Glass, green or jeans? First plans for new Ogterop presented

The building will have a completely different facade. A more inviting case. “Hey, there I am”, the building should actually shout from all sides, says Vos. In this way the building becomes more open, and the front has to represent the curtains of a stage. Now it’s a seventies, eighties stone wall.

Vos receives many questions from interested parties about the future theater during the afternoon. What it will look like, what it will be made of: glass facade, what color bricks or what kind of green will be on the facade. Questions he doesn’t have answers to yet. That is also the result of this circular construction. It is not yet known which residual materials from other projects can possibly be reused.

Besides the fact that the building materials will be reused, there is also a different way of thinking about sustainability. Solar panels on the roof, which the neighborhood can benefit from. And that can count on a lot of support from the local residents. A resident who lives next to the theater tells the planners to really invest in that plan for solar panels.

The large hall from 1886 must be visible from the outside, so to speak. This bonbonnière hall is the soul of the theatre. There are only twelve of these types of halls in the whole of the Netherlands. Not much will change in the hall with 487 seats. A few chairs will probably disappear. The front rows are slightly lowered, the back rows are raised. That should improve the view to the podium. And also on the balcony some chairs are broken to improve the view.

The second hall that Ogterop knows is moving. This small hall, a flat floor hall with 120 seats, is now located upstairs. Programming something at the same time is not possible now, because the halls are not well insulated. What plays in one room, you hear in the other. This room will be located next to the main room. More practical, given the loading and unloading, but also to make it more accessible and more versatile. Final exams or book fairs are being considered, and the small hall can be made larger for this. “But not for a pop concert.”

Behind the scenes, that’s where the most will change. That is where the theater faces the most problems. Leaks. There is no dressing room for the small hall, so artists have to change there in a meeting room. Loading and unloading no longer complies with the Working Conditions Act. The stage tower is too small and no longer works well to get set pieces onto the stage. And the list goes on and on.

Due to the renovation, the theater is expected to remain closed for two seasons, starting in 2025. Performances will then go on tour, which means that they will be scheduled at other cultural locations.

Before someone sees their jeans in the new theatre, they have to wait a few years. “We aim for the theater to reopen in 2027,” concludes Vos.

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