Royal Flemish Theatre (KVS)
Brussels city theatre of 1887, restored with a glass extension and a multilingual programme.
The Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg was built between 1883 and 1887 to designs by Jean Baes, on the site of a former arsenal beside a filled-in dock in the north of central Brussels. Baes used an iron frame clad in brick and stone, with external iron balconies that doubled as escape routes, an early response to the theatre fires of the period. The auditorium follows the Italian horseshoe plan. The building was closed in 1998 for a long restoration and reopened in 2006 with new technical installations and a glazed volume rising above the historic shell.
KVS is the Flemish city theatre of Brussels and works in a bilingual and multilingual capital, surtitling most productions in Dutch, French or English. Its programme mixes its own productions with work by Belgian and international companies, and covers spoken theatre, dance, music and debate. Performances take place in the main auditorium known as the BOL, in the smaller BOX and TOP spaces at Rue de Flandre, and in the Rue de Laeken building. The theatre also runs projects with schools and residents of the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Highlights
- Iron balconies and escape stairs on the 1887 facade
- Horseshoe auditorium restored and reopened in 2006
- Productions surtitled in Dutch, French and English
- Second stages BOX and TOP near Rue de Flandre
