Spiegeltent

A spiegeltent (Dutch for "mirror tent", from spiegel+tent) is a large travelling tent, constructed from wood and canvas and decorated with mirrors and stained glass, intended as an entertainment venue.[1][2][3][4] Originally built in Belgium during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, only a handful of these spiegeltents remain in existence today, and these survivors continue to travel around Europe and beyond, often as a feature attraction at various international arts festivals. Two tents used by Teatro ZinZanni have been in (more or less) fixed locations in Seattle and San Francisco for several years.[5] The Melba Spiegeltent spent the better part of a century touring Europe, but is now permanently located in Melbourne, Australia.[6] The Famous Spiegeltent, built in 1920, was first used in the Adelaide Fringe in 2000 and is now owned by an Australian jazz piano player David Bates.

Glimburgercafé's spiegeltent at Veerpont Meeswijk-Berg

On 1 April 2011, Spiegelworld opened Absinthe at Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada in the 26-metre Salon Marlene spiegeltent. In 2007 the first spiegeltent arrived in Africa and toured South Africa as part of Madame Zingara's Theatre of Dreams dinner circus extravaganza.[7]

Origins and history
Indoor shot of Glimburgercafé's spiegeltent, near Meeswijk, Belgium

The original spiegeltents were constructed in the Flemish Region of Belgium in the late 19th century as mobile dance halls. They were transported around the country and assembled for town fairs in areas that did not have a proper dance hall.

Older
  • The Melba Spiegeltent - 1910 Belgian tent, now based in Melbourne and owned by Circus Oz. Holds 250 people.[8]
  • Palais Romantique - an Art Deco spiegeltent which is 17 metres in diameter and holds 300 people.
  • Palais Nostalgique - 1920 currently used for a standing show in San Francisco, California. Holds 295 people.
  • Le Moulin Rouge - 1910 currently used for a standing show in Seattle, Washington. Holds 295 people.
  • La Gayola - an Art Deco spiegeltent 1947 which holds 350 people.
  • La Gaieté - an original Klessens tent 1932, 16 diameter, which holds 300 people
  • Ideal - an Art Nouveau spiegeltent, handmade 1948, which holds 320 people.
  • The Famous Spiegeltent
  • Idolize - One of a kind spiegeltent in Baroque style with a capacity of 450 guests.[9]
  • Parel van Vuren - Holding up to 350 people and 18 metres in diameter. Built by Belgium's renowned Klessen family in 1905.[10]

Newer
  • Aurora - holding up to 800 people and 24 metres in diameter. Art Deco.
  • Palais des Glaces, 22 diameter, Art Nouveau 1992. Capacity: Up to 300 people.
  • Salon Revue 22 diameter, Art Nouveau 2006
  • Bon Vivant - Nostalgic dance hall in Art Nouveau style.
  • Kempisch Danspaleis - mirrored dance tent.
  • Cristal Palace - 18 metres in diameter for up to 400 people.
  • Carrousel - Interior in oak. Capacity : up to 300 people for dinner.
  • De Lust - A rectangular mirror tent for up to 500 people.
  • Salon Perdu - 20 diameter in Jugendstil stile; holds up to 550 people.[9]
  • Deluxe - One of the smallest spiegeltents. Capacity: 225 guests.[9]
  • Paradiso- Exceptional tent in Jugendstil stile, diameter 24 metres, capacity: 800 guests[9]
  • Victoria - One of the most luxurious mirror tents.[11] 25m diameter, 1000 people standing, 600 seated and 420 seated for dinner.[12][13]

The Melba Spiegeltent (Melbourne, Australia)

History

Built in Belgium in 1910 by mirror designer Oscar Mols Dom and tent maker Louis Goor, The Melba Spiegeltent spent almost a century travelling across Europe.[14] Originally called The Bacaladera, the tent saw performances including Edith Piaf and Kurt Weil.

Frank Gasser, widely regarded as the godfather of circus and carnival entertainment in Australia, had long admired the beauty of the Spiegeltents and was desperate for one of his own.[15] His dream came true when he met Vita Sachtler in 2006, who had acquired the Spiegeltent as a deal in a barter. While in Germany chasing up a debt, the client had no money to offer but offered the Bacaladera Spiegeltent in exchange, which had been stored in old shed in the middle of the Black Forest. An agreement was made and the Spiegeltent was restored and re-introduced to the touring circuit running a show called Palais Des Fous in Germany.

