Dates

14-15 March 2025

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Studio Boekman

Running time

1:30, no interval

Tickets

Free (reservation required)

grafische vormen

Five innovative operas by the creators of tomorrow

The Carousel brings you five new, short operas created and performed by students from the Academy of Theatre and Dance (Amsterdam), the Royal Conservatoire (The Hague), Codarts (Rotterdam) and ArtEZ University of the Arts (Arnhem). The students have joined forces in five teams, each team tasked with creating a completely new opera that pushes the envelope of the genre. The operas will be performed one after another in a single programme (the running order has yet to be finalised).

A production by students studying performing arts production, stage direction, set design (Academy of Theatre and Dance, Amsterdam), composition (Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Royal Conservatoire, The Hague en Codarts Rotterdam) and creative writing (ArtEZ University of the Arts, Arnhem).

Makers Some fish sleep so strangely

Some fish sleep so strangely

Every day, She whispers a wish to Her magical Goldfish. What happens when Her fate suddenly lies in Her hands only?

Some fish sleep so strangely

Every day, She whispers a wish to Her magical Goldfish. She wishes for love, for peace, and for anything else She cannot achieve for Herself. One morning She wakes to find the Goldfish dead. Her reality falls apart: without the Goldfish, Her future now lies solely in Her own hands. What will this awaken in Her? What will now give direction to Her life?

Some fish sleep so strangely deals with themes of grief, hope, hopelessness and power, while also questioning the human urge to project our own dreams and emotions onto animals. What happens when we are suddenly forced to navigate reality without any guidance?

Credits

Composition  Mateusz Godlewski
Libretto  Jet Linssen
Direction  Elin Loefman
Set design  Johanne Hornum, Mia Vos
Production  Jason van Galen, Zora Modderman

Makers Once lived in

Once lived in

What do you do when faced with something you cannot change? Do you resist, or run away? Or do you try to find a way to accept it?

Once lived in

What do you do when faced with something you cannot change? Do you resist, or run away? Or do you try to find a way to accept it?

Once Lived In tells the story of an old woman who lives alone, cut off from the rest of the world. Outside, strange yet familiar faces appear, demanding her to let them in. When she opens the door to a young woman and they both reflect on their hopes and dreams, their fates slowly become intertwined. Together, the two women must come to terms with the inevitable: their time is running out. 

This opera explores themes of mortality, loneliness, grief and the elusive nature of time, but ultimately revolves around hope and togetherness. It invites you to reflect on life’s most defining moments.

Credits

Composition  Tymon Zgorzelski
Libretto  Vera Corben
Direction  Johanne Willman
Set design  Senja Isrif
Production  Aidan Penman, Marthe Wannenmacher

Makers Huzz, Shaqq, Batar

Huzz, Shaqq, Batar

Only the weapon that struck the wound can close it. Huzz... Shaqq... Batar... is an autopsy of a love lost.

Huzz, Shaqq, Batar

Only the weapon that struck the wound can close it. 

In a world where words cut deeper than blades, Fausto is trapped between memory and reality, between longing and obsession. Fiamma offers him mercy in the form of space and distance, but his love for her doesn’t allow him to accept it. As time fractures and the past refuses to stay buried, voices begin to rise – some pushing him forward, others pulling him back. He turns to Elleta, the one who has always understood him. But understanding is not enough. Not this time.

A confrontation between love, friendship and memory, Huzz... Shaqq... Batar... is an autopsy of a love lost. It explores how we perform suffering, how we define ourselves through the pain we refuse to let go of and how the search for closure can lead to the point of no return. When do you start confusing closure with destruction? How far are you willing to go to heal?

With haunting poetry, mystical imagery, and a score that pulses like an open wound high on sedatives, Huzz... Shaqq... Batar... carves through the nature of suffering and healing. 

Credits

Composition  Arefeh Hekmatpanah
Libretto  Jalil Sultani
Direction  Arthur Buchholz
Set design  Mickey Gantz
Production  Nikki Boerhof, Lara Schoots, Anna ter Schure

Makers Blødismærby

Blødismærby

The discovery of a mysterious object forces the inhabitants of peaceful Blødismærby to face the truth about their forgotten past.

Blødismærby

Credits

Composition  Pablo Gonzalez
Libretto  Jacob Colenbrander
Direction  Lotus Friede
Set design  Emilie Jungersen
Production  Sem Oosterhof, Xander Ruijgt

Makers Motorized Delusion

Motorized Delusion

As Alicia survives a violent car crash, her mind bends and opens up to a new kind of perception. Sound is now the governing force.

Motorized Delusion

You're driving down an empty road, late at night. 
The world outside of the car is quiet and still — nothing more than the hum of the engine, the faint flicker of streetlights in the distance. 
Your fingers rest lightly on the steering wheel. Your thoughts drift. 

Then — BANG. 

 A jolt.
A crash. 
Tires screech. 
Glass shatters into thousands of tiny stars. 
The car spins, comes to a stop. Then: silence. Your breath quivers, hands tremble.
You push open the door, step out — knees weak, head spinning. You turn towards the wreckage, heart pounding. 

Then you see it. A cow -
Or is it? 
You blink. 
Look again. 
Something in you stirs.
You must save it.

In Motorized Delusion, Alicia’s mind bends and opens up to a new kind of perception, under the spell of the power of music. Surviving a violent car accident puts her in a world that is governed by sound.

Step in. Watch. Listen. And don’t let the music trap you.

Credits

Composition  Izak de Dreu
Libretto  Britney Penda Achampong, Izak de Dreu, Mel Kikkert
Direction  Britney Penda Achampong
Set design  Sophia Fuglister, Lain Koskamp
Production  Diqrah Bouamrani, Garcelle Komproe

Performers  Agathe Labadie, Trevor Brown, Maria Bastos, Monèzra Rudge

Reserve your seat

Admission to The Carousel is free. Click the buttons below to reserve a seat. You can also drop by on the day itself, as some spots are reserved for spontaneous visitors.

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Partners Opera Forward Festival 2025

With gratitude to the Cultuurfonds, supported in part by the Romke Kalma Fonds and Fonds Jong Talent