American Theatre

The American Theatre (Théâtre Américain) is a landmark building and former broadcast studio complex in Brussels, Belgium. It takes its name from the American pavilion designed by architect Edward Durell Stone for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo 58). After the fair, the US government sold the pavilion to the Belgian state for a symbolic one dollar, and the building was repurposed as a studio and performance venue for the national broadcaster. From the late 1950s through 2012, the American Theatre served as a key production facility for Flemish public broadcasting. It was used by the BRT (later VRT) for television recordings, radio broadcasts, and live entertainment. Many iconic Flemish TV shows, series, and events were recorded there, including the Belgian national final of the Eurovision Song Contest, Canzonissima, and De Droomfabriek. The Rolling Stones were interviewed there in 1964. The complex is located on the Heysel plateau in Brussels, within Laeken Park and Osseghem Park, at the corner of Avenue de Madrid and Avenue du Gros Tilleul. It consists of the theatre with its stage tower and, since 1985, the larger rotunda building. The VRT left the American Theatre in 2012, but the building remains a notable heritage site associated with Expo 58 and Belgian broadcasting history.

The American Theatre originated as the United States pavilion at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo 58). The pavilion was designed by American architect Edward Durell Stone and consisted of three cylindrical buildings. The main building was a large structure with a glass and plastic span, 105 meters in diameter and 26 meters high, topped by a bicycle-wheel roof forming a 107-meter canopy. It had 41 entrances and featured a central indoor pond with mobile fountains designed by Alexander Calder. The pavilion housed an experimental television studio where early color television programs were recorded and broadcast, as well as demonstrations of nuclear energy, automation, and early computers. Its star attraction was Circarama, a 360-degree cinema set up by Walt Disney with 11 projectors. The pavilion also included a 1,150-seat theatre equipped with advanced technology. Under coordinator Jean Dalrymple, it hosted performances by many American stars, including Harry Belafonte, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Leontyne Price, Yehudi Menuhin, and others. After the six-month fair, the span, Circarama building, and other structures were demolished, and the US government sold the pavilion to the Belgian state for a symbolic one dollar. Following the fair, the building was made available to the national broadcasting institute NIR-INR. In June 1959, a television appearance by Will Tura was recorded, and the first public recordings took place in October 1959. The lease with the BRT, founded in 1960, ran from 1961 to the summer of 2012. Initially only the theatre with its stage tower was used, but from 1985 the larger rotunda building was also rented. For the young BRT and Flemish television, the building was invaluable, as the new broadcast center on Reyers Boulevard had not yet been built. Until studios became available in 1968, the American Theatre was the only large public studio. Flemish entertainment history was written in the American Theatre. Presenters such as Jan Theys, Walter Capiau, and Luc Appermont hosted many major television shows there. Programs recorded included 100,000 or nothing, the Wies Andersen Show, Voxpop, the Belgian final of the Eurovision Song Contest, later Canzonissima and Eurosong, Sterrenwacht, Pak de poen, the 1 million show, De Droomfabriek, and several seasons of Blokken, as well as more recent programs like LUX, En met basta!, Gebuisd, De Premiejagers, and Goeie Vrijdag. TV series such as Slisse & Cesar, De kolderbrigade, and De Paradijsvogels were filmed there with a live audience. The Rolling Stones were interviewed there in 1964 by Uncle Bob and Aunt Terry on Teen Sounds. The VRT left the American Theatre in 2012. From January 1967 to the end of April 1995, the regional broadcaster for Flemish Brabant of Radio 2 was located in the broadcasting building on Flagey Square in Ixelles. When that building closed for major restoration and renovation, the newsroom and recording studios moved from the radio to the American Theatre.

• 2012

  VRT leaves the American Theatre.

• 1985

  The larger rotunda building is also rented and used.

• 1967

  Radio 2's Flemish Brabant regional broadcaster moves into the building.

• 1964

  The Rolling Stones are interviewed at the American Theatre for Teen Sounds.

• 1961

  Lease with the BRT begins, running until summer 2012.

• 1959

  First television recording (Will Tura) and first public recordings take place.

• 1958

  American pavilion designed by Edward Durell Stone opens at the Brussels World's Fair (Expo 58).

• 1958

  After the fair, the US government sells the pavilion to the Belgian state for one symbolic dollar.

1. 1Théâtre Américain - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org
2. 2American Theatre - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Business Community | Historic Downtown Pocatellohistoricdowntownpocatello.com
4. 4About Ushistoricdowntownpocatello.com