The Importance of Being Barrie

Theater Hof 88 came into existence in 1988 as a direct response to a gap left in Almelo's cultural life. When the municipal theatre De Hagen was sold to the Van der Valk hotel group and converted into the Theaterhotel Almelo, the small performance space that had served local amateur companies and smaller professional productions disappeared with it. Theater Hof 88 took over that role, establishing itself in the former Sint Elizabeth Hospital on Elisabethhof 4 in the city centre. What began primarily as a rehearsal and performance facility for Almelo's amateur arts societies quickly developed a modest professional programme through private initiative. The building today contains several distinct spaces. The Herman Finkerszaal seats 166 and functions as the main theatre room, while the Kapelzaal is configured as a concert hall with 220 seats. A Tuinzaal and Stamzaal serve as additional rehearsal, exhibition and meeting spaces. This combination makes the venue unusually flexible for its size, supporting everything from theatre and cabaret to classical music, family shows and kleinkunst alongside a full film programme as a filmhuis. The venue is also part of the Stichting Openbare Bibliotheek Almelo and belongs to both the national theatre association VSCD and the regional network Overleg Kleine Theaters Overijssel (OKTO). Concert programming at Hof 88 leans toward Dutch language music, with Dutch pop, Dutch indie and Dutch rock making up the bulk of live music events. Artists such as Anneke van Giersbergen, LAKSHMI and the Handsome Poets have all performed here. With well over 100 theatre performances and around 90 arthouse film screenings programmed annually, the venue punches considerably above its modest scale for a mid sized Overijssel city.