Female Duo Takes Over General and Artistic Management of Brussels Kaaitheater

Barbara Van Lindt and Agnes Quackels form the new artistic and general management of the Kaaitheater. As a result, the management of the Brussels arts centre will be entirely female. The duo must restore stability to the Kaaitheater after rumours broke out a few weeks ago over a possible merger with Rosas, the company of choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.

Quackels (44) and Van Lindt (53) will have to give the Kaaitheater a new direction after the departure of artistic director Guy Gypens, who led the arts centre for twelve years. Van Lindt and Quackels come aboard in turbulent times for the Kaaitheater. At the end of May there was resentment among the staff following rumours about a possible merger with Rosas and P.A.R.T.S., the company and school of choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.

Brussels' superdiversity

The duo has big plans that they want to execute under the name 'How to be Many?'. “We will continue to seek connections with Brussels-based, Flemish, and international artists; both established names as well as mid-career and younger performing artists. Our project creates space for partner organizations in Brussels and focuses on stronger audience participation while striving for programming and audiences that reflect Brussels’ superdiversity. We believe in multiple voices and reciprocity as forces with magnetic power.”

Years of experience

Van Lindt and Quackels have extensive experience in the arts sector. Agnes Quackels spent the past eight years working as the artistic director of the BUDA arts centre (Kortrijk). Before that, she was the co-director of Margarita Production (now Hiros), an alternative management office for artists in Brussels, which she co-founded.

Barbara Van Lindt was the director of STUK (Leuven), Gasthuis (Amsterdam), wp Zimmer (Antwerp), and she worked for the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels before becoming the managing director of DasArts (now DAS Theatre) in 2009, an Amsterdam-based Master’s programme for theatre makers and curators.

Together with general manager Valerie Vernimme and artistic director Katleen Van Langendonck, the entire management of Kaaitheater consists of women. This is unique in the art world for a theatre of this scale.