Dutch National Opera

The Theory of Everything

Carlijn Metselaar (1989) & Roziena Salihu (1994)

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Photo: Michiel Spijkers

Dates

20 Dec-7 Jan ’24

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Studio Boekman

Running time

1:00

Tickets

Magical quest for more time (8+)

The clock ticks on and the days go by, but no one knows exactly when time will slow down or fly by. Let’s bend time: that will mean more for everyone. We’ll throw away our clocks and wade across lightyears.

Photo: Michiel Spijkers

A magical quest for more time

The spoken-word opera The Theory of Everything follows eleven-year-old Nia’s magical and philosophical quest for more time. Her grandmother, a leading scientist, wants Nia to use her amazing mathematical skills to help her in her laboratory in a joint effort to solve the physics conundrum of the theory of everything. But Nia’s aunt, a famous dancer, sees Nia’s talent for dance and wants her to spend all her time in the dance studio so she can become a great soloist. Nia could do either and wants to do both, but she doesn’t know how to manage it. She feels forced to choose. If only she had more time...

A new domain

Different worlds meet in The Theory of Everything: not only opera and ballet, but also art and science. By considering the concept of time from new perspectives, this production makes the case, in a light-hearted way, for changing how we look at the world and our lives.

The makers

Theatre maker Naomi van der Linden and musical director Hanne van de Vrie came up with the idea for The Theory of Everything. They previously worked together at Dutch National Opera on the Children’s Chorus Festival and the Opera Heroes project. For this family opera, they will be collaborating with the young composer Carlijn Metselaar and multidisciplinary spoken-word artist Roziena Salihu.

A performance for the whole family during the Christmas holidays

Performance information

Sung and spoken in Dutch

Libretto Roziena Salihu

Concept and stage direction  Naomi van der Linden
Concept and musical direction  Hanne van de Vrie
Choreography Jomecia Oosterwolde
Set and costumes  Dymph Boss
Lighting Ianthe van der Hoek
Arrangement/composer electronic music  Jan van Eerd
Dramaturgy  Naomi Teekens

Nia Houda Bibouda
Oma Elena Vink
Tante Jomecia Oosterwolde
Ensemble Nienke Nasserian, Anna Traub, Joris van Baar

Percussion and electronics  Jan van Eerd
Piano  Charlie Bo Meijering
Cello  Geneviève Verhage

School performances
A number of performances will be given especially for schools.

More information

5 reasons to look forward to ... The Theory of Everything

Carlijn Metselaar and Roziena Salihu talk about The Theory of Everything

Read the article here

To keep this youth performance (...) accessible, director Naomi van der Linden brings together various worlds: opera singing and spoken word, classical and electronic music, science and hip-hop dance. These different worlds are also cleverly reflected in the story. In creative, shifting sets, Nia switches between her duties in a laboratory full of chalkboards with formulas, and her dance life in a rehearsal room full of mirrors.