Verkadefabriek

Verkadefabriek is a cultural centre and cinema in 's-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch), in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It occupies the former Verkade biscuit factory on the Boschdijkstraat, a building whose industrial origins date to the early twentieth century. The complex opened in 2004 after a conversion designed by architect Hubert-Jan Henket, and it now houses two theatre halls, five cinema screens, a club hall, a café-restaurant and rehearsal rooms. The venue programmes a broad mix of performing arts and film: theatre, cabaret, dance, music, children's performances and arthouse and mainstream cinema. According to Dutch Wikipedia, it hosts roughly 400 performances and 6,000 film screenings each year, and in 2019 more than 210,000 people attended a film, theatre, cabaret, dance, music or children's performance there. The café-restaurant seats 120 people. Several theatre and dance companies are regular users of the building, including Minoux, Panama Pictures, Theater Artemis, Matzer Theaterproducties, Lucas de Man and Paleis voor Volksvlijt. The venue also hosts touring events such as the Mezrab Storytelling Nights from Amsterdam, and it presents work by emerging makers under the label Young Blood. Verkadefabriek is a municipal cultural facility rather than a commercial brand in the consumer-goods sense, but it operates as a branded cultural venue with its own identity, programming and audience. Its name preserves the memory of the Verkade biscuit company, which produced biscuits in the building from 1929 until 1993.

The building that now houses Verkadefabriek began as an industrial bakery. In the early twentieth century it was the Eerste Bossche Stoom- Koek- Biscuits- Banket- Beschuit- en Suikerwerkenfabriek De Nijverheid C.L. Verhagen - Van Oorschot. In 1929 the factory was sold to Verkade, and from then on Verkade biscuits were baked there. This continued until 1993, when production moved to Zaandam and the 's-Hertogenbosch factory closed. The old biscuit factory stood empty for years. In 2001 the theatre company ZT Hollandia performed 'Varkens/Boeren' there, and the Verkadefabriek came into view as a possible location for a new arts centre. In 2002 Theater Artemis brought its gigantic production 'Katharina, Katharina in het ganzenbord' to the building. In February of that same year the 's-Hertogenbosch municipal council decided to convert the Verkadefabriek into a complex for theatre, film and hospitality. Architect Hubert-Jan Henket was approached in 2002 to convert the building. He preserved the characteristic features of the old factory in his design for the new centre. Elements such as the shed roofs were retained, which means there is daylight almost everywhere in the Verkadefabriek. Some old parts of the building had to be demolished because they had decayed too far or were unsuitable for new functions. The defining bakery and dispatch halls on the Boschdijkstraat were kept and extended. The eighteen thousand old yellow floor tiles from the dispatch area (used as the café-restaurant) were removed, cleaned one by one and re-laid. The official opening took place in September 2004. Since opening, Verkadefabriek has operated as a cultural centre with two theatre halls, five cinema screens, a club hall, a café-restaurant and rehearsal rooms. It programmes roughly 400 performances and 6,000 film screenings a year. In 2019 more than 210,000 people visited a film, theatre, cabaret, dance, music or children's performance there. The café-restaurant seats 120 people. Regular resident companies include Minoux, Panama Pictures, Theater Artemis, Matzer Theaterproducties, Lucas de Man and Paleis voor Volksvlijt. The venue also hosts touring events such as the Mezrab Storytelling Nights and presents emerging makers under the Young Blood label.

• 2019

  More than 210,000 people visit a film, theatre, cabaret, dance, music or children's performance at Verkadefabriek.

• 2004

  Official opening of Verkadefabriek as a complex for theatre, film and hospitality in September.

• 2002

  Theater Artemis performs 'Katharina, Katharina in het ganzenbord'; in February the municipal council decides to convert the building; architect Hubert-Jan Henket is approached.

• 2001

  ZT Hollandia performs 'Varkens/Boeren' in the empty factory, bringing it into view as a possible arts centre.

• 1993

  Production moves to Zaandam and the 's-Hertogenbosch factory closes.

• 1929

  The factory is sold to Verkade; Verkade biscuits are baked there until 1993.

A municipal cultural centre and cinema in a converted industrial heritage building, programming theatre, film, dance, music and children's performances for audiences in 's-Hertogenbosch and the surrounding region.

• Theatre performances

• Film screenings

• Cabaret

• Dance

• Music concerts

• Children's performances

• Café-restaurant

1. 1Verkadefabriek Den Boschverkadefabriek.nl
2. 2Mezrab Storytelling Nights | Verkadefabriekverkadefabriek.nl
3. 3Verkadefabriekwikidata.org
4. 4Verkadefabriek ('s-Hertogenbosch)nl.wikipedia.org