Author Archives: Conrad Toft

BLOC: A Christmas Carol (24-27 Nov 2016)

A Christmas Carol – the Musical
De Kam, Wezembeek-Oppem
24 – 27 November 2016 at the Auderghem Cultural Centre Theatre

Based on the classic by Charles Dickens, written in 1843, Alan Menken’s musical version of the story is true to the original. Grumpy miserly Ebenezer Scrooge will have nothing to do with Christmas as everybody else in London is preparing to celebrate. His late partner, the equally miserly Jacob Marley, appears to him as a mournful ghost and foretells of the visit of three ghosts who will try to reform Scrooge so that he doesn’t end up like Marley. Once shown the error of his ways, Scrooge finally realises that the future ahead is not one he wants and he makes amends. It’s a ghost story about redemption.

Box office already open at http://www.bloc-brussels.com/index.php/tickets.

BATS: Jack and the Beanstalk (28-30 Jan 2017)

Can Jack, his Mum, Simon, Daisy the Cow and Flunkit save poor Demelza from a fate worse than death? Will the sneaking, snivelling Slime succeed in bringing the Giant’s foul plan to a successful conclusion, or will Edena the Eco Fairy come to the rescue? .

BATS is delighted to present a classic reworking of the beloved fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk, by Ben Crocker, directed by Barry O’Halpin.

Arenberg Schouwburg, Sat 28 January 2017 at 20:15, Sun 29 January 2017 at 15:00, Mon 30 January 2017 at 20:15. Bookings online

BUTT Awards 2017 – Voting is open until 14 September

Better late than never! It’s time to vote in the BUTT awards for the 2016-17 season.

If you have been back-stage or on-stage this season(i.e. mentioned in a programme) you are entitled to vote for your favourites using this online form until 14 September.

This season, we will be having the awards at the opening of the 2017-2018 season on 17 September at Charles Bouchard’s house. Let us know whether you are coming by filling in the details at the end of the voting form above.

If you spot any mistakes in the voting form, please let me know at conradtoft@gmail.com but note that I’ll be travelling a lot in the coming weeks, so you may not get an immediate response.

 

ECC: Hugh Dow poetry readings & music (15-16 Sept 2017)

For Those who Know Hugh Dow –   LET’S HAVE A PARTY

Hugh Dow is holding hour-long poetry and music evenings on the 15th and 16th September.

Some of Brussel’s finest actors will be reading poems which have sustained and delighted him over 65 years. The music will be judiciously added, as tonic to gin, for dilution.

To justify the somewhat extravagant title there will be bubbly and small eats after.

To book just call 0475 65 68 51. There will be no admission charge

ECC Panto: Beauty & the Beast (17-19 Jan 2020)

The ECC Panto is back for another year, with Beauty & The Beast, a fun-filled show based on the classic fairy tale. Expect songs and laughter, bad jokes and fabulous costumes, wolves, horses, magical servants, and even a couple of Belgians… and did we mention the bad jokes? Tickets are €16 for adults and €12 for children.

The performances will take place at Auderghem Cultural Centre on Friday, 17 January 2020 (20:00), Saturday, 18 January 2020 (13.30 & 17:00) & Sunday, 19 January 2020 (13.30 & 17:00).

Enjoy plenty of songs, dances, stunning scenery, special effects and superb costumes…topped off by all-round slapstick and silliness. Festive entertainment does not come any better!

Tickets are €16 for adults, €12 for children and are available from www.thelittleboxoffice.com/ecc.

Last year’s panto was almost sold out, so book early to avoid disappointment!

Play Your Part – the show must go on!

Warehouse Studio Theatre

The Warehouse in Schaerbeek is the beating heart of community theatre in Brussels, which has welcomed hundreds of people and projects over its 30 years of use. It now requires essential and long overdue updates. Without them, we fear the curtain will finally come down on this wonderful community project. Play Your Part is your chance to secure the future of the Warehouse for another 30 years. 

Please visit the Play Your Part web site for more information or make a donation.

