Brussels theatre Les Tanneurs opens new restaurant and foyer in the Marolles

Located in the heart of the Marolles district of Brussels city centre, Les Tanneurs theatre is finally celebrating the official opening of its new facilities.

After a renovation and refurbishment project that started in 2019, it now boasts a new restaurant, foyer, rehearsal and performance rooms and co-working space.

The francophone theatre in Rue des Tanneurs is showing off its new spaces during a festive opening on 10 February.  

An afternoon of free activities includes theatre visits (reservation necessary), book readings for children and a puppet show. The programme concludes with a concert by MetX Moving Combo, which features singer Israel Alonso who is of Mexican origin and one of the founders of the famous Dia de Meurtos festivities in the Marolles.

He’s invited Moroccan musician Driss Filali, Belgian trumpet player Joris De Beer and French flautist Sylvain Boivert to inaugurate the foyer. Together they will blend Latin American, Moroccan and Belgian sounds.

Younger visitors can join a badge-making workshop, while everyone tucks into pancakes and downs warming hot drinks.

Long-planned transformations to the building also include the creation a small additional room for performances, a mini room for rehearsals and the creation of coworking space “le 4”. The work also involved renovating and exploiting underutilised areas in the theatre.

The demolition of a wall enabled the foyer to double its space; its interior finish features brickwork, wood and black furniture and paintwork.

Aiming to be a cultural hub in the city, the entrance space now houses a bar, ticket office and restaurant. Resto des Tanneurs serves quality food that is locally sourced and favours vegetables.

More than 20,000 people attend events at the 100-seat theatre each season as well as the hundreds of artists who perform onstage.

The project was overseen by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, while the renovation of the foyer was entrusted to Adn architectures.

Photos: ©Théâtre Les Tanneurs