Theater aan de Parade, Den Bosch, The Netherlands
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This article first appeared in |
| Written by: Johan C. M. Wolthuis | Issue 38 - April 1995 |
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In the year 1935 when the city of Den Bosch celebrated its 750th
anniversary, a new stage and film theatre called Casino opened its doors.
Since 1955 this theatre has also served as the home for the new Brabant
Symphony Orchestra. In 1960 the theatre was equipped with two Philips DP70 projectors so they were also able to show 70mm films on a slightly curved screen. The first 70mm program here (28.07.1960) was Cole Porter's "Can Can" in Todd-AO and "The Miracle of Todd-AO" and since then they have shown every 70mm film which was released on the Dutch market. However, in 1971 the decision was taken to build a completely new theatre instead of restoring the old one. In 1976 the new complex was ready, it had been built for 16,5 million guilders (nearly USD 10 million). For this amount the city got a multi functional building with three auditoriums, three conference rooms and three foyers. The largest auditorium, with 850 seats, has a stage floor of 35 x 17 metres and a retractable film screen of 7 x 14 meters. However, in the projection room are still the same DP70 projectors from the year 1960 now completed with a modern non-rewind system. They have a Meyer sound installation with five speakers behind the screen and 16 effect speakers in the auditorium. And there are two digital sound systems available: Dolby Digital Sound and Digital Theatre Sound (DTS), with the sound on a seperate CD disc. The projection is straight horizontal on the screen. The red color of the seats and the walls give this auditorium a warm atmosphere. Seeing a film in this theatre is a festive event and having a cup of coffee after the performance is no problem in one of the large foyers. You are not forced to leave the theatre by the rear entrance as is customary in many theatres! In 1990, when the restored "Lawrence of Arabia" was screened, an enjoyable Oase Buffet was served with great success during the intermission in the three foyers. During one and a half hour there was an enormous choice of exotic hot and cold dishes like Irish stew á la Lawrence, etc. These performances were all sold out despite the high price of NLG 37,50 (app USD 25). Last year [1994] the name Casino was changed into Theater aan de Parade because the name Casino has more and more another meaning nowadays. Parade is the name of the square on which the theatre is situated. This year [1995] they showed 70mm prints of "Spartacus", "Far and Away", "Empire of the Sun" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". In the coming season they are programming: again "Lawrence of Arabia", "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "The Fall of the Roman Empire" a non faded print from the Amsterdam Filmmuseum! They really hope that 70mm prints will stay on the market. |
Further in 70mm reading:
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Written by Mr Johan C. M. Wolthuis. Mr Wolthuis has a passion for 70mm films
and founded The International 70mm Association in 1988. In 1994 he organized
The 70mm Promotion Tour Los Angeles in an effort to raise the interest in
70mm film. He is a father of three and lives with his wife and children in
Arnhem, Holland. His favorite film is "Around the World in 80 Days". |
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