Guest programming

Helstone in Het Pand der Goden

Theater Rotterdam: Mathieu Wijdeven
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Dates

17 – 18 September 2026

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Studio Boekman

Running time

TBA

Tickets

From € 15

Three people pose in dramatic light among dark, draped fabrics; a man in jeans sits at the front, with two figures standing behind him.

The story behind the first Surinamese opera

What does it mean to create an opera on Surinamese soil, shaped by European classical traditions and rooted in Surinamese stories? Theatre maker Mathieu Wijdeven takes you into the world of the first Surinamese opera, Het Pand der Goden (The Gods’ Domain, 1906), written by Johannes Helstone and featuring scenography by Wijdeven’s own great-great-grandfather, G.G.T. Rustwijk. This work disappeared from view immediately after its premiere and was not performed again until 118 years later, provoking widely differing reactions. 

In this new music theatre production, Wijdeven joins forces with opera singer Frank Dolphin Wong and pianist Djuwa Mroivili to explore what Het Pand der Goden can mean to us today. As narrator, he delves into both the story of the opera and the story behind it, while Dolphin Wong and Mroivili perform a selection of its moving arias. 

Johannes Helstone 

Composer Johannes Nicolaas Helstone (1853-1927) was born on the Berg en Dal plantation in Suriname. German missionaries on the plantation – the Moravians of the Evangelical Brotherhood Church – recognised his musical talent and helped him pursue studies at the Conservatory of Leipzig. Trained in the European classical tradition yet deeply rooted in Surinamese stories, rhythms and myths, Helstone’s music brings both worlds together.

In Helstone in Het Pand der Goden, theatre maker Mathieu Wijdeven unravels what Helstone’s opera still has to say more than a century after its premiere. Through documentary music theatre, he examines the Western operatic tradition within a Surinamese context populated by spirits, gods and myths. 

Het waarom beantwoord

In 2021, Wijdeven’s solo performance Het waarom beantwoord (Answering the Why) premiered at Theater Rotterdam. Following extensive research, the production paid tribute to his great-great-grandfather G.G.T. Rustwijk (1862-1914), a poet and multidisciplinary artist who lived in Suriname in the years immediately following the abolition of slavery. The production was selected for the Dutch Theatre Festival (2022), nominated for the BNG Bank Theatre Award (2022), and earned Wijdeven the Dutch Playwriting Award (2022).

Performance information

Direction, concept, performer, text, set design  Mathieu Wijdeven
Composer  Johannes Nicolaas Helstone
Musician, performer  Djuwa Mroivili
Singer (baritone), performer  Frank Dolphin Wong
Co-director  Lisenka Heijboer Castañón
Dramaturgy and writing consultant  Maarten van Hinte
Dramaturge  Jappe Groenendijk
Co-set design and lighting design  Scott Robin Jun
Acoustic scenography, sound artist  Aurélie Nyirabikali Lierman
Costume design  Denzel Veerkamp
3D design  Gertjan Ruigrok
Props manager  Fay van Erp

Education & participation  Anne Sollie
Marketing & communications  Marloes Reuderink
Production manager  Ibtisam Boucheloukh
Technical producer  Peter Leeuwenburgh
Technical crew  Arjen Fortuin, Axel Dikkers, Sidney van Geest, Jimmy Niesen, Thijs van den Bergh, Martijn Huisman, Marijn van Engelen

Interviewees  Astrid Helstone, Isabelle Best, Ivar Mase, Marjory Helstone, Ruby Fernandes, Stefano Parana, Stephanus Tokoe, Terence Panka, Edwien Bodjie

Special thanks to  Theater Thalia, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Judith van Wanrooij, Djina Bergraaf-Sanchit, Dave Edhard, Karin Lachmising, Conservatory of Suriname
Inspired by the set design of G.G.T. Rustwijk

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Ticket prices

Standard

Youth aged 35 and under | CJP

€ 23,00

€ 13,00

All prices exclude the booking fee (€ 2 per ticket).

Stadspas holders can attend a performance of their choice at Studio Boekman once a month for just € 5,00. Tickets are available by phone at 020 625 54 55 or at the Dutch National Opera & Ballet box office.

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Podcast

How did this production grow from its first ideas into a full-scale performance? In this Dutch-language podcast, creator Mathieu Wijdeven discusses the creative process, the sources of inspiration behind the work and the significance of Johannes Nicolaas Helstone to the production. He also reflects on how the project developed from presentations at TR and O. Festival Rotterdam to its premiere at Oerol and the subsequent tour of theatres across the Netherlands.

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