Labs: The Carousel

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
Stage direction  Johanne Willman
Scenography  Senja Isrif
Production  Aidan Penman, Marthe Wannenmacher

Woman 1  Bruna Pereira
Woman 2  Madalena Massano

Chorus  Maria Bastos, Trevor Brown, Caroline Charef, Mathilde Herbaut, Elise te Kaat, Henriett Pálházy, Blanca Rey Corral, Lara Makollé Mbella Teković

-> Read the libretto

Information often disappears due to time and change. Oral traditions fade if not written down, while written sources are lost to destruction or obsolescence. 

Language evolves, making ancient texts incomprehensible. Technology becomes obsolete quickly. Cultural shifts cause knowledge to be deemed irrelevant and not passed on. Natural disasters or conflicts destroy archives. Moreover, not everything is documented – nuances, traditions, and personal stories often die out. Pieces of collective memory gradually vanish, forcing each generation to relearn what was once known.

In Blødismærby the discovery of a mysterious object forces the inhabitants of a peaceful town to confront the truth of their forgotten past.

Credits

Composition  Pablo Gonzalez Gonzalez
Libretto  Jacob Colenbrander
Stage direction  Lotus Friede
Scenography  Emilie Jungersen
Production  Sem Oosterhof, Xander Ruijgt

Singers  Frances Amado, Caroline Gemmell, Sara Guidolin, Thalia Oyewole, Angelina Posoven

Cello  Elsa Le Moigne, Jasmim Mandillo, Marta Jiménez
Viola  Valentina Real

-> Read the libretto

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
Stage direction  Arthur Buchholz
Scenography  Mickey Gantz
Production  Nikki Boerhof, Lara Schoots, Anna ter Schure

Performers  Laurens Abrahamse, Carlos Fiqueiredo, Pepijn Groenendaal, Wessel van der Ham, Simon Heerze, Thijmen Krijgsman, Mahdokht Mojiri, Laetitia Sprij & Annaliis Viidebaum

Accordion  Kaat Vanhaverbeke
Percussion  Matiss Leo Meckl

Conductor  Tanya Markovska

-> Read the libretto

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
Stage direction  Britney Penda Achampong
Scenography  Sofia Fueglister, Lain Koskamp
Production  Diqrah Bouamrani, Garcelle Komproe

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

-> Read the libretto