Frascati and De Brakke Grond theatres are situated in one of the oldest streets in Amsterdam: the Nes. In the 14th and 15th centuries several monasteries were founded there; in 1578, when Amsterdam choose to align itself with the House of Orange and the Reformation, these buildings were put to other uses: in the 17th and 18th centuries the Nes developed into a centre of shops, businesses and cafés. In the 19th century an entertainments culture developed with café-chantants, French vaudeville, English variety and Dutch actors and comedians, amusement halls, dance halls and restaurants.
Frascati
Around 1810 an Italian coffee house was opened at Nes 59: Frascati. In
1824 a sizeable amusement hall was built on, where large parties for
around 1500 participants were put on. Around the turn of the century,
the Nes fell into decline and was shunned by the more fashionable
public. The once-flourishing entertainments circuit gave way to tobacco
depots and auction houses, and the street took on a deserted air in the
evenings. It wasn't until the '60s that the theatre returned again to
Frascati. In 1980 Theatergroep Baal took up residence in the rebuilt
Frascati, and in 1988 Theaterunie (forerunners of the [NES]theatres)
took over the management.
De Brakke Grond
In 1624 there was already an inn-cum-salesroom on the same site with
the name: Brakke Grond. The building had also been in use from the days
of the Golden Age as an auction room for overseas products from the
Dutch East Indies Company. In the middle of the 20th century theatre
entered in the building: in 1962 the building was taken over by
director Kees van Iersel and Toneelgezelschap Studio. In 1981 De Brakke
Grond became part of the Belgian Cultural Centre, later the Flemish
Cultuurhuis.
Studio developed into Theaterunie, which produced shows and programmed
other companies and directors in De Brakke Grond en Frascati theatres.
In 1993 Theaterunie transformed into Stichting [NES]theatres which
continued to programme both theatres. From the beginning of the
2004-2005 season, its name was changed to [FRASCATI].