http://www.bronks.be

BRONKS was founded at the end of 1991 in Brussels on the initiative of Oda Van Neygen. It produces and presents innovating and contemporary youth theatre for a young audience. The BRONKS productions are not only staged in Brussels, but also tour throughout Flanders and abroad. Since March 2009 BRONKS has its own theatre on the Varkensmarkt in Brussels.

BRONKS has built up a strong reputation with its own productions. Although BRONKS frequently collaborates with kids and youngsters, it primarily works with professional actors. In the early years, Paul Peyskens and Michel Van Beirendonck put on performances with youngsters such as Het Hamletmachien and Honni soit qui mal y pense. Later on, kids and youngsters were involved in smaller, but nevertheless very interesting projects with professional theatre makers that would sporadically evolve into fully-fledged productions.

As one of the main aims of BRONKS is to continually add new sparks to youth theatre by working with young and freshly graduated actors and directors - Dimitri Leue, Raven Ruëll, Joris Van den Brande and Jan Sobrie all started their career at BRONKS - but also by spurring established artists working in different disciplines - cartoonist Eric Joris, choreographer Marie De Corte, musicians from Zap Mama and Sukilove, film maker Fien Troch -  to make a production for kids.

For some artists it’s a one-off project. Others, in the meantime, who took their first steps in youth theatre with BRONKS, have become household names within the genre or are well on their way to become them. For example, Dimitri Leue, Pascale Platel and Mieja Hollevoet. Not only they, but also others such as Raven Ruëll have been awarded with significant theatre prizes such as the Signaalprijs or the 1000 Wattprijs. Pascale Platel even won the prestigious Theaterfestivalprijs 2002 for her production ‘Ola Pola Potloodgat’. This only goes to confirm the ‘mature’ position of youth theatre within the Flemish-Holland theatre.

Aside from carrying out a strong-willed production policy with freelance artists, BRONKS also wishes to host both national and international theatre groups in Brussels that stand for quality and innovating theatre. Compagnie de Koe, de Roovers, Kopergietery, Laika, luxemburg, Theate FroeFroe and from the Netherlands Speeltheater Holland, Stella Den Haag, Theater FroeFroe and Theatergroep Wederzijds, just to name a few popular guests.

BRONKS has an extensive education programme for schools as well as for kids and youngsters who turn to the performing arts in their free time. BRONKS puts on performances in schools in Brussels for infants and elementary school kids as well as students in secondary school. BRONKS is one of the few theatre houses where companies that play the standard evening performances such as de Koe, de Roovers and SKaGeN also take on performances for youngsters.

From the beginning BRONKS has invested in a strong educational working within schools, troughout try-outs, introductions and after talks within the school walls. On top, children from age 10 to 13 wishing to experience theatre in all its aspects and to reflect upon it can sign up for BRIK2S. The aim is to regularly attend performances and actively work on the subject before and after.

The highlight of BRONKS is the yearly festival, which takes place in the beginning of November. On the festival, BRONKS showcases interesting productions of the past season and promising new work by other companies. The festival also marks the première of at least one BRONKSproduction and the early results of children’s workshops are presented.

BRONKS not only creates productions, but also tours the cultural centres and theatres in Flanders and the Netherlands. Since a few years, it has also been exploring other countries or regions. It toured extensively throughout France with French versions of De Koning van de Paprikachips, Ola Pola Potloodgat, Toope en Toetonne and Scoliozee d’Artrozee. BRONKS has also occasionally put on productions in other European countries such as Switzerland, Germany and Austria.