On Local Matters this week, we check out what is happening in Esch. While summer is approaching and the days become warmer, the capital of culture Esch2022 starts blooming. In my eyes, Esch2022 seemed a bit shy in the beginning, but now in June, culture starts rolling in Esch. This week, two sites will be officially opened. The Bridderhaus, where our colleagues from Radio Ara will host the opening of their project Radio Art Zone this Saturday, and the former cinema Ariston, now redesigned as a theatre. I had a look behind the curtains and checked out the new place when it was still a construction site.
The cinema Ariston closed its doors for the last time in 2016, the owner was broke, the building in need of renovation, the audience got used to the new multiplex in Belval. But letting it die would have erased a part of the people’s culture and identity, explains Carole Lorang, director of the theatre in Esch. “It is very important for the people from Esch, very symbolic. Many of them discovered their first films in the Ariston, it was a place to be, to pass the time and to meet friends and new people. There was a café with a skittle lane, and I think it has been an important place for the people from Esch and still is an important place.” The building was doomed, the municipality didn’t want to get the money together to fund the rebirth. It was due to the budget for the capital of culture that they changed their mind. “At the same time, I said that I would like to have a second stage, for our youth theatre groups but also for smaller productions that need a more intimate ambiance. With our big stage at the main theatre, this is difficult, the orchestra pit and the size of the stage create some distance to the audience.”
The intimate framework of the former Ariston is to be the new home for the youth theatre. And it shall improve the overall quality of the theatre productions in Esch. This week, the new theatre will officially open. If you’re curious, you can have a look behind the scenes in a guided tour and watch the first piece on stage, Idiomatic. Guided tours take place from today until Sunday. You can find more information and tickets at theatre.esch.lu.