Muziektheater BOT follows the wandering, searching individual, who tries to find some foothold amidst the confusion.
WAAN is presented with audio description and is therefore also accessible to people who are visually impaired or blind. After the performance, you can also take part in a mini-tour of the set. Would you like to take advantage of this opportunity? If so, please let the company know at least fifteen minutes before the performance begins.
Need extra assistance or support?
Would you like to bring an interpreter with you, do you require specific assistance, or do you have any suggestions for improvement? Please let us know via info@culturanova.nl. Together we’ll find a suitable solution.
Free performances
Around half of the programme is free to attend. From theatre to dance, music and installations – there’s something for everyone. You’ll find the free performances clearly marked in our brochure and on the website.
Follow Cultura Nova from home
Even if you can’t be there in person, you can still experience part of Cultura Nova from home. For example, the opening performance, *From Black to Rainbow*, will be broadcast live on L1 on 28 August at 8.00 pm.
In addition, the L1 team will be on site at the festival grounds every day.
Follow the 35th edition of Cultura Nova via the social media and online channels of L1 and L1Nieuws, and of course via radio and TV.
In conclusion
We strive to ensure that our programme is accessible to a wide and diverse audience. Do you have any questions or comments regarding accessibility? Please let us know. We’d love to learn from your experiences.