The Théâtre de la Monnaie and theatre life in the 18th Century Austrian Netherlands # 2

Theatre belongs to the city as the city belongs to the theatre. Theatre is the crystallisation of what lives in a community and the community mirrors itself in the theatre, finding its own dynamism and dialogue, and by giving an impetus to insight and action. The city culture determined the collective social life in the Austrian Netherlands: the feeling of independence gained from the autonomous urban cultures, stimulated the realisation of an interdependence and consolidation towards a new conception of society and the focal point within that society. The court attempted to unite and appease at the same time. Theatre supplied the symbols and the rituals which shaped and corroborated this recognition. It contributed in the building of a new identity. Bram Van Oostveldt's book describes this social progress from the point of view the theatre and herewith delivers the first extensive report into the influence of the Brussels' Monnaie Theatre on the theatre life in the Dutch speaking part of the Southern Netherlands. His account is also a reflection of a similar research project carried out at the Ghent University from 1996 to 1999. This project, supported by the Flemish Fund for Scientific Research and attracting eminent scholars from Austria, France, Germany, the United States and Belgium (cfr. Studies in Performing Arts and Film 1), strengthened him in his perception of the subject matter.