I had mixed feelings about the Zuiderstrand Theater. On the one hand it was a fine, comfortable auditorium with excellent sight lines and good acoustics. On the other it was really difficult to get to and from, especially by public transport. Oh, and it is the only theatre I have ever been in that had sand swirling around the foyer.
The Zuiderstrand was only ever a temporary building, almost on the beach at Scheveningen, built to accommodate Nederlands Dans Theater and the Residentie Orkest while their new permanent home at the spectacular Amare in the centre of The Hague was being built.
Since the Amare opened last November the Zuiderstrand has been a bit spare, surrounded by ever more numerous blocks of flats. Well, its days in Scheveningen/The Hague are coming to an end and a new home has been found for it. It will be taken down brick by brick, or more accurately, girder by girder, and taken to Oss in Noord Brabant where it will no doubt become that town’s pride an joy.
The theatre has to be demolished by the end of this year as its site is already earmarked for dozens of new homes. The former car park and other open spaces around the theater in the picture above are already covered with new apartment blocks. Michael Hasted 19th May 2022
