Theatre De Machinefabriek
 

DE MACHINEFABRIEK
Bloemstraat 38
9712 LE GRONINGEN
Box office and Information 00-31-50-311 33 88 / info@nnt.nl

Since 1996 the noord nederlands toneel (NNT) resides in THEATRE DE MACHINEFABRIEK (The Machine factory). This building used to be the residence of the ‘Gemeentelijk Energie Bedrijf’ (Municipal Power Company), and holds our offices, workshops and theatre.

The building (built in 1896) used to be a coal powered power station of the Groningen Power Company. Until about 1930 it provided electricity for the entire city of Groningen. Later, when this function was taken over by other power stations, the building was used as the technical workshop of the power company.

The auditorium used to be full of turbines, pumps and switchboxes. In a drawing made in 1942 it is called the machine room (machinekamer). The scene shop used to be the kettleroom, the foyer was the high voltage switch room, and our offices were the battery room or the storage for broken materials.

The auditorium is a so-called black box, measuring 14m. x 25m. x 7m. (14m. x 17m. x 7m. with a seated audience) The seating capacity is 160. Only the NNT performs in DE MACHINEFABRIEK.

The theatre has two foyers. The downstairs foyer, where you enter our building, holds the box office and a bar. The upstairs foyer is used as a restaurant (serving up to 50 people). Our cook, Mama Moos, a well-known caterer in Groningen, serves a different menu for each production.

With our own theatre and the many plays we have performed in it, we have strengthened our ties with the city of Groningen and its people. Being the theatre company of the North we hope to continue to contribute to the cultural climate of both the city of Groningen and the Northern provinces (Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe).