Thalia Theatre (Paramaribo)

The Thalia Theatre Company was founded on 27 April 1837.[1] In December 1837, a terrain on the Dr. J. F. Nassylaan was acquired.[2] The theatre was built by architect Johan August Voigt with a capacity of 700 seats,[3] and opened on 20 January 1840.[4] Slaves and people on barefoot where initially not allowed in the theatre.[5]

In the late 19th century, there was disagreement about the future direction of the theatre. On 4 February 1894, former chairman Wessels postulated that there were two kinds of members: anarchists and conservatives.[6] The staging of a play dedicated to the governor van Wijck culminated in a public fistfight and the hospitalisation of one member of the theatre.[7]

In the 1950s, the theatre started to focus on producing their own plays and started to perform some plays in Sranan Tongo, the Creole spoken in Suriname.[8] The theatre company Pohama performed at Thalia as well, and was known for their 1 July event dedicated to the emancipation of slavery in Suriname.[9]

Inside the theatre

In the late 20th century, the building was in poor shape, and even demolition was considered.[10] In 2011, Thalia Theatre was restored, and reopened with reduced capacity of 500 seats.[11]

• Kempen, Michiel van (2002). Een geschiedenis van de Surinaamse literatuur. Deel 3. Paramaribo: Okopipi. ISBN 99914-640-4-2.

• Theater Thalia (in Dutch)

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