Accessibility

HAU Hebbel am Ufer considers itself an institution that is always learning: we are working on making the programme, the theatres, and our work processes gradually more diverse and inclusive. To foster this development, we collaborate with external consultants in interdepartmental working groups in the fields of diversity, accessibility, and sustainability in order to actively shape the organisational culture. Currently, HAU is only partially accessible. On this page, you can find more information about each individual venue as well as information on the programme and what we offer in terms of accessibility.

We welcome any feedback to improve, raise awareness and further create offerings. Please send us an email: barrierefreiheit@hebbel-am-ufer.de or call us: +49 (0)30 259004-27

Informationen about the venues

HAU1 and HAU2 are barrier-free, HAU3 unfortunately not. Here you will find detailed information on reaching and visiting each venue.

HAU1
Access: HAU1 is partially accessible. Access to the stalls is possible through a separate entrance with a lift. There are two designated parking spaces in front of the building. Access to the box office is only possible via four stairs from the outside and three stairs without handrails from the inside. The evening staff can assist you in collecting your ticket if you use the separate entrance with lift. Please speak to them for assistance. Tickets for wheelchair users and accompanying persons can be booked via the ticketing system. 
Sanitary facilities: There are sanitary facilities for people with disabilities. The door is not automatic.
Bar: The bar is located on the first floor and is only accessible via stairs. The bar opens one hour before each performance. After events in HAU1, the CAN bar in HAU2 is open.

HAU2
Access: HAU2 is accessible without stairs. There are two designated parking spaces next to the building (on Großbeerenstraße). There is a ramp and a lift that can be operated without assistance. The doors to the box office and evening box office open and close with the touch of a button, located to the left of the door.
Sanitary facilities: There are sanitary facilities for people with disabilities. Four relaxed seats are available in the first row of HAU2. Tickets for wheelchair users and accompanying persons can also be booked via the ticketing system. 
Bar: The CAN bar opens one hour before the start of each event. The entrance is at ground level.

HAU3
Access: Unfortunately, HAU3 is not accessible. The theatre, located on the third floor, is reached via a staircase. Use of the lift is only possible by prior arrangement. There are no designated parking spaces at HAU3. The last several meters leading to the entrance of HAU3 are cobblestone.
Sanitary facilities: There are no sanitary facilities for people with disabilities at HAU3.
Bar: The bar is not accessible to people with mobile disabilities. It is located on the third floor next to the entrance to the theatre. The bar opens one hour before each performance. After events in HAU3, the CAN bar in HAU2 is open.

HAU4
At the start of the 2020/21 season, we have introduced HAU4 as the fourth, digital stage alongside HAU1, HAU2 and HAU3. This is where HAU Hebbel am Ufer produces and presents projects developed specifically for online audiences or as a hybrid live/online format.
Just like we do, many of HAU4's artists take new approaches in their works. But not all the projects we show at HAU4 have been created with accessibility in mind.
The digital stage www.HAU4.de has been designed and implemented to be accessible. We were advised by associations such as the Sozialheld*innen, paying attention to good readability and alternative keyboard navigation. HAU4 is compatible with standard screen readers. We are continuously working on providing alt text for images and videos and translations into sign language as well as audio descriptions. You can find the particular options under the filter setting “Language” in the HAUthek and in the programme. Whenever possible, we offer transcripts and subtitles. We always aim to make projects available at least according to the two-senses principle. We continue to try to make HAU4 as accessible as possible.
Click here to go to the HAU4 digital stage: www.hau4.de

CAN
CAN is the bar at HAU. It is located in the same building as HAU2 (Hallesches Ufer 34). The bar is open one hour before each event and immediately after each event.
Access: Entry to the CAN bar at HAU2 is at ground level. There are two designated parking spaces in front of the building (in Großbeerenstraße).
Sanitary facilities: There are sanitary facilities for people with disabilities. Please ask for the key at the bar.

Arrival by Public Transport and Directions to the three HAU venues


Here, the overlapping U1 / U3 lines are elevated. In both directions of travel there are lifts. However, there is no tactile floor guidance system, and orientation is generally more difficult from here, as is it necessary to cross the major street of Hallesches Ufer to get to all of HAU's venues. For this reason, we recommend that those unfamiliar with the area to take the U6.

U6 station Hallesches Tor
There is no tactile floor guidance system on the U6 platform. There is a lift. This can facilitate orientation, as it serves as an exit on the correct side of the street. There are additional upward escalators from the U6 platform as well as stairs at the northern end of Mehringplatz. A direct connection to the U1 / U3 is only possible using stairs. Changing lines while using a wheelchair requires crossing the street (Hallesches Ufer).  
U1 / U3 / U7 station Möckernbrücke
There are neither lifts nor a floor guidance system here. Because of this, we recommend taking the U6 to Hallesches Tor for barrier-free access.

Programme and Offerings

The programme at HAU Hebbel am Ufer is very diverse. In addition to theatre, performance, and dance, it regularly features online works, discourse events, installations, and concerts.
We invest in the creation of accessible offerings in our programme. In addition to translations into spoken languages, there are always audio descriptions or translations into German Sign Language.
Note on language: Each individual production's page includes information on which language(s) are used (if any).
Most of our events take place in German and/or English. We endeavour to provide surtitles or simultaneous translation for works with a high amount of speech and dialogue. For subtitling, we work predominantly with Panthea.
We regularly offer audio descriptions in our repertoire, whereby an author, speaker, or performer describes their visual impressions of the action on stage. This option is for blind or visually impaired visitors or other interested parties. Members of the audience can listen to the description via headphones. For this, we work with companies such as Gravity and Pingpong.
If audio description is being provided, tactile tours usually take place one hour before the performance begins. Blind and visually impaired visitors are invited to enter the stage and physically experience the set and the space through a dialogue-based tour.
Visitor information can be found on each individual production's page. There you will find out about technical aspects such as volume and lighting as well as content-related aspects so that you can better plan your visit. 
The respective offerings can be found in our programme.

Ticketing 


Persons with disabilities who require an accompanying person receive a reduced admission ticket, and the accompanying person receives free admission.Tickets for wheelchair users and accompanying persons can be booked via the ticketing system. You can also get in touch with our box office team: tickets@hebbel-am-ufer.de or via phone +49 (0)30 259004-27

The box office at HAU2 is open Monday to Saturday from 3 p.m. until one hour before the performance begins, on days without a performance from 3 to 7 p.m. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays.
The box offices at the theatres open one hour before the performance. The box office in HAU2 is barrier-free, the doors to the daytime and evening box office open and close at the touch of a button, the switch is to the left of the door. The box offices in HAU1 and HAU3 are unfortunately not barrier-free. However, are happy to find individual solutions on site.

You can find detailed information about the box office here.

Current accessible events

Theaterhaus Jena / Wunderbaum
Die Hundekot-Attacke
24.1. / HAU1: German audio description and Haptic Access Tour (17:30)

Networks and cooperations
To date, we have worked with the Sozialheld*innen, Berlinklusion, and the group Shut up and Sign*Speak.

HAU’s cooperation with the “NO LIMITS!” festival, which takes place every two years at HAU Hebbel am Ufer and other locations, is an integral part of our programme.

The internal accessibility working group, consisting of staff from every department, is committed to developing accessibility on the premises, meeting every fortnight. Tasks include organising regular training sessions for the entire HAU team and developing measures for accessibility. Whenever possible, a representative of the working group attends the regularly scheduled meetings of INK Inklusives Netzwerk Kultur.

We are constantly trying to expand our network and bring different perspectives to the establishment.