September 3, 2025

Funeral procession for the Berlin programme Audio Description – demo on 10.09 and petition for participation in theatre

Berlin’s cultural policy is once again at a crossroads – and blind and visually impaired theatre fans are in danger of being left behind.

Although the budget plans for the coming years have now been published, there is still not a single reference to the funding of the programme audio description at Berlin’s major theatres. This means that equal participation in the theatre is acutely endangered for many people.

Audio description makes theatre tangible for blind and visually impaired people. It describes what is happening on stage and thus creates accessibility where there would otherwise be exclusion. It is unacceptable that a cultural human right such as participation has to be fought for again and again.

Last year, with an online demo and an email campaign, the project was at least able to ensure that the Berlin audio description programme continued to be funded until the end of 2025. But now it is facing the same situation again: nothing has been earmarked in the budget for the future.

To send a strong signal, Förderband e.V. Kulturinitiative Berlin invites you to an unusual form of protest:

Funeral procession with eulogy for audio description
On Wednesday, 10 September 2025, between 15:00 and 17:00
Location: In front of the Berlin House of Representatives.

During the two-hour event, the funeral procession and the speech will be repeated a total of five times every 20 minutes. The performance will be documented and filmed.
Everyone is invited to take part in black clothing to create visibility: without funding, audio description will die – and with it a piece of cultural participation in Berlin.

If you also believe that theatre must be there for everyone, come to the funeral procession on 10 September at 15:00 and set an example.
Together we can ensure that blind and visually impaired people in Berlin are not excluded from culture.

As well as taking part in the demonstration, you can support the project by signing and circulating the petition to preserve Berlin’s audio description programme. Every signature increases the pressure on politicians to finally secure permanent funding.

Sign and share the petition: openpetition.de/!mqflw

Thank you for your support, Förderband e.V.