One month after the world premiere at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (Antwerp), it was time for the Dutch premiere of NOW WE ARE EARTH on 27 May at O. Festival for Opera. Music. Theatre. The audience at Theater Rotterdam was immersed in Nicole Beutler’s hopeful vision of the future. From the performers to the Rotterdam choir, from Gary Shepherd’s electronic compositions to the enchanting lighting design by Minna Tiikkainen: everything fell into place.
As with the previous parts of the trilogy, this third performance was preceded by an impact program. Festivalgoers at O. were the first to experience it. At The Green Clinic, visitors shared their climate concerns and received recipes for a more hopeful future. On the XL balance board Conversation (im)balance by artist Julien F. Thomas, visitors were challenged to find their balance, and dramaturg Justa Ter Haar gave a live introduction to the performance.
The audience was visibly moved by this eco-futuristic symphony. After the performance, the celebration continued with an afterparty featuring a DJ set by Streamer, also known as our in-house composer Gary Shepherd. The energy lingered long into the night in Rotterdam...
A selection of the press reviews
“Everything falls into place in this third part (…) mysterious when it needs to intrigue, and powerfully rhythmic in its energetic moments.” - Theaterkrant
“Beutler strikes a chord. (…) A spirited work that embraces the audience with a fresh energy, where humanity finds new rituals and ways of connecting.” - Het Parool
“Timo Tembuyser (...) gives voice to a heavenly feeling of togetherness. In her direction, Beutler cleverly and effectively involves the locally recruited singers in this ‘musical and embodied journey to a new resonance’.” - de Volkskrant
Missed it?
You can catch NOW WE ARE EARTH on 8 and 9 July at ITA during Julidans, followed by a Dutch tour from September through November.
Watch the after movie of the premiere below