ECC: Wyrd Sisters (29 Nov, 1 & 3 Dec)

The ECC is getting ready to bring the Discworld to Brussels with its spring 2025 production of Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett, adapted for the stage by Stephen Briggs, and directed by Chris Jones. 

A story of witches, villains, acting and magic that bears more than a passing resemblance to the works of one W. Shakespeare, Wyrd Sisters will be performed at the Warehouse Studio Theatre in Schaerbeek on 30 April, 1-3 May and 6-9 May 2025. 

There are great comedy roles for both men and women, of all ages, with around a dozen principal actors plus supporting characters, and auditions for all roles will be held at the Warehouse Studio in November and December 2024. Rehearsals will start in late January, and will take place on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and on Sunday afternoons.

Fill in the form if you’re interested in taking part in this hilarious adaptation of one of Terry Pratchett’s best-known Discworld novels, in a principal or a supporting role, or as part of the crew. No previous knowledge of Discworld is necessary!

PYP: Christmas Countdown (20 Dec 2024)

‘Tis the season… For Something Jolly with a Tinge of Folly!

Back by popular demand, PYP is hosting our another Christmas bash!

With music, singing, poetry and performances, some of Brussels’ finest, curated by the fabulous Caraigh McGregor, will entertain you with everything thing you need to get your Christmas cheer on.

Bring your own mistletoe !

For seating, there will be 6 cosy tables for upto 4 people on the floor, along with spacious theatre seating for 35 people to book individually. The ‘ticket prices’ are our suggested donation for this fantastic evening! The tables will be for max. 4 people and your donation will include a bottle of red or white for the table, depending on your preference on the day.  The rest of the seating is open.

Celebrating Christmas Together!

all proceeds will go to CAST asbl to continue impoving our facilities

Book your tickets here!

BLOC: All is Calm (6-9 Feb 2025)

Stage Director – James Klarich, Music Director – Matthew Carver

Producers – Barbara Bauer, Alexander Just

All is Calm is a moving musical production that brings to life one of the most extraordinary moments in history. Set during World War I, it recounts the remarkable, spontaneous truce between enemy soldiers on Christmas Eve, when men from opposing sides laid down their weapons and shared songs, stories, and goodwill.

Through captivating a capella music and powerful storytelling, this production offers a poignant reminder of our shared humanity, even in the darkest of times. It is an unforgettable celebration of peace, unity, and hope that resonates across generations.

Tickets available now at The BLOC box office

ITG: Stone in his pockets (14-22 March 2025)

EXTRA PERFORMANCES: With the scheduled run selling out, we have added two more performances. Friday 14th and Saturday 15th March. (If you already have tickets for the show and these new performance dates suit you better, you can change your ticket via the link to ‘Manage my Order’ link at the bottom of the ticketing email).

A Hollywood film crew arrives in Kerry. They have a film to make.
We’re introduced to a cast of characters who each have a story to tell. Laughter, tragedy, and lemon meringue pies. The stuff of life.

The playwright, Marie Jones, needs no introduction. You loved our previous productions of A Night in November, and Fly me to the Moon. 

Get your tickets now.

[You won’t recognise our box office: we’ve moved! Tell us what you think.]

ECC: Wyrd Sisters (29 Apr – 10 May 2025)

The ECC is getting ready to bring the Discworld ® to Brussels with its spring 2025 production of Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett, adapted for the stage by Stephen Briggs, and directed by Chris Jones. 

A story of witches, villains, acting and magic that bears more than a passing resemblance to the works of one W. Shakespeare, Wyrd Sisters will be performed at the Warehouse Studio Theatre, Rue Waelham 69a in Schaerbeek, on April 30, May 1-3 and May 7-10 2025. 

Please note that the May 10 show will be a benefit performance, with all proceeds donated to the Ligue Alzheimer charity. This show will start slightly earlier than usual (18.30 instead of 20.00) and we would like to encourage our audience to come dressed as their favourite Pratchett character – if you feel inspired!

