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Ola Mafaalani is a theater and opera director known for her imaginative productions. She is often referred to as ‘the empress of fantasy’ due to her creative and innovative approach to theater. In January 2021, she joined the Female Economy in Amsterdam as an artistic leader, alongside Adelheid Roosen. In addition to her leadership role, Mafaalani also continues to direct operas and theatre. Furthermore, it is accurate that Ola Mafaalani has a passion for coaching women, and she has been involved in mentoring and supporting women in the various industries.

Between 2009 and 2016, she served as the general director of the North Netherlands Theatre (Noord Nederlands Toneel or NNT), a prominent Dutch theater company. During her tenure at NNT, she made significant contributions to the theater scene in the Netherlands.

Ola Mafaalani (born 1968) is a theater director. In January 2021, she joined A Female Economy in Amsterdam as an artistic leader, alongside Adelheid Roosen. In addition to that role, she also directs operas, theatre and serves as a coach for women. From 2009 to the end of 2016, she held the position of artistic and general director of the Noord Nederlands Toneel (has been renamed to NITE) in Groningen, Netherlands. During her tenure, her company played a leading role in the arts in the Netherlands and served as an example of how art can become of great importance in a city. Remarkably, she succeeded in introducing theater to people who had never considered attending a performance before, with 30% newcomers in the main stage audience, and in her final production, “Borgen,” half of the audience visited the theater for the first time.

In 2016, she received the prestigious ‘proscenium prize’ for her groundbreaking work, bringing life itself into theater and art into society.

Mafaalani also innovated a new genre: live binge-watching. She adapted the series “Borgen” for the theater, a production lasting 9 hours. It became a theater hit with full houses and was selected for the theater festival in 2016. A documentary about Ola Mafaalani made during the binge-watching theater series “Borgen” was directed by Carin Goeijers in 2016.

<a href=”http://www.npo.nl/het-uur-van-de-wolf/05-05-2016/VPWON_1257918″>Watch documentary</a>

At this moment, she is working on “Women in Bath (Vrouwen in bad),” another outstanding concept. She has invited 40 women to join her and her actors in illuminated transparent baths for 5 weeks, with a 3-hour ritual each week. The first edition was held last year, and due to its significant success, the second sequence was held in the beginning of 2023. Other series will be announced soon.

During the pandemic in 2021, she created a new art form with “The Seven Deadly Sins” at the National Opera House in Amsterdam. It was a live-stream, live-opera film where a handheld camera followed the scene with mainly close-up shots, providing an intense feeling of the singers and actresses to the audience. This was groundbreaking during a time when opera houses were closed, and she and her wonderful team found a new way to perform for the public without making compromises.

Mafaalani was born in Syria and moved with her family to Germany at the age of 4. In Bochum, she studied film and television (Anglistic, Politics, and German). She continued her studies in theater in Amsterdam and has been living in the Netherlands since 1992. In 1995, she pursued post-graduate education at DasArts, created by her dear mentor Ritsaert ten Cate. From 2002 until 2009, she served as the house director of Toneelgroep Amsterdam (now ITA, International Theatre Amsterdam) and directed productions in Europe and the US.

Mafaalani’s outspokenness has occasionally stirred controversy. When she opened the Dutch Theater Festival in Amsterdam in 2015, she shared her concerns about the lack of engagement with human rights both inside and outside the theater. To illustrate her point, she shared the stage with a hundred refugees.

Her focus is on awakening female senses to illuminate souls in theater, emphasizing the importance of senses and extending a sincere invitation to a joyful world.

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Mission
Mafaalani’s theatre reminds sight back of who we are. The truly important things in life need to adjust to an overwhelming mass of information and the drastic changes taking place quicker than ever yet before in history. Ola Mafaalani’s work wants to stop the clock for an hour or two, to address one of the most fundamental questions that confronts us in life: what are you doing on this planet today, and what impact did your life have had when you leave this mortal coil. For the duration of the performance, theatre provides trust. Confirms our audience’s purpose and gives proof that change IS life and that growth is its own reward. Infuses uncertainty with loving curiosity. Curiosity for unforeseen possibilities people encompass.

