On Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October, the A-Theater will spend two days reflecting on a century of theatre, music and stories from Groningen. Although ‘reflecting’ might sound a bit tame for what’s actually going to happen. The anniversary will be celebrated as befits a theatre: with packed auditoriums, music echoing through the corridors and a programme in which the past constantly gives a nod to the present.
A century of stories
Anyone stepping inside the A-Theater enters a building that has been ‘listening in’ for a hundred years. It was opened in 1926 by Grönneger Spraok, an association that sought to keep the Groningen language and culture alive through song and theatre. Much has changed since then. Names have come and gone, the building has taken on new roles, and new generations have taken to the stage. Yet that original role has never completely disappeared.
Groningen flair
It remains a place where stories from Groningen find an audience. That past is not confined to the history books. It is evident in the lines of the Amsterdam School architecture, in the warm colours of the refurbished interior and in the memories of everyone who has ever played, sung or simply watched the stage in the dark here. During the anniversary celebrations, many of those stories will resurface for a while.
Programme - To celebrate 100 special years
Grunneger Oavend
9 October, 8.00 pm – Friday evening begins close to home. During the ‘Grunneger Oavend’, the focus is on the language that once marked the theatre’s beginnings. Not as a museum piece, but simply alive, sharp and sometimes delightfully swirling through the auditorium. The Waark theatre group takes to the stage, Buurman Bolhuis makes a comeback, and Jan Henk de Groot brings songs that sound distinctly Groningen without needing much explanation. It’ll be an evening of humour, music and a sense of familiarity. For those who speak the Groningen dialect, for those who understand it, and indeed for anyone who simply loves to hear how a region sounds when it’s allowed to be itself.
Open Afternoon
10 October, 14:00 – On Saturday afternoon, the doors will swing wide open. No red carpet, no fuss. Just walk straight in and see what’s happening. One moment there’s polyphonic singing; moments later, the atmosphere shifts towards swing and young musicians take to the stage. Zangzaad, Sugarspin and Muziekfabriek Groningen will demonstrate just how many different facets such a theatre can have in a single afternoon. Former winners of the Grunneger Laidjesfestival will also be returning to the stage. That might well make this afternoon the most fitting celebration for a theatre celebrating its centenary. People walk in, linger, bump into acquaintances and are surprised along the way by something they hadn’t planned for. Exactly as a theatre should work.
Roaring Twenties
10 October 20:00 – Saturday evening sees the tempo pick up. The theatre looks back to the year it was founded and brings the atmosphere of the Roaring Twenties to Groningen. Not by neatly recreating the past, but by letting it loose in front of a full house. Them Dirty Dimes bring ragged jazz and blues, Bert Brandsma & his Swing, Jazz & Blues Orchestra put the brass section to work, and Billy and the Blue Boar kick off the evening with a cheerful quirkiness that fits the party perfectly. The sort of evening where sitting still quickly becomes difficult. So the anniversary doesn’t end with a solemn look back, but with music, movement and a theatre full of people. Perhaps that’s the best way to celebrate a hundred years of theatre: not just by looking back, but by showing that there’s still plenty of life left in it.
