An international festival for opera, music, and theatre with unique site-specific performances and exciting productions in the theatres of Rotterdam. That’s O. 2024!
The festival runs from 16 through 26 May 2024 with performances and concerts throughout. From works in progress to world premieres created by young makers and more established names. The best way to experience O. is to buy a day ticket for €35 and immerse yourself in the festival across the city from early morning till late evening.
As always, the festival starts with First Night (a programme lasting all evening) on Thursday 16 May. This year, the Ukrainian group Opera Aperta O. kicks off with GAIA-24, a contemporary geohistorical opera. The night ends with various sneak festival previews in Theater Rotterdam.
First names
The first weekend starts with the theatrical radio studio FOR REAL by Resonate Productions in the Arminiuskerk as journalism blends with music in unique ways. Animal Farm sees singer Flip Noorman use George Orwell’s legendary novel as a springboard for an energetic, confrontational theatrical concert in Kantine Walhalla. And Claron McFadden, Luigi De Angelis, Fanny & Alexander pay a poignant tribute to the life of Nina Simone in Theater Rotterdam as they perform the meditative re-enactment Nina.
During the second half of the festival, a gigantic wheel of fortune will feature large in the site-specific performance NACHTKANT, life is but a dream, an emotive concert about affluence. Plus, Club Gewalt and De Dansers join forces in Deepend . Their performance probes the deepest depths of dependence in Theater Rotterdam. Last but not least, building on his earlier successes, Steef de Jong returns to the Oude Luxor Theater with Steefs O.2 Show, a spanking new journey through Operetta Land with Richard Groenendijk, Loes Luca, and others.
The full programme will be announced in early April when the individual tickets will go on sale. Day tickets (for Friday 17 through Monday 20 & Friday 24 & Saturday 25 May) and Passe-partouts (Wednesday 16 through Sunday 26 May) can already be purchased.
Locatie
O. gebruikt haar stad als podium en decor. Veel voorstellingen zijn op onalledaagse en onontdekte locaties in de stad: pleinen, woonkamers, kerken, een oude wasserij, winkel, bovenop de Bijenkorf en zelfs een fitnesscentrum.