When Gasser met Sachtler he could not believe his good fortune, as she was prepared to sell, and after nearly a century of traveling Europe from festival to festival, The Bacaladera found a home in Melbourne. Gasser performed some restoration work, updated the façade and renamed her "The Melba Spiegeltent", after the Australian opera soprano Dame Nellie Melba.

Current use

The Melba Spiegeltent is now permanently situated within the Collingwood Arts Precinct at the home of Circus Oz, and hosts events including circus, cabaret, comedy, theatre, live music and festivals. Performances have included Missy Higgins, Uncle Jack Charles and Lawrence Leung.

In 2018, The Melba won Best Venue at the Melbourne Fringe Festival.[16]

The Famous Spiegeltent
The Famous Spiegeltent, at The Arts Centre (Melbourne)

History

The Famous Spiegeltent, perhaps the most lavishly decorated of all, was built in 1920 in Belgium by master craftsmen Oscar Mols Dom and Louis Goor. Over the decades it has hosted some of the world's greatest performing artists, including German singer Marlene Dietrich, who famously performed "Falling in Love Again" in it during the 1930s.[17]

Construction

The Famous 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 stained glass, and is then detailed in velvet and brocade.[17] It requires about 12 people to construct the 19 metres (62 ft) round venue,

The Famous Spiegeltent can hold an audience of about 316 people.

Current use

The Famous Spiegeltent is as of 2020 owned and managed by Australian jazz pianist and theatrical producer David Bates, who first utilised the tent as a venue at the 1996 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. After a successful visit to the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2000, Bates bought the tent from previous owners Scottish & Newcastle and set it up as a unique travelling venue. It is a regular venue for Adelaide Fringe performances, usually within the venue cluster known as "The Garden of Unearthly Delights" in Rundle Park, Adelaide,[18] and was used for the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2019. It still regularly tours Australia and goes to Edinburgh each year.[19]

Cabaret Sauvage (Paris, France)

The Cabaret Sauvage is a "Magic Mirrors" spiegeltent located in the Parc de la Villette, at 59, boulevard Macdonald, in the 19th  arrondissement of Paris, near the metro station of Porte de la Villette. The Cabaret Sauvage was created by Méziane Azaïche and inaugurated in December 1997. The Cabaret Sauvage has a diameter of 26 meters and a capacity of 600 people seated or 1,200 people standing.

Magic Mirrors Le Havre (France)

Magic Mirrors Le Havre is a unique place, both in its characteristics and the wealth of events it hosts. Since 2010, this spiegeltent made of wood and canvas, set in the middle of the basins, vibrates by the eclecticism of its official programming and the events that animate it: there are in turn organized concerts of all musical aesthetics, festivals, balls, readings, meetings, thematic days, charity events, receptions, gastronomic rendezvous, ... etc., some 120 dates a year.

Designed in the style of a ballroom of the roaring twenties, this warm shelter plunges the public into a cozy atmosphere, art nouveau atmosphere: upon arrival, the viewer is enveloped in the warm atmosphere of the carmine velvet and the assembly woodwork, windows and mirrors. The circular configuration of the marquee, in the center of which the floor dance floor is open to the public, reinforces the feeling of conviviality specific to this room.

A veritable showroom with a capacity of 950 people standing, and 550 people in sitting configuration, the Magic Mirrors is now a must. It welcomes around 60,000 people a year[20] and has the advantage of adapting to any type of event (including private or associative) and public, from the youngest to the seniors.

