The Theory of Everything

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 uncle, 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 art and science, opera and ballet, but also Western and African philosophy. 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.