Case study · Murcia · Teatro Circo
Spain's first theatre that can also be heard.
In October 2019, Teatro Circo Murcia became the first Spanish performing-arts venue with NaviLens: programme, ticket office, seating and services available in audio, sign language and easy reading.
Teatro Circo · Murcia
Municipal performing-arts venue opened in 1892
Oct 2019
Spain's first performing-arts venue with NaviLens
Accessible Culture
Project driven by Fundación Vodafone España and Astrapace
Sight · hearing · cognition
Audio, sign language and easy reading at every key point
The client
Teatro Circo Murcia
Murcia City Council
The Teatro Circo Murcia is the city's main municipal performing-arts venue: a historic 1892 building, member of Spain's national theatre network and a cultural landmark in the Region of Murcia.
In 2019, within the “Cultura Accesible” project driven by Fundación Vodafone España and Astrapace, Murcia City Council chose Teatro Circo as the pilot site for NaviLens: the first time a Spanish performing-arts venue adopted this technology.
The initiative was presented by mayor José Ballesta and covered by Europa Press, the Spanish Theatre Network and the University of Salamanca's SID-INICO as a milestone in cultural accessibility.
§ The challenge
Making a 1892 theatre also readable by ear.
- 01
A historic theatre that was hard to read without help
Teatro Circo Murcia includes a lobby, box office, concierge desk, stalls, seating areas, balconies, boxes and restrooms across several levels. For blind, deaf or cognitively impaired visitors, finding their way or understanding services meant depending on a companion.
- 02
Programme and service information with poor accessibility
Programmes, prices, seating map, sales conditions, social media, tourist information and house rules lived on posters, screens and leaflets. Without audio, easy-reading or sign-language versions, a large share of disabled audiences was left out.
- 03
Becoming the city's inclusive-culture benchmark
Murcia City Council, Fundación Vodafone España and Astrapace wanted Teatro Circo to become a replicable pilot: Spain's first performing-arts venue with NaviLens and a model for other municipal theatres and auditoriums.
§ The solution
One NaviLens code at every key point in the theatre.
Teatro Circo Murcia placed NaviLens codes at every critical point in the audience journey: entrance lobby, ticket office, concierge desk, access to stalls and seating, restrooms, emergency exits and interior signage.
The three apps behind “Cultura Accesible” —Mefacilyta, NaviLens and NaviLens GO— delivered easy reading, audio prompts or Spanish Sign Language videos depending on each user's needs.
All theatre information —programme, prices, seating map, rules, social channels and services— became adapted and available directly on the visitor's phone.
§ The rollout
Codes in every space: from the lobby to the last seat.
§ Timeline
From pioneering pilot to permanently accessible theatre.
- Oct 2019
“Cultura Accesible” is presented
Murcia mayor José Ballesta presents the “Cultura Accesible” project together with Astrapace and Fundación Vodafone España at Teatro Circo Murcia. It becomes the first performing-arts venue in Spain to deploy NaviLens, with plans to extend it across other municipal cultural venues.
- 2019 → 2020
Codes deployed across the whole building
Lobby, ticket office, concierge desk, access to stalls and seating, restrooms, emergency exits and information points are marked with NaviLens codes. Mefacilyta, NaviLens and NaviLens GO provide audio, sign-language and easy-reading content.
- 2022 → 2026
Audio description and captions in the programme
Teatro Circo expands accessibility with audio description and adapted captions for a growing selection of performances each season, alongside Teatro Romea. NaviLens signage remains as a permanent layer in the building.
§ What they said
What they said about the project.
“All Teatro Circo information was adapted into easy reading, audio messages and sign-language videos, marking the first time a performing-arts venue in Spain incorporated NaviLens technology.”
“Teatro Circo Murcia is the first performing-arts venue to implement the innovative NaviLens accessibility system, allowing visually impaired, deaf and cognitively disabled people to receive information on the programme and services through a mobile device.”
§ Results
A theatre for everyone, with no companion required.
Whole building
NaviLens codes at entrances, ticket office, concierge desk, auditorium, restrooms and exits
Triple accessibility
Audio for blind visitors, sign language for deaf users and easy reading for cognitive accessibility
Replicable model
A pilot project that inspired new deployments in municipal theatres and auditoriums
Sources · SID-INICO / Europa Press (3 Oct 2019) · Spanish Theatre Network (4 Oct 2019) · Astrapace · “Cultura Accesible”
§ And your destination?
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