Social Engineering

The story of one single person is the story of mankind

This term that Noam Chomsky serves as the connecting thread of Ola Mafaalani’s repertoire: Tinkering with consciousness. One small step at a time. The idea of making adjustments or modifications to one’s state of awareness by manufacturing a ‘It just changed’ view creates a fresh feeling. The theatre has provided insight into human behaviour for 2500 years. This entails 2500 years of pure experience. Mafaalani’s work combines a love of the classics – both tragedy and comedy – with its own unique and ready passion, set squarely in personal story’s of people who live now. This draws her work to the theatres, but also has driven her out in the streets to unleash our creativity. High visibility in the public arena reminds people of the value of life and the place where it really shines: when we connect. In doing so, Mafaalani seeks to collaborate with other party’s within art en in all disciplines of society. Dancers, with actors and spiritual leaders, repertoire with visual art, actors with politicians, blind people with seeing people, TV-newsreaders with aerialist’s. Her love is to give a central place to people who the society excludes. For the duration of the performance, an equal place. And always with rich fantasy.
In her repertory, light pieces are provided a bite, while the serious ones are given a twist. And always with a wide open heart.

Selections and prizes

2017

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences

She was appointed a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in January. In the Netherlands, only 46 people are invited to join

2016

Proscenium Price

Ola Mafaalani was the youngest artist in the Netherlands to receive an award for her oeuvre, the 'proscenium prize,' recognizing her "groundbreaking work that brings life itself into theater and art into society"

2016

Borgen

Netherlands Theaterfestival 2016 (selection)

Belgium Theaterfestival 2016 (selection)

2015

Nomination

Gansfort Cultuurprijs 2015

2013

Fellini

Netherlands Theatrefestival 2014 (selection)
Kontakt Festival 2014 Torun, Polen (selection)

2010

Elf Minuten (eleven minutes)

Netherlands Theatrefestival 2010 (selection)

2001

Macbeth

Netherlands Theatrefestival 2001 (selection)

2001

Ten Liefde

Theatre festival Maubeuge 2001, France (selection)

2000

Directors award

Erik Vos directors award

CV

2023

Vrouwen in Bad / Women in Bath

Female Economy

2022

KABAREH CHEIKHATS

Female Economy
Festival Julidans
Amsterdam

2022

Opera, Benjamin Britten: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Opera Zuid

2022

Vrouwen in Bad / Women in Bath

Female Economy

2021

Kurt Weill: The Seven Deadly Sins

Dutch National Opera & Ballet

Unique live online film experience

2021-now

Artistic leader of Female Economy in duo with Adelheid Roosen

A Female Economy is a wonderful art group that collaboratively creates high-art projects with non-artists and their stories. Its focus is on bridging differences of ethnicity, color, age, and status through art, fostering genuine understanding and seeing one another

2009 -2016

General director of Noord Nederlands Toneel

NNT (Now NITE) is one of the four major companies in the Netherlands

2016

Borgen

An adaptation of the Danish hitserie 'Borgen'

in own company NNT(Now NITE)

2016

Ola's Borgen

TV Documentary about the Ola Mafaalani

Watch documentary

2015

Staat van het theater/state of the theatre

Opens the theatre festival in the main theatre of Amsterdam with hundred refugees.

Watch trailer

2014

De laatkomer

Theatre adaptation of Dimitri Verhulst's book 'De laatkomer' in our own company NNT (Now NITE)

2013

Fellini

A performance about the life and work of the maestro in our own company NNT (Now NITE)

2012

Misdaad en Straf (Crime and punishment)

Dostojevski
in our own company NNT(Now NITE)

2011

Hamlet

William Shakespeare
in our own company NNT(Now NITE)

2010

Medea

Euripides
invited to Winterthur, Switzerland

2010

Tereisias

The story of a blind man who could see in our own company NNT (Now NITE)

2009

Medea

Euripides
in our own company NNT(Now NITE)

2009

La Divina Commedia

Dante Alighieri
in our own company NNT(Now NITE)

2009

Eleven minutes/Elf minuten

Paulo Coelho
in our own company NNT(Now NITE)

2009 -2016

General director of Noord Nederlands Toneel

NNT (Now NITE) is one of the four major companies in the Netherlands

2008

Frankenstein

Shelley
at d’Electrique

2006

Himmel über Berlin/Wings of Desire

Wim Wenders, Peter Handke
Co-production of Toneelgroep Amsterdam (now International Theatre Amsterdam) and American Repertory Theatre, Boston, Cambridge, MA.
Two versions with different emphases, both bilingual (English and Dutch)

2005

A Clockwork Orange

Anthony Burgess
at d’Electrique & Multi-punkband The Ex)

2005

VPRO television: The day of civilisation.

