Spiegeltent


A spiegeltent is a large travelling tent, constructed from wood and canvas and decorated with mirrors and stained glass, intended as an entertainment venue. 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 fixed locations in Seattle and San Francisco for several years. The Melba Spiegeltent spent the better part of a century touring Europe, but is now permanently located in Melbourne, Australia. 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.
On 1 April 2011, Spiegelworld opened Absinthe at Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada in the 26-metre Salon Marlene. In 2007 the first spiegeltent arrived in Africa and toured South Africa as part of Madame Zingara's Theatre of Dreams dinner circus extravaganza.

Origins and history

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.

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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. 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. 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.

The Famous Spiegeltent

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.

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. It requires about 12 people to construct the 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, and was used for the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2019. It still regularly tours Australia and goes to Edinburgh each year.

Cabaret Sauvage (Paris, France)

The :fr:Cabaret Sauvage|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)

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 and has the advantage of adapting to any type of event and public, from the youngest to the seniors.

Magic Mirrors Istres (France)

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.

Le MeM Rennes (France)

is a "Magic Mirrors" spiegeltent, 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.

Gran Teatro Bankia Principe Pio (Madrid, Spain)

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.

Spiegeltent Tours