Historie Maaspoort

Maaspoort

Maaspoort is het grootste theater in Noord- en Midden-Limburg. Het huidige gebouw is gebouw in 1984. Het gebouw omvatte vanaf de start een grote zaal met een podiumtoneel met een capaciteit van 764 stoelen, een kleine zaal met een capaciteit van 220 stoelen en een vijftal vergaderruimtes. Maaspoort presenteerde zich vanaf het begin met een brede keuze aan voorstellingen, vooral op het gebied van dans, visueel theater en muziek. In het programma was en is de professionele podiumkunst van groot belang, maar Maaspoort startte en ondersteunde ook voorstellingen op semiprofessionele en amateurbasis en is een succesvolle eventlocatie. Maaspoort werkt samen met culturele en maatschappelijke groepen uit de regio. Jaarlijks vinden er in De Maaspoort een kleine 300 activiteiten plaats, die 130.000 tot 150.000 bezoeken generen.

1981

In 1981, Stichting Congres- en Cultureel Centrum Venlo was established, which set up Congres- en Cultureel Centrum Venlo B.V. after its installation. The foundation's board consisted of three members from the Municipal Executive, three members from the city council and five members from Venlo's socio-cultural life.

1983

Construction of the theatre began on 3 April 1982. In December 1983, the name Congres- en Cultureel Centrum Venlo B.V. was changed to De Maaspoort Venlo B.V. On 24 August 1984, "De Maaspoort" was officially opened by Queen Beatrix. Besides culture in De Maaspoort, the management also dedicated itself to bringing events to Venlo that did not take place within the walls of the theatre. Still today, De Maaspoort is closely involved in organising events like the Boètegewoëne Boètezitting and the Ouverture. Gradually, De Maaspoort acquired a permanent place in North Limburg. On 1 January 1991, the Maaspoort was given A-status by the board of the Association of Theatre and Concert Hall Managements. Alongside the city theatre in Heerlen, this made De Maaspoort the second A-Theatre in Limburg.

2000

In 2000, the building was technically modernised by raising the stage tower from 18.68 metres to over 24 metres and installing the automatically operated fly screen. In November 2003, there was a change of directors. The then director, Marcel 't Sas, further shaped the plans to expand De Maaspoort and wanted to lower the threshold even further and strengthen cooperation with cultural institutions, such as Filmtheater De Nieuwe Scene, in the region.

2010

In 2010, Marcel 't Sas was succeeded by Leon Thommassen as director. Mr Thommassen took care of the realisation of the renovation and expansion in 2013. The façade was modified with a glass front and became part of the Maasboulevard and all existing spaces were renovated. Watch the film here.

The architecture of De Maaspoort's new building is based on a free form that has a connecting function. The interplay of lines on the Maas side is inspired by the Maas, the rippling water. The interplay of lines running from the existing building to the new building has a connecting factor. The lines automatically guide the eye from the existing building to the Maas side of the building and vice versa, the eye is drawn from the Maas side to the city side. The point above the terrace emphasises this line and gives extra emphasis to the terrace. We see the building and its connecting function in various ways: connection between Q4, the Maas, the city. Connection between old and new and the connection between inside and outside.

The assignment at the time was challenging because a complicated building with a limited budget was to be renovated and extended. Partly because of this, the industrial design with a lot of steel construction was chosen. This is a relatively cheap construction method. To compensate for this, we worked with space and heights. The colour of the building (white) is also unique to the city. For these various reasons, it has become a real eye-catcher in the Venlo cityscape.

The large theatre hall (now Hela hall) has been expanded by 36 seats, bringing the total capacity to 750 seats. In addition, the theatre was expanded with a middle auditorium (the Frans Boermans hall) on the second floor with a flexible capacity of 350 seats on a retractable stand and balcony or 1,200 standing seats. Leon Thommassen also implemented several organisational changes which led to De Maaspoort experiencing its most successful years ever.

2014

In May 2014, the Scheuten terrace was opened which has received plenty of praise in media such as Elsevier, Telegraaf, Talkies, Linda News, Culy and interior magazines such as Villa d'Arte. In early 2015, De Maaspoort won the award for best event venue and best conference venue in the Netherlands region South, and Restaurant Cabillaud opened in October 2015. In the atmospheric ambience overlooking the Meuse, we believe we can give people a holiday feeling but close to home. The dishes are distinctive, the wines are surprising, we offer excellent service and all this in a special location with experience. The Maaspoort continues to build and develop. In May 2017, the Theaterhotel Venlo was opened with which De Maaspoort has a special partnership.

2024

The Maaspoort will be 40 years old in 2024 and is seizing the anniversary year to rebrand. De Maaspoort Theatre & Events will change its name to Maaspoort. The new logo is powerful and simple and is inspired by the old city gate de Luif. In the summer of 2024, restaurants Cabillaud will close. The restaurant will make way for a more accessible concept so that more guests can enjoy the beautiful place on the second floor of the building. Scheuten rooftop bar will be open every weekend in summer.