Fun, Fiction & Futureproof
Modern interieur van de kantine met kleurrijke decoraties, een opvallend 'HZT'-bord en comfortabele zitruimte.

Het Zuidelijk Toneel is the theatre company of the south. Rooted in Brabant, operating from Tilburg, with 70 years of history behind us and our sights firmly set on the future. We create shows for anyone who is in the mood for fun, is hungry for fiction and is open to refreshing perspectives. Lots of F's, but also Futureproof, with care for people and the planet. 

Everyone is welcome. Truly everyone. No matter what state or mood you arrive in. We want to captivate, thrill, seduce, engage, excite and sometimes gently (or forcefully) move you. With witty humour, powerful puns, brilliant acting, new ideas and images that stick. We create shows that make an impact and continue to resonate long after the applause has faded.

Since 2025, we have been pursuing a new course with Sarah Moeremans as artistic director and a resident ensemble of six actors. Together with them, a team of bold creators and inspiring partners, we create a playground in which actors can excel and everything is fair game. We perform in both large and small venues, at festivals in the Netherlands and Flanders, and sometimes far beyond. In addition, every year we create a Brabant project with passionate amateur actors. Because theatre only truly comes alive when you share it.

Groepsfoto ensembleleden Het Zuidelijk Toneel, , die poseren tegen een okergele achtergrond.

Some people think the earth is flat, others know it is reasonably round. At Het Zuidelijk Toneel, we prefer to imagine that it is triangular. We then speculate about how atlas makers panic. How birds lose their way north. And people arguing about which corner is the top. 

Nothing against truth and reality! Fun and Fiction are not their enemies, but often their mischievous accomplices. In fiction, we can think the unthinkable, and that is usually fun too. We look for original forms for complex emotions or exciting metaphors for abstract ideas. We ask questions that don't suit any survey, brew new myths and let people, animals, gods and things speak. We break with conventions: what the F! Is this theatre too?!

This is how we create theatre that invites you to think, feel and talk along with us. Sometimes in the theatre. Sometimes later, in the city or at the bar. In the hope that you, as a visitor, will take something with you: an insight, a feeling, a memory. Something that sticks with you.

The story of Het Zuidelijk Toneel begins in 1954. The world is in motion after the war: there is a longing for peace, openness, prosperity, rebellion against traditional values and a search for joy and happiness (Schlagers! Jazz! Cinema!). People wanted to give everyone the opportunity to experience art and culture. It was during this era that we came into being as Stichting Brabants Toneel, which soon changed its name to Het Zuidelijk Toneel.

Since then, we have changed our name several times. Perhaps a sign of our playful, spirited character? Throughout history, we have appeared as Ensemble, Zuidelijk Toneel Globe, and ZT Hollandia (with and without “Het”, with and without “Globe”). Since 2005, we have been working under the name Het Zuidelijk Toneel, but despite the name change, our character has always remained intact. 

Because throughout all these years, there has been one constant: our daredevil mentality. Het Zuidelijk Toneel is a company where artistic leaders can fully pursue their ideas, both on and off stage. This resulted in a series of influential creators and shows.

Gerardjan Rijnders firmly established the company as a major player with high-profile theatre productions in which classics were fearlessly reworked and new forms emerged. Ivo van Hove and his designer Jan Versweyveld developed their recognisable signature style with us. With Johan Simons, the company caused a sensation both nationally and internationally, often at unusual locations such as farms and factory halls.

Later, Matthijs Rümke broadened the audience reach and put Het Zuidelijk Toneel back on the regional map. Under Piet Menu, the first non-directing artistic director in the Netherlands, creators such as Jetse Batelaan and BOG. were given free rein to realise their wildest ideas.

In 2019, Sarah Moeremans became co-artistic director alongside Piet Menu. With as much verve as her predecessors, she created performances based on both classics and her own concepts, together with dramaturge Joachim Robbrecht. With productions such as Crashtest Ibsen, What Ever Happened to Mr. Pete and Shut Up and Play with Me, she demonstrated the full extent of her unique artistic spirit.

In 2024, Piet Menu embarked on new adventures and Sarah Moeremans was appointed artistic director. Together with managing director Rick Spaan, she marked a new era by bringing a resident ensemble of actors to the company. To work with them, she invited a diverse group of creators, ranging from new talents to familiar faces: Jetse Batelaan, Stef Lernous, Ada Ozdogan, Silke van Kamp, Enkidu Khaled, Suze Milius, Peter Seynaeve and Koen van Seuren. Lastly, Moeremans also creates an annual production with the entire ensemble.