Stef Bos | Bloemlezing

Theater 't Voorhuys is a two hall theatre on the Beursstraat in Emmeloord, the main town of the Noordoostpolder polder in Flevoland. Its origins are inseparable from the postwar reclamation of that polder: construction began in 1952, the year the Directie Wieringermeer completed the draining of the Noordoostpolder, and the building opened on 23 December 1953. Architect Alexander Bodon designed the complex as a combined trade fair building, theatre hall and café, a multipurpose civic anchor for a brand new community that had not existed a decade earlier. The main auditorium seats 520 people, making it a mid sized regional stage by Dutch standards. The programme covers a broad range of live performance, from cabaret and comedy to classical music, theatre productions and dance. Its position as one of only four theatres in the province of Flevoland means it serves a wide catchment area across the polder region. Since 2015 the venue has been managed by Cultuurbedrijf Noordoostpolder, the same organisation that runs Museum Schokland, Kunstuitleen Emmeloord and the local Muzisch Centrum, which places 't Voorhuys within a broader cultural network for the area. The theatre is also a member of the Vereniging van Schouwburg en Concertgebouwdirecties, the Dutch association that represents professional theatre and concert hall operators across the country. With more than seven decades of programming behind it, the building remains the central venue for live performance in the Noordoostpolder.