Program May 3, 4 and 5 in Plein Theater: 80 years of peace in the Netherlands

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During the weekend of 3, 4 and 5 May, you can visit and enjoy various programs in and around the Plein Theater in the context of 80 years of peace in the Netherlands. As a theater in Amsterdam East, in the middle of a neighborhood full of history and Stolpersteine, we commemorate and celebrate annually together with the neighborhood and the city. We invite you to reflect on the period and victims of that time, and on the world of today.

We present extraordinary theater programs, serve free soup on behalf of the Amsterdam 4 and 5 May Committee, engage in conversations, connect in a meditation session for peace and join the Table of East in the Oosterpark on May 5! The photo exhibition Cas Oorthuys: De Ondergedoken Camera (The Underground Camera) can be seen in our café.

Program

Continuous| Photo Exhibition
Cas Oorthuys: The Underground Camera

Photographer and resistance fighter Cas Oorthuys was part of The Underground Camera in the final year of the war. This was a well-organized group of photographers who — often working illegally — documented the war. In May this year, this collection will become part of UNESCO World Heritage.
Frank Oorthuys, head technician at Plein Theater and son of Cas, is exhibiting the photographs in our foyer as part of 80 Years of Peace.
 

Saturday, May 3

18:00 – 19:30 Soup & Talk
Drowned Freedom
Phaedra Haringsma

On Friday, May 3, Plein Theater will serve free soup on behalf of the Amsterdam May 4 & 5 Committee, prepared by Peggy's Kitchen. Journalist and photographer Phaedra Haringsma will engage in a conversation via Zoom with Noris Bannafoo — a Saamaka spoken word artist and environmental activist — with whom she co-authored the story collection Drowned Freedom.
This evening is part of the National Commemoration of the Dutch Colonial Past and focuses on resistance — the common thread throughout the program.

20:00 – 21:00 Theater
Traces
Sylwia Niekolaas

In the puppet theater performance Traces, Sylwia follows the path of her grandfather, a Polish resistance fighter. Using handmade puppets, she uncovers her grandfather’s story layer by layer.

Sunday, May 4

17:00 – 17:20 Theater na de Dam – Youth Edition
Oog in Oog
Nilay Ceber & Young Performers

Face to Face is a performance about resistance and the photography of Cas Oorthuys. With a hidden Rolleiflex camera, Oorthuys secretly captured what Amsterdam looked like during World War II: at great personal risk, he photographed the occupation, the organized resistance, and the suffering of the Hunger Winter.

Director Nilay Ceber:
“Cas had a camera. He documented the war when no one dared to look. Today, young people in Gaza film their last words. On TikTok. Do you see it? Or do you scroll past? I’m making a performance. About then. About now. About images that hurt and won’t let go.”

17:30 – 20:00 Shared Soup
20:00 – 20:02 Two Minutes of Silence

20:30 – 21:30 Dance
Nelly’s Locket (premiere)
Bitter Sweet Dance | Liat Waysbort

In 2021, Nelly Aman, born in 1934 in Arnhem, donated her grandmother’s locket to the World Holocaust Remembrance Center — the final stop on a long journey of hardship. This time capsule inspired the dance performance Nelly’s Locket.

In 2025, the year marking 80 years since the end of World War II, we live in a complex reality where the consequences of that war still resonate. This performance intertwines memories of events from both the distant and recent past, offering viewers a chance to learn from history — to create a better present and influence the future.

Monday, May 5

10:30 Arrival with Spoken Word, Live Ambient Sound & Herbal Tea

11:00 – 12:30 Meditation Session for Peace
Immersive Sound Movement Healing Experience
Dayna Martinez Morales, Gizzi Geetha, Sunni Lamin Barrow

A warm welcome to a special session with Dayna Martinez Morales, Dizzi Geetha, and Sunni Lamin Barrow — marking 80 Years of Peace. We invite you to pause together, feel, and connect with yourself, with others, and with the present moment. In a safe and warm atmosphere, you’ll experience meditation, movement, and sound. A loving invitation to fully arrive, connect, and celebrate what makes us human.

12:30 – 13:30 Shared Soup

13:00 – 18:00 Liberation Celebration in Oosterpark
Table of East

On Monday, May 5, Oosterpark celebrates 80 years of liberation with the event Table of East. A festive and colorful day full of performances and speakers — and Plein Theater is joining in!

From 13:00 to 18:00, the main field in Oosterpark will be alive with activity. From researcher and author Pieter Hilhorst to a cello performance, from dance and spoken word by Kids of Amsterdam to Job Cohen and Theater na de Dam. A rich and varied program — you're warmly invited!