Summary
In the historic centre of Antwerp, the architects Storme Storkebaum and Van Ranst have redesigned a theatre with a rich historica! past, transforming it into a new cultural meeting place.
Bearing this past in mind, the theatre has been renovated in two phases. All usual facilities, such as the cloakroom and ticket offices, are provided for on the lower floor where integration with an adjoining building has also created a new spacious area for lectures or exhibitions.
On the upper floor we find the theatre with direct access to the refurbished foyer, the VIP lounge and the lavatories. The new concept ensures that visitors can circulate freely. It is this integration of new vision grafted onto the fascinating architectural past which makes the Arenberg theatre – the place where Multatuli and Verlaine once gave readings of their work aloud and Stanley and Cook evoked their voyages of discovery – a new hot familiar meeting place for Antwerp’s cultural public.