Paheja Siririka
WINDHOEK – The Warehouse Theatre, which closed its doors for business last year after having been in the art and entertainment industry for three decades, is currently undergoing changes and transformation under new management and will be opening soon – with no specific date mentioned.
The owner of The Warehouse Theatre, Che Rousseau, said the parent company will now be known as The Brewers’ Market, under which the theatre will fall. “We want to keep the culture alive and create a hub for creatives,” he told Entertainment Now!
Rousseau takes over the ownership from Mike Ott, who has been in charge of The Warehouse for 30 years. He said the new changes to be expected include a market which will be open throughout the whole week.
“This will become a creative space where people from the central business district (CBD) and around the city can still go to after working hours, do a little shopping, have their hair and nails done and eat great food. We are diversifying: we have a barber in there, a tattoo artist, nail technician and food stalls,” revealed Rousseau.
He said it’s not all about alcohol. “There will be a coffee shop, juice bars, dessert bar which caters different types of dessert – and it will be called the Batter Bar,” said Rousseau.
He stated they (The Brewers’ Market) will be providing space for industry experts to rent stalls. “I am happy to inform you that we have the likes of Melissa Poulton and Leah Misika on board, and they will be having the stalls at the market to promote their products, among others,” said Rousseau.
Rousseau told Entertainment Now! that apart from the construction happening to revamp the place, all will be the same. “The Warehouse was all about live music, and that will continue. We are still going to have the same contributors, which include bits such as Free Your Mind, Spoken Word – we have them all on board. The Warehouse will still comprise of the old Loft, The Boiler Room, The Theater and the back seller, which will be the venue for the market,” he ecstatically explained.
Having personally been in the entertainment industry for the past 10 years, with reference such as owning and managing Club Vibe, Rousseau said he had to step in because of the worries from the public.
“The reason why I decided to revive this was due to the outcry from the community when The Warehouse closed down, I saw and felt the need to fill that gap in the market again. It is something that I am passionate about – something that I wanted to get into the industry of the creatives, catering to them and bringing them in one space,” he recalled.
Rousseau further said the capital is like a ghost town, citing an opportunity to get artists paid for their work. “Windhoek is dead; there are only a few things to do and in the same vein, we are trying to create a market where we approach sponsors that haven’t been approached to come and support them and get the artists paid,” he stated.
The space is owned by Broll Namibia, a leading and independent property services company that manages (Olthaver and List) O&L properties. “The Broll Group is also into creating a culture, plus with the little new adventures we are creating, they didn’t hesitate to give these projects of ours the green light – and that’s what we all love,” exclaimed Rousseau.