FROE FROE

FROE FROE is a youth theatre company in Antwerp, creating multidisciplinary puppet theatre for children, families and wider audiences. Performances bring together puppets, actors, live music, video and new media on one stage. A converted warehouse called VRIJE VAL II houses the theatre, rehearsal rooms and workshops, giving artists space to develop new work.

Marc and Jan Maillard founded FROE FROE in 1984, after establishing Figurentheater Black Out four years earlier. The company moved from puppet theatre for adults towards youth theatre, while keeping stories, music and visual invention at its centre. Bunraku-style puppetry, latex figures, rigid forms and aerial figures can all become part of its stage world. Productions draw on Lewis Carroll, Purcell and traditional Antwerp puppet stories, combining international literature with local traditions. Workshops also teach practical skills such as making latex puppets, while the space welcomes established artists and emerging talent.

FROE FROE has also created puppets and concepts for Belgian television, including Het Liegebeest, Carlos & Co and Bumba. Its work with HetPaleis has connected the company closely with Flemish children’s theatre since the late 1990s. At Fort IV in Mortsel, shared storage space supports larger productions, extending the company’s creative work beyond its Antwerp warehouse.