Thursday, June 28, 2007

the spiegeltent

The Spiegeltent @ Britomart: Auckland Festival March 2007

The Famous Spiegeltent
A European Mirror Tent - the ultimate cabaret and music salon.

Spiegeltents are hand-hewn pavilions used as traveling dance halls, bars and entertainment salons since they were created in the early 20th century. There are only a hand-full of these unique and legendary ‘tents of mirrors’ left in the world today. Built of wood, mirrors, canvas, leaded glass and detailed in velvet and brocade, each has its own personality and style.

The most beautiful of the last remaining Belgian Spiegeltents, The Famous Spiegeltent, was built in 1920 by master craftsmen Oscar Mols Dom and Loius Goor. This Grande Dame has spent her lifetime at the bequest of festivals and fairgrounds throughout Europe and beyond, playing host to the world’s greatest cabaret artists, musicians and circus burlesque performers.

Since Marlene Dietrich sang ‘Falling In love Again’ on The Famous Spiegeltent stage in the 1930’s, its magic mirrors have reflected thousands of images of artists, audiences and exotic gatherings.

The Famous Spiegeltent is the very essence of a festival club, ‘kabaret salon’ and intimate concert hall. Like every old theatre, her ghosts travel with her, woven into ballooning velvet canopies, circular teak dance floor and stained, cut-glass windows. Her intimate booths, ornate bar and beveled mirror columns hold a million secrets while her glorious Art Nouveau chandelier, or trapeze rig, swings overhead.

The Famous Spiegeltent is a mainstay of the Edinburgh Festivals season and is a star in her own right, hosting parties, concerts, clubs and myriad stunning performances. She has launched the careers of countless artists and travels to the four corners of the world from Edinburgh to Melbourne, Brighton to Montreal.

The Famous Spiegeltent embodies the living spirit of her operational team of the cheekiest hat checkers in the business. She is a living legend and will forever remain the stuff of dreams!

Welcome to the unique world within a world of The Famous Spiegeltent!
The Spiegelmaestro (write-up by and @ (
http://www.spiegeltent.net/)

"Construction The Spiegeltent is transported from venue to venue in shipping containers, and is constructed on site at each location. It consists of about 3,000 pieces of wood, mirrors, canvas and leaded glass, and is then detailed in velvet and brocade.


Construction takes about ten to twelve hours, and is supervised by two Belgian specialists. In addition, an adjacent
bar is constructed, which in addition to the lighting and sound equipment takes another few days.

The Spiegeltent can hold an audience of about 300–350 people. "


14 comments:

Abigail S said...

That sounds like such interesting places! I'd love to visit any one of these places!

twilite said...

abigail: that was a quick comment. I have more to add to this post. Thank you.

twilite said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bob said...

I like to learn something new every day and I just did. Thanks for sharing.

twilite said...

bob: you're welcome.

Mother of Invention said...

So you've seen this? It is beautiful...like the circus tent idea only mare sturdy,stable and nice-looking!

twilite said...

MOI: Yes. I was so intrigue when I saw this building and then discover... The inside was even more interesting like a circus but promise not for public eyes.

By the way, I couldn't enter your comments window to enter my comment...sob! Will try tomorrow though.

Irene said...

Fascinating!

Glad to have chanced upon your very entertaining and informative blog. Keep at it! ;p

twilite said...

irene: thank you for your encouraging words.

Joy Des Jardins said...

What an interesting venue. It would be fun to sit inside this tent and watch and listen to a musical show. It really is beautiful.

twilite said...

joy: we can enjoy a drink at the same time!

Abigail S said...

:)

It's always funny when someone posts a comment so quickly after you write it. That's happened to me several times.

mystic rose said...

interesting.. i heard about these before. it sounds wonderful!!

twilite said...

mystic rose: thank you for dropping by.