Joost Spijkers | ZIEL & ZALIG

Theater De Storm in Winterswijk has roots going back to 1898, when the Vereeniging Volksfeest Winterswijk commissioned an event building on the current site, which served as a local performance space from the start. A storm eventually destroyed that original structure, and in 1969 a completely new theater was built in its place, taking the name Schouwburg De Storm before becoming known simply as Theater De Storm. The venue sits in the Achterhoek region of the eastern Netherlands and functions as the main cultural anchor for Winterswijk and its surroundings. The building contains two halls of notably different scale. The main auditorium seats 609 and handles larger theatrical productions, concerts and cabaret shows, while a smaller hall with 216 seats caters to more intimate performances. The programming runs a wide range from straight theater and cabaret to children's shows and classical concerts. The theater also offers a subscription arrangement it calls "cocktails," where visitors choose several shows within a particular genre at a reduced combined price, which gives the venue a loyal local audience rather than just a one off crowd. Over the years the concert calendar has drawn both Dutch and international artists. Golden Earring performed there multiple times between 2000 and 2006, and Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel played there in 2005. More recently the venue has hosted acts such as Suzan and Freek, Ricky Koole, the Leif De Leeuw Band, and Portuguese fado singer Cristina Branco, reflecting a programming range that stretches well beyond regional Dutch pop.