DONNIE

In DONNIE, director Robbie Wallin and writer Roziena Salihu explore how relevant the themes from Don Giovanni still are today. They set their story in a secondary school classroom, where Donnie is at the top of the food chain. He makes the rules, and his best friend Appie – like the rest of the class – wouldn't dream of breaking them.

When Selina, the new girl, enters the classroom, the status quo suddenly is challenged. What happens when the balance is disrupted and the system is put under pressure?

‘Donnie did things
Could come up with stupid things
Things dark and gloomy
Ambiguous and dull
Dramatic and sad
That's why deeply sad, sorrowful
Donnie did stupid things
Could come up with stupid things’

Collaboration with Poldertheater

Dutch National Opera is collaborating with Poldertheater on DONNIE to show young people that opera can be contemporary and relevant today. Poldertheater produces theatre with young actors between the ages of 12 and 25, especially for a young audience. They perform both classical plays and newly written texts by young writers and creators.

Actors are given the opportunity to play challenging roles and develop their talents, with a strong focus on text interpretation and acting. Every year, several of their actors move on to professional theatre education programmes.