The city as theatre: this theatre complex has a rich, eclectic spirit that reflects the vitality of the city.Haarlem's Aktiegroep Toneelschuur has its origins in the heady radicalism of les evenements of 1968, founded as a provocative, egalitarian alternative to traditional theatre, emphasizing direct contact between performers and the audience. Since its inception, the Toneelschuur has hosted drama, dance and an independent production company, but it also produces its own performances, giving many young dramatists an important boost at the start of their careers. For thirty years, all this was conducted out of an artfully cannibalized old youth club, reflecting the impromptu spirit of the times, but during the '90s, an accumulation of funds and political capital gradually gave momentum to the notion of a new, purpose-built theatre. When a large site became available in the heart of the city following the closure of the Enschede print works a factory where cloth, as calico, is printed. See also: Print (Haarlem has endured a decline in its muck and brass industries, but it also has a strong tradition of being a place for culture), this added further impetus. Bounded by a Walloon church, the red light district and the existing Concertgebouw, the site seemed an ideal setting for Toneelschuur's continuing adventures in the avant-garde. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 1997, Mecanoo were approached by cartoonist and artist Joost Swarte Joost Swarte (born 24 December, 1947, Heemstede) is a Dutch comic artist and graphical designer. He is best known for his ligne claire or clear line style of drawing, and in fact coined the term. who had been working with the Toneelschuur to develop and visualize a concept for a new building. Intrigued by the idea of collaborating with an artist, Mecanoo took the commission and Swarte's outlines, executed in his distinctive cartoon style, became the basis for the final design. With its two theatres, two cinemas, cafes, bars, foyer and rehearsal spaces, the new building aims to replicate the spirit of informality and diversity of the original Toneelschuur. This is manifest by a plurality The opinion of an appellate court in which more justices join than in any concurring opinion. The excess of votes cast for one candidate over those votes cast for any other candidate. Appellate panels are made up of three or more justices. of different volumes each assigned its own form, material and colour (including the refurbishment re·fur·bish tr.v. re·fur·bished, re·fur·bish·ing, re·fur·bish·es To make clean, bright, or fresh again; renovate. re·fur of two existing buildings), creating a variegated variegated adjective Multifaceted; with many colors, aspects, features, etc agglomeration ag·glom·er·a·tion n. 1. The act or process of gathering into a mass. 2. A confused or jumbled mass: of parts; a compact, interactive 'city of culture' set within the dense, historical grain of Haarlem's urban centre. From the street, the new interventions poke and peek out slyly above rooftops and through gaps in the street frontage. Most striking are the rectangular mass of the main theatre, clad in reptilian green copper scales, and the mauve hull containing the two cinemas that nudges out into the street. The main theatre is set back behind a generous foyer space, its permeability and luminance The amount of brightness, measured in lumens, that is given off by a pixel or area on a screen. For example, dark red and bright red would have the same chrominance, but a different luminance. contrasting with surrounding blind boxes of the two cinemas, which lock together in section like Chinese puzzles, and the secondary theatre. Animated by the presence of a cafe and bar, the foyer becomes a casual extension of the public realm, a place to promenade, to see and be seen, with changing views of the city framed and filtered through the glazed glaze n. 1. A thin smooth shiny coating. 2. A thin glassy coating of ice. 3. a. A coating of colored, opaque, or transparent material applied to ceramics before firing. b. walls and roof. Support functions--a technical zone adjoining the main theatre, rehearsal and dressing rooms, staff offices and canteen--are carefully slotted in and around the larger spaces to form an intricate compressed nougat nou·gat n. A confection made from a sugar or honey paste into which nuts are mixed. [French, from Provençal, from nougo, nut, from Old Provençal noga, from Vulgar Latin of volumes. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] [GRAPHIC OMITTED] [GRAPHIC OMITTED] [GRAPHIC OMITTED] [GRAPHIC OMITTED] The idea of the city as a kind of virtual theatre has fascinated generations of urban and social historians; here the theatre becomes, in effect, a scaled down city, an accretion of different parts that make up a composite whole. But as well as a formal reciprocity reciprocity In international trade, the granting of mutual concessions on tariffs, quotas, or other commercial restrictions. Reciprocity implies that these concessions are neither intended nor expected to be generalized to other countries with which the contracting parties , there is also a deeper relationship with the place that has shaped the building's cultural and social identity. The Toneelschuur has been part of Haarlem's collective memory for over 30 years; Swarte and Mecanoo's quirky quirk n. 1. A peculiarity of behavior; an idiosyncrasy: "Every man had his own quirks and twists" Harriet Beecher Stowe. 2. , inventive new building adds to the richness of this exchange. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] [GRAPHIC OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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