Dance is theatre's poetry

Dance is theatre's poetry. With this headline in newspaper BN De Stem the birth of dance company De Stilte is made public in 1994.  

In 1997, the city council of Breda offers De Stilte a new location in a former school building at the Markendaalseweg. Goal is to create a recognisable place, accessible and familiar to all, but especially to children. In this vision, the gymnasium is converted into a fully equipped theatre, offering room to approximately 100 children. The theatre is opened by Mrs. Hans Snoek in 2000.

The year 2001 proved to be pivotal, when both the City council of Breda and the Province council of Noord-Brabant translated De Stilte’s importance to the region into structural subsidies. January 2009 De Stilte (being the only newcomer in the field of performing arts) was admitted to the Basic Infrastructure of the Dutch Ministry of Culture, Education and Science, guaranteeing structural funding for a four year period.

Over the years, De Stilte has grown from a small-scale production unit in cultural centre Nieuwe Veste to a professional company with a black box theatre, a rehearsal studio, a workplace and office. The number of performances has grown explosively from 6 in the first season to over 180 in 2009.