Clear Language and a Practical Programme Booklet
How do you make a theatre visit accessible for people with low literacy?
Author: Rune Wittouck
Coach for theatre groups and drama teacher at the academy in Hasselt
Date of publication: 19/06/2026
The audience you hope to reach is often not the audience that eventually ends up in the theatre. That is why OPENDOEK wanted to set a strong example. During the 2025 Landjuweelfestival in Ypres, OPENDOEK collaborated with Ligo, Centres for Basic Education. They organised a preparatory and follow‑up trajectory around one of the programmed performances for people with low literacy (NT1).
Editor Rune Wittouck spoke with Laurens Baert, who, during an internship with OPENDOEK, worked on developing a toolbox for more accessible theatre.
What is NT1? Where does the inaccessibility of a theatre visit lie for them?
Unlike NT2 (people with Dutch as a second language and therefore another mother tongue), NT1 refers to adults with low literacy whose first language is Dutch. They may struggle with reading, writing, and speaking. As a result, they encounter various barriers in daily life that prevent them from fully participating in society, and therefore also in cultural experiences.
For NT1 audiences, a theatre visit can be challenging, from simply getting into the venue to understanding and processing the performance. We should avoid clichés, such as assuming that performances for “people with low literacy” must contain few words or be childlike with lots of movement. Not having a higher degree does not mean you lack the life experience needed to engage with a performance. But there are certainly areas in which we can offer them extra support.
Performances for people with low literacy
do not need to be childlike. That is a cliché.
What can you do beforehand to make a theatre visit more accessible?
You can already support visitors by offering an introduction to the performance. In that introduction, you explain the theme, the historical or social context, the characters, and also the genre or style of the piece.
There is also something else. When you look at programme booklets in the leisure circuit today, you often read: “I play this role, and this is a line my character says in the piece.” Fine, but it might be more useful to introduce the characters themselves and, if relevant, their relationships with one another. You do not need to reveal everything, but that kind of information would genuinely help.
A small glossary can also help explain words that appear in the performance. Of course, once the lights go off, it becomes difficult to consult such a booklet, unless you choose not to dim the lights completely. You can consciously adjust those theatre conventions to make the experience more accessible and communicate clearly what is or is not allowed during the visit.
Then there are the location‑based barriers. Clear signage to the theatre or performance space is essential, especially for people who do not visit these places often. During the Landjuweelfestival in the Westhoek, for example, limited public transport made accessibility an extra challenge. In such cases, we need to offer support with transport and avoid scheduling performances too late in the evening. Above all, it is about ensuring that visitors feel welcome, that members of the theatre company or venue staff are approachable and easy to talk to.
Are there things you can adjust during the performance itself?
You can adapt the language level, the choice of words or the stylistic tone of the text, but only if the author or copyright holder allows it. Not everything needs to be simplified, but part of the audience may lose track simply because certain pieces of the puzzle are missing for them.
Of course, this is often difficult in community theatre. As a company, you might feel as if you are interfering with the author’s intentions or the dramaturgy of the piece. And if you choose not to make changes, that is perfectly fine too. Artistic freedom matters.
But only when you understand what NT1 means and what barriers these audiences face can you make an informed decision about whether or not you want to take them into account.
An easier adjustment is visual support. If all meaning is carried by language alone, that can become a barrier. Think of props, costumes, or colour to help establish context, meaning, and atmosphere.
To support the language, you can use
colour and costumes to reinforce meaning.
You can also consider using surtitles when other languages or dialects appear in the performance, projected onto a wall or screen. Of course, that requires time, money and technical expertise, but you can always apply for additional funding or subsidies to support it.
However, research shows that if you are not used to going to the theatre, having to do two things at once, reading the projected text while watching the performance, can be very challenging. That is why it is important to keep talking with your (target) audience about what they need.
We should also avoid thinking purely in terms of target groups. What works for one person may not work for another. It is always about making conscious choices regarding what you want to offer and what is realistically possible.
What can be done differently after the performance?
A post‑show conversation can be valuable. You do not have to organise one every time, but it can add real depth. And it does not need to be formal or tightly structured. An informal chat between the audience and the makers — perhaps with a drink at a “talk‑back table” — can already make a big difference, especially for NT1 audiences who may not always have the opportunity to discuss their theatre experience with someone and process it together.
If you do organise a post‑show talk, clear language is essential once again. Simplified Dutch helps, but that does not mean you must avoid complex topics. As a moderator, you can absolutely use more difficult words, just make sure to explain them. You can also support the conversation with a photo or visual reference when discussing heavier themes. And do not assume that everyone knows theatre jargon or shares your interpretation of the piece. Otherwise, you risk discouraging NT1 audience members from taking part.
You can encourage a post‑show conversation with methods such as Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) or a Socratic dialogue. The audience will likely have seen and felt different things, each returning to their own lived experience. It is important to create space for them to talk about that. OPENDOEK even offers courses on clear language and different conversation strategies.
These tools are not only useful for NT1 audiences; they benefit anyone who wants to take part in a post‑show discussion, just like the earlier suggestions that can be applied more broadly to improve accessibility. Other ways of processing the experience include a creative workshop linked to the performance, for example by inviting participants to try a few simple theatre exercises themselves.