Stages of a Theatre, film (2022) Dear friends – The demolition of our theatre has started already in 2015 and its full destruction was completed in March 2022. Surprising is that although it was the very first building, Rem Koolhaas (today one of the most influential architects) ever built, there was and is no mention about its disappearance anywhere. Therefore we have decided to make a document about this extraordinary building. We organized a meeting between Rem and myself on our old stage, to recall the circumstances around its birth, life and death. Rem and I haven't met since 1987, the year the theatre was opened, so there was plenty of "ammunition" for a substantial talk. The disappearance of this building seems to me quite symbolic because it was the first major theatre in the world built specifically for dance. Many of you have visited it or even performed in it, but many are not really aware of what it represented. Here is a brief overview: It was built in 1987 by architect Rem Koolhaas. Carel Birnie, the administrative director of the Nederlands Dans Theater, was the major driving force behind it.
It was largely financed by NDT's own money and after its completion it became the home to our three ensembles: * NDT I - a company for dancers between 22 and 40 years of age * NDT II - a junior company for young dancers just out of school * NDT III - a small group of dancers between 40 and death... Holland Dance Festival was also born in this house and is still alive and kicking. Its stage became a host to a great number of dance companies and opera ensembles. Many premieres by internationally respected choreographers took place there. Let me mention at least a few: Hans van Manen, Nacho Duato, Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Johan Inger, Maurice Béjart, Alexander Ekman, Martha Clarke, Robert Wilson, Ohad Naharin, Marco Goecke, Crystal Pite and many others - I apologize for mentioning only a few. I could easily continue for a considerable time mentioning interesting events and special occasions this house experienced in its very colorful life span of 34 years. Having spent much of my professional life in this theatre I felt the need to make a document capturing at least some of the aspects of its most exciting history. Jiří Kylián - The Hague, May 20, 2022