The years

How much history fits into one woman's life? At a time when women's rights are once again under pressure in many parts of the world, The Years by Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux is more topical than ever. Together, five actresses tell the story of one woman's life: from a girl in post-war France to a writer who chooses her own path. As she grows up, the world around her changes with her, and so her personal story becomes the history of us all.

One woman's life, the history of us all.

Date: October 9, 2024 - July 14, 2025
Duration: 120 min, no interval
Genre: Theatre
Taal: Dutch
Triggerwarning: This production contains scenes that some may find very intense. The Years includes a scene about an illegal abortion, played by Mariana Aparicio. Some may find this scene distressing. The abortion is described in detail and fake blood is used.

Director Eline Arbo has adapted Ernaux's masterpiece into a production full of live music, photographs, songs and news footage. Major themes such as emancipation, sexuality, motherhood and class difference are given a face in the experiences of one woman. Raw, moving and often funny too: The Years shows how remarkable an 'ordinary' woman's life is. 'Arbo shows how epic a perfectly ordinary woman's life can be', wrote De Telegraaf.

The Years became one of the greatest theatre successes of recent years. The production was selected for the Nederlands Theater Festival, Mariana Aparicio won the Theo d'Or for her role, and de Volkskrant and Trouw both gave it five stars. The English-language version, The Years, took London's West End by storm and won Arbo the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director in 2025.

'All the images will disappear. Death wipes everything out in a single second, and so we must save something from the time in which we shall never be again.'

from: The Years

Director Eline Arbo

'When I read The Years I knew at once: this book was written for me. Annie Ernaux's style is so striking and so universal that all those memories resonate in me too. Her images evoke a sense of nostalgia, but shame and anger at the same time.'

Eline Arbo (Tromsø, 1986) has been artistic director of ITA since September 2023. The Norwegian director read theatre studies in Oslo and directing at the Academy of Theatre and Dance in Amsterdam. In her work she explores themes such as gender, power, class and freedom, in productions in which live music and physical acting are always part of the story.

Arbo made highly praised productions at Toneelschuur Producties and Het Nationale Theater, among others, including Het lijden van de jonge Werther (BNG Bank Theatre Prize) and The End of Eddy (Directing Prize 2020). In 2021 she received the Mary Dresselhuys Prize. At ITA she has directed Penthesilea and The Copenhagen Trilogy, among others. The Years was her international breakthrough as well: the production is now being performed in several countries and won her the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director in London.