Royal Toone Theatre, puppetry company from Brussels
The Royal Toone Theatre is a traditional puppet stage in Brussels, housed in a building from the late 17th century near the old town. The performance hall is small, fitted with wooden benches, and the ground floor holds a bar where visitors can wait or unwind.
Puppet shows in Brussels started in secret during the 16th century, when public theatre was banned by local authorities. Antoine Genty, known as Toone, established the current theatre around 1830, and the name has been passed down through a line of successors ever since.
The name "Toone" comes from Antoine, the first puppeteer who founded this tradition in Brussels in the 19th century. Today, shows are performed in a mix of French, Dutch, English and even Brussels dialect, reflecting how the city speaks and lives.
The theatre sits near the old town and is easy to reach on foot from the city center. Booking ahead is a good idea since shows run in specific languages and seats fill up quickly.
The wooden puppets used on stage can weigh up to 8 kilograms each, with faces carved by hand and costumes sewn by different craftspeople. The current puppeteer was formally enthroned as Toone VIII by the Brussels mayor in 2003, continuing a line of named successors that stretches back nearly 200 years.
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