Magic Mirrors Istres (France)

Magic Mirrors Istres welcomes you all year long for big and beautiful events: concert, jazz, tea dancing. A major investment of the Istrian project for Marseille Provence 2013, the Magic Mirrors is a spiegeltent that hosts live arts performances. It is a place of residence and experimentation for companies. It was designed in the spirit of art nouveau. If the exterior aspect evokes the circus capitals, the interior is like a comfortable and luxurious cabaret, all mirrors and precious wood. Evolutive room it adds charm to any type of show. And after 3 years of service, Magic Mirrors Istres have been revamped in the summer of 2015 with a new facade and a revamped scene for more comforts for artists and spectators.[21]

Le MeM Rennes (France)

Le MeM is a "Magic Mirrors" spiegeltent (1500 seats), open all year," says the head of the Mem. It's also an open-ended open-air café with a bar and catering service developed by Michelin-starred chef Julien Lemarié. The place will be offered to show producers, companies and local associations for the organization of public or private events with en primeur: a festival of Big Love on 8 May 2019 and the Transat festival. Balls, concerts, animations, festivals, seminars, conferences. The MeM is a popular and surprising space, with multiple possibilities.[22]

Gran Teatro Bankia Principe Pio (Madrid, Spain)

La Estacion has a large "Magic Mirrors" spiegeltent, located in one of the disused wings of Príncipe Pío Station, a cultural and leisure reference for the people of Madrid since the end of 2017, with a wide range of entertainment, including a theatre programme and concerts as well as restaurants. The Gran Teatro Príncipe Pío has different spaces, including a theatre with capacity for around 1,600 spectators, which will also be used as a concert hall. As a start of this great project, a spiegeltent, called "Magic Mirrors", has opened around the station, a new space with a cabaret feel, which is inspired by the German dance halls before World War 2.[23]

Spiegeltent Tours
  • Delyria - the first circus show produced in Mexico. Hosted in a "Magic Mirrors" spiegeltent in Monterrey and Puebla, Mexico.[24]
  • Absinthe - a show produced by Spiegelworld. Toured in 2015 - 2016 with a "Magic Mirrors" Spiegeltent in the US, Australia and New Zealand.[25]
  • Empire - a show produced by Spiegelworld, premiered in New York City in May 2012. Presented in a "Magic Mirrors" spiegeltent located on an unused car park in Times Square.[25]


The Famous Spiegeltent at the EdinburAustralia, New Zealand, Japan, USA and Canadagh Festival Fringe, 2013

References
  1. Ronn, Florenz: What's a Spiegeltent?, 774 ABC Melbourne, 7 October 2006
  2. Edwards, Paul: Sensuality unleashed, The Age, 8 October 2005
  3. Zabel, Russ: Teatro Zinzanni Returns to Queen Anne, Queen Anne News 28 November 2007
  4. BBC Online: Blow for festival as tent pulled BBC 7 April 2009
  5. "Teatro ZinZanni Seattle". Teatro ZinZanni. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  6. "History - Melba Spiegeltent". themelbaspiegeltent.com. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  7. "Madame Zingara". Madame Zingara. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  8. "Venue Hire - Melba Spiegeltent". themelbaspiegeltent.com. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  9. "Spiegeltent of van Rosmalen en Zonen". Vanrosmalen.com. van Rosmalen en Zonen. Retrieved 27 February 2014. As of 18 August 2017, they manage a total of eight Speigeltents.
  10. "Inside the Spiegeltent". Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  11. "Theatre of Dreams". Madame Zingara. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  12. "The art of moving Madame Zingara's 38 t dreams tent". Engineering News. 19 August 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  13. "Spiegeltent Victoria". Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  14. "Home - Melba Spiegeltent". themelbaspiegeltent.com.
  15. Millar, Royce (23 December 2006). "Battle of the Spiegeltents". The Age. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  16. "Melbourne Fringe Awards 2018". Melbourne Fringe. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  17. "The Famous Spiegeltent History". Spiegeltent.net. 13 July 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  18. "The Garden". Garden of Unearthly Delights. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  19. Bassano, Jessica (2 April 2019). "A sparkling old new venue for Adelaide Cabaret Festival". InDaily. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  20. "Magic Mirrors Le Havre - Site officiel". Magic Mirrors Le Havre - Site officiel (in French). Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  21. "Magic Mirrors". 14 August 2019.
  22. "DES GUINGUETTES ET LE MAGIC MIRROR AU BORD DE L'EAU". 14 August 2019.
  23. "Gran Teatro Bankia Príncipe Pío". 14 August 2019.
  24. "Delyria".
  25. "Spiegelworld". 14 August 2019.
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