Louise is the third and last performance of the Radiant Shadow series, a triptych of music- & dance theatre productions, of approx. 30 minutes each, after which the audience is invited to a conversation or small workshops. The three performances centre around the necessity of delving into the colonial history of the province of Gelderland and its reverberations. This production shows a shared part of our history, the dark side of Dutch prosperity.

In all three productions the music and dance are central, the emotions speak the heart is touched.

150th Commemoration; Acknowledgement and Healing

On July 1st, Keti Koti, the 150th commemoration of emancipation of slavery in the Kingdom of the Netherlands Louise will premiere, as part of a programme on acknowledgement and healing concerning the colonial and slavery past.

The performance Louise is based on the embroidery of the 18th Century white woman Louise van Ommeren- Hengevelt from Arnhem (1794). Embroidery and needlepoint were often seen as a ‘craft’ instead of a work of Art, as it was part of what women produced in the domain of their home. But this embroidery is, apart from the beautiful needlework and colours also a protest against slavery. Underneath the work the following text is seen:

Komt, daar onse harten bloeden
Op het zien van slavernij
Dat onse daden spreken
Laten wij dit muisje vrij

[Come, now that our hearts bleed
As we look upon slavery
That our deeds may speak
To set this little mouse free
English Translation: Farida Nabibaks]

The still life ‘The world of Louise’, made by visual artist Louise te Poele, seems a silent witness of the life of the historic figure, Louise. What made this well-to-do woman from Arnhem stitch such a protest on slavery? What does it say about her and her life as a woman in this Dutch colonial and patriarchic society? In this third and concluding Radiant Shadow performance a new horizon emanates and catches our eye…

Premiere:
Saturday 1 July 2023, Keti Koti

Venue: Stadsschouwburg Nijmegen
Keizer Karelplein 32H,
6511 NH Nijmegen
Start performance: 8:00 pm
Start after performance programme: 8:45
End of programme: approx. 10:00 pm
Tickets: theater Stadsschouwburg Nijmegen

Second performance:
Sunday 2 July 2023

Venue:Theater Ins Blau
Haagweg 6
2311 AA Leiden
Start performance: 8:00 pm
Start after performance programme: 8:45
End of programme: approx. 10:00 pm
Tickets: theater Ins Blau

Creative Team:
Artistic director: Farida Nabibaks
Composer: Jean Jacques Rojer
Musical director: Heleen Vegter
Floormanager: Lena Reinierse

Cast:
Sytske van der Ster
Yara van Fraeijenhove
Fernando Linares-Correa
Rohiet Tjon Poen Gie
Lana Renfrum
Yanira Gefferie
Melano Bruinhart
Jasper Bärtling-Lippina
Talin Huntjens

Reframing HERstory Art Foundation
Reframing HERstory Art Foundation, located in Arnhem, is the producer of the performance and workshop programme. With this work the foundation contributes to raising awareness and bringing education about the colonial and slavery past of Gelderland to our audiences, with a focus on healing from this past. In this year of the 150th commemoration of emancipation, the emphasis is on the urgency to bring the voices that were marginalized to the foreground and reflect on this history that is still present today.

After the performance a workshop is planned with a focus on healing. The workshop is bilingual, languages used are Dutch and English.

Thanks to:
Visual Artist Louise te Poele
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Carl Haarnack – Buku Biblioteca Surinamica

 With support from:

And ‘de vrienden van Reframing HERstory Art Foundation’

Radiant Shadow consists of three music- and dance theatre productions of approx. 30 minutes each, after which the audience is invited to a small conversation. It centres around the necessity of delving into the colonial history of the Province of Gelderland and its current reverberations. These productions will each show an underrepresented part of our shared history, the dark side of Dutch prosperity. In all three productions the music and dance are central, the emotions speak, the heart is touched.  

The first production of Radiant Shadow is based on an 18th century painting that is on display in a Castle in Gelderland (NL). It brings to the stage the colonial history and slavery past of Gelderland (NL) and emphasizes the urgency of excavate and to reflect on this history that is still present today. The music composed for this performance, either European songs or Surinamese melodies, will be performed live.The first Radiant Shadow performance is well received.

The Radiant Shadow performances aim to contribute to the dialogue concerning this current societal theme that is so deserving of our attention.

All three performances will move you, as the hidden stories creep out of the shadow and show themselves to the audience. They unveil the ‘other side’ of colonial wealth and riches from the 17th, 18th and 19th century through personalized stories of invisibilized and shadowed workers, cleaners, caretakers, whose labour has been erased.