Playing along
Theatre and Public Space
A.W.A.M.A. Bruins Slot (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
J.S. Zeinstra – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
M. Parravicini – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
The Theatre, an urban figure with a long-standing history in the context of European cities. From Dionysian festivals in the large amphitheatres of ancient Greece. To the street performances in the loud, dirty, chaotic streets of medieval Northern Europe. To the gilded theatres of the bourgeoisie, where theatre became a tool of social status and class division. After WWI and WWII theatres arose that attempted to break with tradition by becoming places for political expression and experimentation. Which brings us to our current moment in time. In the Netherlands theatres are largely subsidized by the government or hyper commercialized to stay afloat. The relevance and function of theatre in our society is being questioned. What is the future of theatre?
It is within this uncertainty about the role of theatre that Theatre de Veste positions its ambition for the future. They imagine the theatre as a public space where all parts of society are welcome and can engage in a meaningful way. Currently, Theatre de Veste is located on the south-west side of the historic city centre of Delft in a building dating from 1995. The organisation feels that its ambitions have outgrown its current situation and are looking to relocate.
The site chosen for this project is located at the South-West side of the historic city centre of Delft. Currently it functions as an urban back land. It contains a temporary parking structure, the back gardens of houses with their small sheds, a garage and a car rental, and a charity shop. The challenge of the project lies in manoeuvring a large building such as a contemporary theatre into the small-grain urban fabric of Delft.
The ambitions of Theatre de Veste pose interesting questions: what is the future of theatre, and in turn, the theatre of the future? To find answers to these questions, this project positions itself as an exploration of public space, with theatre as its core function. It asks how such a space can be balanced with the technical, organisational, and commercial realities of a fully operative contemporary theatre. How can a space be created that the people of Delft can use and inhabit in a meaningful way, and what if theatre alone is no longer sufficient as a reason to gather?