SINCE 1977 - Danny Vera

Theater aan het Vrijthof is the main theatre of Maastricht, standing on the Vrijthof, the large square at the centre of the city. The sources differ on some dates: one gives 1982 as the opening, another says the building went up around 1990, and the theatre's own history places Maastricht's theatre in the former Generaalshuis on the Vrijthof since 1992. Planning for a music house on the site began in 1981, and the building was opened after extensive renovations. The Neoclassical General's House serves as the entrance, with the box office and foyers inside it. The theatre is used for both concerts and stage performances, and it is the home base of Philharmonie ZuidNederland. The venue sits within a long local tradition. Maastricht's theatre life began with French professional theatre in the second half of the 17th century, when a wooden tent on the Market Square and later a converted riding school on the Jekerstraat served French soldiers. Theatre became a civic affair when the Jesuit Church was turned into the Bonbonnière, the municipal theatre, before the move to the Vrijthof. The programme is meant to be widely accessible while staying artistically ambitious. It reflects Maastricht's position as provincial capital by including professional and amateur companies from the city, performances by students of the Conservatory and the Toneelacademie, and events organised by Maastricht University. The theatre produces Festival Musica Sacra and acts as the festival heart of the Nederlandse Dansdagen. It also works with other major events in the city, including TEFAF and André Rieu's summer concerts on the Vrijthof, with which the venue is closely associated. The square outside, ringed by historic buildings, hotels, cafés and clubs such as the Groote Sociëteit and the Momus building, gives the theatre an unusually central setting.