Book your tickets here!

‘Terry Pratchett’ and ‘Discworld’ are registered trademarks

ATC: The Dining Room (20-24 May 2025)

By A.R. Gurney

Directed by Ashley Norman and Aravind Dhakshinamoorthy

A dining room is more than just a space—it’s where families come together, traditions take root, and generations leave their mark. Once a symbol of status and formality in upper-middle-class American homes, it was a place for structured meals, rigid etiquette, and family rituals. But as time passes and social norms evolve, so too does the way we gather, the role of the dining room shifting over time.

A.R. Gurney’s The Dining Room is a poignant and witty exploration of these changes, told through a series of interwoven vignettes. Across time and households, we see moments of laughter, tension, celebration, and quiet reflection unfold at the dining table. Through birthday toasts, family confrontations, whispered secrets, and fading traditions, the play reveals how memory lingers in the rituals and relationships that shape us—how a single room can hold a family’s history. this production brings to life the bittersweet beauty of family memory— one moment at a time.

This is a Studio Nights production – which means that in addition to a great selection of drinks, the bar will feature an American-themed bake sale of snacks and goodies before and after the show as well as during a slightly extended intermission!

Tickets are available at https://www.billetweb.fr/the-dining-room

FEATS (6-9 June 2025)

The 2025 Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies (FEATS) will be hosted by the Hamburg Players at the Altonaer Theater, Hamburg, Germany, 6–9 June 2025. It is four nights of one-act plays, performed in English by 12 groups from all over mainland Europe; a celebration of the artform of theatre and of the community it creates. Each year a different group hosts this four-day event in a different European city, and the Hamburg Players are happy to welcome theatre lovers from all over Europe this year.

At the same time, FEATS is also a competitive theatre festival, as all of the productions are critically watched by an invited adjudicator, who, according to the statutes, must be a member of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators (GoDA).

He or she appraises all 12 productions according to the GoDA rules, and on the last night of the festival, hands out awards for the three best productions as well as for best stage presentation, best actor and best actress. The host goup gives out an award for best stage management. The FEATS rules can be accessed at feats.eu/feats-rules.

As we near the festival, you can find out more information on the FEATS 2025 web site.

BLOC: The Gondoliers (19-22 June 2025)

Two Venetian gondoliers discover that one of them has become the King of the distant isle of Barataria – but which of the two is it? They also learn that he (whichever it is) was married when a baby – but as both gondoliers are already married, this makes one of them (but which one?) an unintentional bigamist. Two husbands, three wives – that’s two-thirds of a husband to each wife … but you can’t marry a vulgar fraction! “The Gondoliers” is Gilbert’s topsy-turvydom at its best, and Sullivan’s music at its most sparkling! Join us in Venice and Barataria! 

Buy your tickets here.

Cross-Gartered Players: Yellow (3-5 July , 11-23 Aug 2025)

Twelfth Night meets The Thick of It in a modern-day reimagining of what might have become of Malvolio after his fall from grace. Mal, once a ministerial adviser, now defends fraudsters in a shabby law firm. Rosie, an idealistic young lawyer, offers him a way back to his old life – but in a world where the highest ideals are sustained by the grubbiest actions, what looks like redemption might be a trap.
 
Yellow was first staged in 2022 as part of the Brussels Shakespeare Society Summer Festival. It then went to FEATS in 2023, where it secured Best Actor nominations for Yorgos Filippakis (Mal) and Peter Wilding (Tony), both of whom return to the cast in 2025.
 
And now, in 2025, Yellow is coming to the Edinburgh Fringe! The show will be on at theSpace @ Niddry Street, a lovely venue right in the centre of Edinburgh’s Old Town, from 11 to 23 August.
 
Ahead of our appearance at the Fringe, we are previewing the show for three performances only at the Warehouse Studio Theatre in Brussels. The bar will be open after the show so you can chat with the team about our journey to the Fringe.

