Phaedra in vlammen

11 Oct '25 to 12 Oct '25

Het Nationale Theater / Ola Mafaalani

In this new adaptation by writer Nino Haratischwili (author of The Eighth Life), she asks: how can a woman fight for her own freedom in a man's world? You’ll see Malou Gorter as Phaedra and Yela de Koning as her lover Persea, accompanied by live music from the New European Ensemble.

Run time tba
Genre Theatre
Language  Dutch

Interactive programme before the performance
Complete your visit to Phaedra in vlammen with this interactive programme before the performance. Together, we will explore the world of the manosphere and female spirituality. How do these systems hold the characters back or, conversely, give them freedom? And what do they tell us about love?

Phaedra in vlammen 

Phaedra, queen of Athens, is trapped in an unhappy marriage with her husband Theseus. Everything changes when she meets her future daughter-in-law, Persea. This young woman shakes everything and everyone around her, recklessly challenging the existing power structures. Phaedra becomes enchanted by Persea’s fierce strength. A secret, passionate relationship develops, with disastrous consequences.

Director Ola Mafaalani made a name for herself with raw, visual, and poetic productions such as Othello, Heaven Above Berlin, and Fellini. Until 2016, she led the Noord Nederlands Toneel. Since then, she has focused on large productions, primarily in opera and abroad (including Berlin and Riga).
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After her theater hit Borgen (2016), she is returning to the main stage for the first time. Composer Krists Auznieks wrote new music, which will be performed live by four musicians (viola, cello, harp and violin) from the New European Ensemble.

New European Ensemble
In Phaedra in vlammen, four musicians from the New European Ensemble (NEuE) perform on viola, cello, harp, and violin, in varying line-ups. The ensemble was founded in the Netherlands in 2009 by dedicated and passionate musicians from across Europe. NEuE has built a reputation for imaginative programming and is regarded as one of “the leading ensembles in the Netherlands” (Nieuwe Noten).

Regisseur Ola Mafaalani about Phaedra in vlammen

“For me, Phaedra in vlammen is about the unstoppable power of love, which, like weeds, keeps blooming among the rubble. Nino Haratischwili shows how we all – women and men – live in a world based on outdated structures. The old has not yet perished, so the new cannot be born. Phaedra and Persea try to force that renewal, but conservative forces give them no chance. Their attempt is crucial, especially now. If we don’t fight for a loving way of living, there will be none!”

Schrijver Nino Haratischwili

Nino Haratischwili is a Georgian-German writer. In addition to her novels—the best known of which are The Eighth Life (for Brilka) (2017), The Cat and the General (2019), and The Scant Light (2022)—she writes extensively for theater, essays, and opinion pieces. Initially, she wrote Phaedra in vlammen in line with the classical myth, in which Phaedra falls in love with her stepson. But when she was writing in Tbilisi in 2021, the gay pride parade there came under attack. She saw how homophobia was on the rise in her country, partly under the influence of the church and right-wing populist politicians. She threw away what she had already written and turned Phaedra in vlammen into a queer version.

Credits

text by Nino Haratischwili
directed by Ola Mafaalani
cast Malou Gorter, Yamill Jones, Yela de Koning, Rick Paul van Mulligen, Sander Plukaard, Gustav Borreman
translation by Maaike van Rijn
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music by Krists Auznieks
set design by Jeffrey Kranen & Ola Mafaalani
costume design by Regine Standfuss
lighting design by Marc Heinz
dramaturgy by Remco van Rijn
assistant director Goosje Leeuwenstein