There are few theaters in the Netherlands that program as broadly as DeLaMar, and there are even fewer that do so without a penny of government subsidy. Joop and Janine van den Ende founded the VandenEnde Foundation in 2001, and DeLaMar is the physical place where that mission takes shape: stimulating cultural entrepreneurship, developing talent, and simply making good theater for a wide audience.
The building itself already has a history. On the same spot on Leidseplein, the Nieuwe de la Mar Theater stood from 1947, where Wim Kan and Freek de Jonge performed. After a major renovation, the building reopened on Nov. 28, 2010, inaugurated by then Queen Beatrix. The two halls are named after Dutch theater greats: the Wim Sonneveld Hall (939 seats) and the Mary Dresselhuys Hall (601 seats). Big names, big halls. The musical ‘He Believes in Me,’ about the life of André Hazes, is currently running in the Wim Sonneveld Zaal, and it is drawing full houses.
DeLaMar is more than a theater program. The Red Foyer and the various halls are also used for conferences, business meetings and events that at first glance you would not necessarily expect to find in a theater. For years, for example, DeLaMar has been the regular venue for the presentation of the Michelin stars in the Netherlands: star chefs, restaurateurs and culinary journalists gather in the building near Leidseplein. Film premieres of major Dutch and international productions also find a home here.
The wine list here is as serious as the cuisine. And that's exactly the point.
Since May 2025, Dianne Zuidema is general manager, succeeding Andreas Fleischmann. She takes over from a theater that has proven itself: sustainably certified with Green Key Gold, financially independent, and firmly anchored in the Leidseplein. The wine list here is as serious as the cuisine. And that's exactly the point. But closer to the core of DeLaMar: the theater is there, the program is running, and Amsterdammers find their way there without the need for a marketing campaign.