On Saturday alone it was very pleasant to be able to look inside the construction site of the Theater aan de Parade in Den Bosch. Such a look behind the scenes was allowed exceptionally because of the Day of Construction, the open day of the construction sector in the Netherlands. Many visitors enjoyed hanging out in the cool cellar, where artists will soon have their dressing rooms.
“There has been so much discussion about this theatre, but the result is already very promising,” says Ans Buys, one of the visitors. She is full of admiration about the way in which the new theater will form a connection between the old buildings around it and the nature of the Bossche Broek. “There are pictures of the future foyer, full of plants. Very beautiful.”
The old Theater aan de Parade was in need of renovation. The construction of the new theater was debated for years in the city council. Where should it come from, what should it look like and what should it cost? Ultimately, it was decided to build on the old site, in which parts of the old building were also mixed with the new.
Jos van Herpen from Bossche is also enthusiastic. “I live close by and I’ve always been in favor of a theater in this place. So no moving to a place outside the center.” He finds the construction impressive. “That they have preserved part of the old building is very good, also because it has saved costs.”
decor pieces
He is particularly impressed by the new supply route for the trucks with set pieces and clothing for the theater groups. “That always caused traffic nuisance in the old theater, because those trucks were half in the theater and half on the road.”
In the new theater the trucks are more or less completely pushed in, explains Eric Smeets of the Weerter construction company Mertens. “There will be two platforms where the trucks will be driven on so that they can unload inside the theater.”
Saint John
It was not the biggest challenge the architect and builders faced, he emphasizes. “That was the environment. The theater is enclosed on three sides by existing buildings, including the Sint-Jan. That did not make the design easy, but it was very successful in retaining plenty of space.”
According to Eric Smeets, construction is fully on schedule, despite the shortage of workers and materials in the construction industry. “We are not bothered by that.”
The Bossche theater is now expected to be ready in the third quarter of 2023.
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