Tickets for the Edinburgh Fringe (11-23 August2025) are available at https://www.thespaceuk.com/shows/2025/yellow.

Tickets for the Brussels previews (3-5 July 2025) are available at https://www.billetweb.fr/yellowplay.

Butties 2025: Results

Here are the results for the 2025 Butties – we had over 200 votes cast by the 570 people involved in the 16 shows this season. Thank you to Brian for welcoming us into his house on the only wet day of the summer so far and to Marianne and Peter for hosting the awards so fabulously.

Continue reading →

Butties 2025

The annual Brussels Union of Theatre Technicians (BUTT) awards, fondly known as the Butties will be awarded on Sunday, 6 July 2025 (from 15:30). This year we will be hosted by Brian Hartnett at his house in Rhode-Saint-Genese (close to Uccle).

The results will be posted here at 18:00.

ECC: Home, I’m Darling (23-27 Sept 2025)

Home, I’m Darling by Laura Wade is a darkly comedic exploration of modern domesticity and gender roles.

Set in the 21st century, it centres on Judy, a woman who’s devoted herself to recreating the idyllic 1950s housewife fantasy, complete with vintage dresses and traditional values. However, as the cracks in this picture-perfect life begin to show, Judy is forced to confront the tension between her nostalgic desires and the reality of her modern life. The play humorously and poignantly examines the complexities of identity, marriage, and the pressures of societal expectations.

It is directed by Kateryna Sakhanevych and will be performed at the Warehouse Studio Theatre, Rue Waelhem 69a, 1030 Brussels. Tickets are €18.

This amateur production of “Home, I’m Darling” is presented in arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk

__________

Doors open at 7:30pm and the bar will be open until shortly before curtain up, as well as during the interval. The show starts at 8pm and should finish by 10.30pm. Given the configuration of the space we cannot admit latecomers.

Buy your tickets at https://www.billetweb.fr/home-im-darling.

Green Parrot: Grease Auditions (Oct 2025)

Auditions will be held on 18 and 19 October 2025 with callbacks on 25 and 26 October 2025, all at De Kam G.C., Wezembeek Oppem
Download GREASE Info Sheet

Rydell High School may be out for the summer but if you’ve got the time and the energy to do a bit of homework you could have a look at the audition music extracts for the principal role or roles that you might be interested in!

The song extracts that we have selected for each role give a good idea of the vocal register and range required so it naturally follows that you should be comfortable singing the audition music for the role you have in mind. Don’t worry if you can’t decide which role – you can audition for several (and may be suggested for other roles after consideration by the directors and music director). NB. Audition dialogue extracts for principal and adult cameo roles will be uploaded in early September.
Any questions? Please email us: greenparrotbrussels@gmail.com

High School students
T-Birds: Danny, Kenickie, Roger, Doody, Sonny
Pink Ladies: Sandy, Rizzo, Jan, Frenchie, Marty
Other named students in specific scenes (also part of the ensemble): Patty, Eugene, Tom, Cha-Cha

Adult singing roles
Guardian Angel, Vince Fontaine, Solo band singer plus 4-part group  

Ensemble
The ensemble audition songs will be taught at the auditions but if you want to get ahead then you could look at “We Go Together” and make a start on learning the lyrics (don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be word perfect). You can find the music extract under the role of Sonny here below.

For the latest information about the auditions, please visit https://www.greenparrot.be/index.php/auditions

BMC: Knocked (23-25 Oct 2025)

Knocked, the Brussels Musical is back!
After a completely sold-out run in 2024, Brussels Musical Creatives return with a limited 3-day run of their original English-language musical.
Set over 100 years of Brussels history told through the eyes of a single front door in Ixelles — Knocked is a funny, touching, and music-filled ode to Brussels’ quirks, chaos, and charm. Featuring 13 original songs, the show explores love, loss, friendship, and everything in between, with plenty of nods to Brussels life (yes, including the trash).
📅 23–25 October | 💸 24 EUR | 🎟 Tickets: brusselsmusicals.com

ITG: Friends Help You Move / The Fifth Step (24-29 Nov 2025)

The ITG presents a November Double Bill of Friends Help You Move & The Fifth Step from Monday, 24 November to Saturday, 29 Nove.ber at the Warehouse Studio Theatre.

