Culture venues

Agora is the largest theatre in Vrijhof. The capacity depends on the required stage size. Guidelines for this are:

• Pop concert/ standing audience: 900 persons
• Lecture (presentation)/seated audience: 300 persons
• Theater performance / seated audience: 225 persons

Agora has a retractable grandstand with five rows of 22 seats each.  A fully retracted grandstand creates a spacious surface that can be furnished with tables, stands, poster boards and the like. When fully extended, the grandstand extends into the balcony with 150 fixed seats. 

Our theatre is not yet fully wheelchair-friendly. Please contact us for consultation so that we can make your theatre visit pleasant.

The Amphitheater has 164 fixed seats including the balcony. Additional seats can be added up to a maximum of 180 seats in total, but at the expense of the stage floor. This has a size of 5x5 meter.

At the back of the stage floor there is a dark blue curtain. As in the classic Amphi, the audience can look down onto the stage floor from three positions. This gives the Amphitheater its intimate setting, which is very nice for some performances.

Our theatre is not yet fully wheelchair-friendly. Please contact us for consultation so that we can make your theatre visit pleasant.

The Audio Hall is a flat room with no fixed seats and ideal for unamplified music. It has a wooden parquet floor, which is suitable for dance because of the springy subfloor. The acoustic panels provide a warm sound and reverberation time of about three seconds. The hall is ideal for acoustic music performances where the number of seats for visitors depends on the required orchestra area. The hall also has a small balcony with wooden benches.

In addition to three unique theater halls in the Vrijhof, the university also has an outdoor theater. In 2014, the open-air theater was completely renovated and equipped with, among other things, a permanent canopy for the playing floor. This canopy also ensures the preservation of good acoustics because of the cloth that 'blocks' the sound. The play floor is nine meters in diameter and consists of smooth concrete.

The grandstand has also been renewed and can accommodate 600 visitors, who find a place 180 degrees around the stage floor. Furthermore, the theater is equipped with a dressing room and storage room, located directly behind the theater.

With its flexible layout, the Kleine Zaal (Small Hall) is suitable for a range of possibilities. Where during the day the space is used for meetings or as a training room, in the evening it is easily transformed into a rehearsal room for dance or theater. The auditorium has fixed seating for twenty people, but can be expanded to over 30 seats by using poufs. In addition, the Small Hall is equipped with a large LED screen, whiteboard and a piano.

This room is not yet fully wheelchair-friendly. Please contact us for consultation so that we can make your theatre visit pleasant.

The studio is the location for drawing and painting activities. The space can accommodate sixteen people to work at a table. And there are eight easels available to paint to your heart's content. Furthermore, the room is equipped with a kitchenette to clean the materials used and attributes are present to work on different types of assignments.

In the metal workshop, weekly welding courses are given to beginners and advanced students. The room has all the equipment needed for welding, including six workstations.

The wood workshop offers space for eight students to make creations from wood to their hearts' content. The course 'Make your own furniture' is given here, among other things. In addition to various sawing and sanding machines, all kinds of additional tools are available to realize the most beautiful objects.

Go wild in our dance and music studios!

Do you have a UnionCard or CampusCard? Then you can use our professional practice rooms in the Vrijhof for free! Whether you want to dance, jam with your band, practise on the piano or go wild on the drums - you can do it all with us, undisturbed and in your own flow.

Some studios do have some extra rules. Think about following instructions or having a drummer's diploma. Check below what you need per space, so you can get started without any hassle.

Here's how it works:

• You can use a studio for free for up to 1 hour per session
• Ask the Vrijhof doorman about availability or pick up a key immediately
• Make a reservation via the Sports and Culture app

Pop studios: can be booked up to 7 days in advance.  Drum, wind and piano studios: booking up to 24 hours in advance. Note: Would you like to use the drum studio? Then you must have taken a drum lesson or hold a drum diploma.

Ready to make music or rehearse a choreo?

Check the conditions, book your space and make your creative moment come true!

In these regulations you will find all agreements that apply to the use of the practice studios. When these agreements are not respected, removal from the studio, and possibly denial of access, is a plausible sanction.

General

• All users of the studios must have a valid UnionCard or CampusCard.
• All equipment and furniture in the studios is the property of the University
• Smoking is prohibited in the studios
• Eating and/or drinking in the studios is not allowed

Times

the use of the training studios is possible from:

• Monday to Friday from 9.30 am to 11.30 pm
• Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 to 16.00. 

Contact

For questions about the rehearsal studios, please contact: Vrijhof Culture, phone (+31) 53 489 4400, email: vrijhof-cultuur@utwente.nl However, this does not apply to questions about the availability of the practice rooms.

Reservation / use

Reservation of a practice studio is only possible on the day of use. For information about the availability of a studio you can contact the back office of Vrijhof, phone 053 - 489 8002.

Checks

At random moments checks are made whether the rules of use are being respected. In order to determine whether all users are in possession of a valid UnionCard/CampusCard, it is mandatory to carry a physical UnionCard/CampusCard, a student card or employee card with you. Vrijhof Culture reserves the right to deny access to the facilities to persons who do not abide by the rules of use.

In the pop studios, bands can practice their repertoire to their heart's content. The studios are equipped with a drum kit, keyboard, amplifiers for guitar and bass, microphones and a small mixing desk. To rehearse in the studios, all band members must have a valid UnionCard and you must register your band using the registration form below.

From 1 October, you can sign up via the reservation system.

The wind studio is a small practice studio where you can practice individually with your instrument. A chair and table are available, but the room does not have any additional facilities. You must have a valid UnionCard to use the wind studio.

This extra-insulated studio includes a drum kit and two congas to study on. To use the drum studio, you must have a valid UnionCard and have signed up using the form below. In addition, you must have a drum diploma or have followed drum instruction before you can use this studio. The drum studio is also where the drum instruction/drum lessons are given.

Since 1 October last, you can register through the booking system.

The radio studio contains equipment to be able to mix, produce or record a podcast yourself, for example. You can use these studios independently after participating in the Producing course or as a Creative Technology student after receiving the necessary instruction.

If you play the piano and want to keep your level up, or if you just want to be able to rehearse quietly every now and then, you can use one of our piano studios. These studios have a good piano. A valid UnionCard or CampusCard is required to use a piano studio.

From 1 October 2023, you can sign up via the reservation system.

This studio houses a practice carillon, where you can practice playing the carillon. The bell tower of the campus. You can only come here, if you have or have had lessons from our carillon teacher. For more information about the carillon lessons, please see the course overview.

The ballet studio has room for six to eight dancers to practice (independently). Chairs and a piano are available in the studio. Besides having a valid UnionCard you need to be a member of one of the student dance associations to be able to use the ballet studio independently.

Besides several studios, the Vrijhof also has a darkroom where analogue photos can be developed. This darkroom is managed by Foton Arts and can only be used by the association and its members.

The large exhibition space has three wooden walls where a wide range of art can be hung. In addition, there is another hanging wall on which to exhibit and there is enough floor space to also exhibit spatial installations.

In the corridor between the cultural spaces is the small exhibition space. An intimate space that is ideal for work that requires it or smaller collections. There are several walls on which art can be hung and there is also room on the floor for spatial installations.

Besides the two permanent locations Vrijhof Culture has an exhibition-mobile. A beautiful wooden construction on which a mini exhibition can be shown. The mobile exhibition is made for us by Mark van Loon.