VPRO TV program about civilization based on the ideas of Norbert Elias

2004

Romeo en Juliet

William Shakespeare

Actors are pitted against Argentinian tango dancers at Toneelgroep Amsterdam (now International Theatre Amsterdam)

2004

Othello

William Shakespeare was invited to Winterthur, Switzerland

2003

Le Bal

based on a senario by Ettore Scola
at Schauspielhaus Köln
Germany

2002

Othello

William Shakespeare

performed at Schauspielhaus Köln, Germany, consistently played to full houses and remained in the repertoire for 2 years

2002

The Merchant of Venice (De Koopman van Venetië)


William Shakespeare
at Toneelgroep Amsterdam (now International Theatre Amsterdam)

2001

Macbeth

William Shakespeare
at Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg (KVS), Brussels, Belgium

2000

Ajax

Sophokles
was Ola Mafaalani's first large-scale theatre production, a co-production between Theater aan het Spui and productiehuis Fact

1998

Key West/Westkaai

B.M. Koltes
at Fact, a site-specific project in Rotterdam

Small stage productions

2015

Mijn Tweede

at NNT. A solo with Marcel Hensema

2013 -2016

Mijn Ede

at NNT. About Ede Staal, the legend of the North of Holland, a solo performance featuring Marcel Hensema. It was performed in every village and in Carré Amsterdam and became a hit

2013

Mama

A suitcase performance against child abuse, performed for professionals in social services and politicians

2005

Extase

Suver Nuver

2004

People in Shit Hotels

Renée Polesch, on location at the Hotel American in Amsterdam's Leidseplein, as part of the Transition Festival

2002

A well fucked up play

Festival De Parade

1999

The Sorry Saint

about life and work of outsider artist Henry Darger
at Fact Rotterdam

1999 -2001

Ten Liefde/To love

Ko van den Bosch

A modern version of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' became a theater hit at Theater Bellevue

1999

Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Tarantino
at theatreschool Maastricht

1998

Schwitters material

Combines the poem "The Onion" with "Ursonate" by Kurt Schwitters
at Nes-Theaters Amsterdam

1998

Mama Courage

Inspired by Bertold Brecht play Mother Courage

1997

A Battleoper

Inspired by lyrics and music of Tom Waits.
at Grand Theatre Groningen
Noorderzon festival

1996

Leersmoel (Lederfresse)

Helmut Krausser
at Grand Theatre Groningen

1995 -1997

Hairy Machines/Harige machines

S.I. Witkiewicz.
at Grand Theatre and international tour Germany and Poland

foto LEENDERT VOOIJCE Vrouwen in Bad
Vrouwen in Bad
foto LEENDERT VOOIJCE Vrouwen in Bad
Actor Peter Vandemeulebroeke with Ola's Son Sammie van den Bosch after rehearsals
 
Ola's farewell speech at the NNT during the party in the main theatre
Her farewell at the NNT
Her dear colleague Arie Wink, the financial manager of NNT
celebration of 8 years NNT
 
Photo: Adelheid Roosen Ola spreading the ashes of her mentor Ritsaert ten Cate
foto Reyer Boxem Adam Price writing new scenes for Borgen
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ola, with Max van den Berg, who played Kreon in Medea and is, in real life, the commissaris van den koningin (the King's Commissioner)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rehearsals Wings of Desire
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Foto: Reyer Boxem
Foto: Reyer Boxem
 
 
 
Foto: Reyer Boxem Adam Price rehearsing with Ola
Adam Price writing new scenes for Borgen
Foto: Reyer Boxem Adam Price writing new scenes for Borgen
Foto: Reyer Boxem Adam Price writing new scenes
Foto: Reyer Boxem Adam Price rehearsing with Ola
Foto: Radek Leski Ola with her mother inbetween rehearsals
Foto: Radek Leski
Foto: Uur van de Wolf
 
Foto: Reyer Boxem
Foto: Freek van den Bergh Borgen rehearsals
Foto: Sanne Peper