The Theatre of Van Campen ( nl, Schouwburg van Van Campen, ) was a theatre located at

Keizersgracht The Keizersgracht (; "Emperor's canal") is a canal in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is the second of the three main Amsterdam canals that together form the Grachtengordel, or canal belt, and lies between the inner Herengracht and outer Prinsengr ...

384 in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. It was the first city theatre, based on the

Teatro Olimpico The Teatro Olimpico ("Olympic Theatre") is a theatre in Vicenza, northern Italy, constructed in 1580–1585. The theatre was the final design by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio and was not completed until after his death. The ...

in Italy. Since 1999 the building has been occupied by "" hotel. The theatre was built in 1637, by

Jacob van Campen Jacob van Campen (2 February 1596 - 13 September 1657) was a Dutch artist and architect of the Dutch Golden Age, Golden Age. Life He was born into a wealthy family at Haarlem, and spent his youth in his home town. Being of noble birth and wit ...

, who coined the word Schouwburg for it. It replaced the Duytsche Academy of

Samuel Coster Samuel Coster (1 September 1579, Amsterdam – 1665) was a Dutch playwright. Coster was the fifth child of Adriaen Lennaertz, sexton and carpenter, and Aeltgen Jansd. By around 1605, he was a member of the Amsterdam rederijkerskamer "De Eglan ...

previously on the site, originally set up to broaden access to science by putting on lectures in the national vernacular rather than Latin (although other activities also took place, such as painting competitions). Coster, together with playwright

Bredero Gerbrand Adriaenszoon Bredero (16 March 1585 – 23 August 1618) was a Dutch poet and playwright in the period known as the Dutch Golden Age. Life Gerbrand Adriaenszoon Bredero was born on 16 March 1585 in Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic ...

, had had this Academy built as a simple wooden building, to the Italian model, in 1617. Both Coster and Bredero came from the tradition of

Rederijkers Chambers of rhetoric ( nl, rederijkerskamers) were dramatic societies in the Low Countries. Their members were called Rederijkers (singular Rederijker), from the French word 'rhétoricien', and during the 15th and 16th centuries were mainly inte ...

, and both were members been of the Rederijker "In Liefde Bloeyende". These societies developed in the early 17th century and, through their study of poetic texts, marked the beginnings of modern theatre in the Netherlands. Amsterdam was in the midst of her

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during ...

, and gradually the possibility a permanent theater building began to be debated. Van Campen, known as an architect and the designer of the

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Massa ...

, designed a simple permanent theatre, again according to the contemporary Italian example from that time, to replace the Academy. This theatre was due to be opened on 26 December 1637 with '' Gijsbrecht van Aemstel'', a play specially written for the occasion by

Vondel Joost van den Vondel (; 17 November 1587 – 5 February 1679) was a Dutch poet, writer and playwright. He is considered the most prominent Dutch poet and playwright of the 17th century. His plays are the ones from that period that are still most ...

. Vondel had also written the text in the

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; from it, architrave "chief beam", also called an epistyle; from Greek ἐπίστυλον ''epistylon'' "door frame") is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can ...

of the theatre's entrance: :''De weereld is een speeltoneel'' :''Elck speelt zijn rol en krijght zijn deel'' :''(The world is a theatre,'' :''Everyone plays his role and gets his part)'' This entrance still survives from the original building. The

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

kerkeraad (church council) of the municipality, however, attempted to stop the theatre opening, but were only temporarily successful, for the theatre was in the end still opened on 3 January 1638, with Vondel's play. The theater of Van Campen served until 1664, when it became clear it was too small and ill-keeping with the

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

of the 1660s. The theatre temporarily closed at the outbreak of the

Second Anglo-Dutch War The Second Anglo-Dutch War or the Second Dutch War (4 March 1665 – 31 July 1667; nl, Tweede Engelse Oorlog "Second English War") was a conflict between Kingdom of England, England and the Dutch Republic partly for control over the seas a ...

and the new building, - twice as large as the old one and adapted to the requirements of that time - finally opened May 26, 1665. This theatre burned in 1772 after a rope caught fire after a performance.

Notes

External links

Toneelagenda Amsterdam 1617-1665
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schouwburg Of Van Campen 17th century in Amsterdam Former theatres in the Netherlands History of theatre Buildings and structures in Amsterdam 1637 establishments in the Dutch Republic