The Ebbingekwartier, between the UMCG and the Noorderplantsoen, was historically an industrial area. After large-scale redevelopment into a residential area starting in the late '90s, a few buildings here and there still remind of its industrial past, although they now have entirely different functions. One of these buildings is the Machine Factory. Nowadays, it houses the theater of the NITE ensemble, formerly the Noord Nederlands Toneel. 

Together with the dancegroup Club Guy & Roni, NITE forms an interdisciplinary ensemble that performs multilingual shows both domestically and internationally. Current performances can be found on the agenda on their website.