Directed by Lyn Wainwright, John L. Ward’s “Friends help you move” is a short comedy about a couple of petty criminals who want to step up their credentials with their next coup, by involving the local crime lord. Kevin O’Connor, Eoin O’Leary and Paul Musiol will have you in stitches.

David Ireland’s “The Fifth Step” is directed by Hugh Dow. Starring Caraigh McGregor and Neale McDonald as two men struggling to overcome their addictions. They discover their inner strength by sharing some conflicting values in their sharp, moving but also funny exchanges.

Tickets available from https://www.billetweb.fr/itg

Post expires on Sunday November 30th, 2025

Smoosicals: Little Shop of Horrors Auditions (Nov-Dec 2025)

Little Shop of Horrors auditions

A darkly hilarious comedic satire on fame, fortune and the perils of appeasement, Little Shop of Horrors is a wild ride of awesome tunes, giant puppets, murder and mayhem! 

Smoosicals is a newly formed non-profit musical theatre group and we are looking for talented actors to bring this brilliant musical to life. 

There are 8 principals: Seymour (M 25-35; A2-G4), Audrey (F 25-35; G#3-D5), Mr Mushnik (M 50-70; G2-F4), Orin Scrivello (M 30-45; G2-F4), Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon (F, various ages, Ab3-F5) and the Plant (G2-G4, voice acting part). 

We will also have an exciting set of roles for a chorus of four persons (SATB).

Little Shop of Horrors will be performed at the Claude Volter Theatre in Brussels on 7-10 May 2026, with rehearsals starting in Jan 2026 (Tues/Thurs/Sun AM).

Auditions will be held at the Warehouse on the afternoons of Sunday 30 Nov, Sat 6 / Sun 7 Dec and Sat 13 Dec 2025. 

Interested? Further details are available at www.smoosicals.be.

Post expires on Sunday December 14th, 2025

ECC: Puss in Boots (30 Jan – 1 Feb 2026)

Join us for a magical tale of cats, ogres, millers and postmen in the ECC’s 2026 pantomime, Puss in Boots!

When Tom is tricked out of his inheritance by his wicked but not very bright brothers Dick and Harry, he sets out to make his fortune with nothing but a cat to keep him company. And so begin Puss and Tom’s adventures… with a sprinkle of magic, more than one pair of boots and a trio of naughty kittens, the pair wend their way to Castle Hazard, ancestral home of the eponymous Duke and Duchess and their headstrong daughter Daisy. Helped, and occasionally hindered, by their friends Auntie the nursemaid, Billy the postie and even a vaguely familiar ogre, Tom and Daisy seek their happy ending – via a whole lot of singing, dancing and slightly-less-terrible-than-last-year jokes.

Don’t miss out on the purrrrrfect way to dispel the winter blues, and book your tickets now!

Post expires on Monday February 2nd, 2026

Green Parrot: Grease (19-22 Mar 2026)

“We got chills, they’re multiplying!”

Green Parrot Productions is delighted to announce that our next show will be Grease. Performances: 19th – 22nd March 2026 at the W:Halll, Woluwe-St-Pierre.

Stuffed full of deliriously catchy rock’n’roll songs, iconic one-liners and memorable characters, it’s the hit musical, it’s “the one that we want” and you won’t want to miss it!

When: 19th to 22nd March 2026
Where: W:HALLL, Avenue Charles Thielemans 93, 1150 Woluwe-St-Pierre
Book, Music and Lyrics: Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey
Stage Directors and Choreography: Kathy Lemerle and Jenny Clarkson
Music Director: Steven De Mesmaeker
Book, music & lyrics: Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey

It’s 1959 and we’re going back to High School!

For more information see https://www.greenparrot.be/

Post expires on Monday March 23rd, 2026