We Are The Lucky Ones

Music theatre

4.9.-7.9.2025

, Jahrhunderthalle Bochum

A portrait of a generation - moving, tender, funny and of great depth.

Somebody remembers a first kiss. Another talks about loss. A third says just one sentence - and yet it echoes a whole life.

We Are The Lucky Ones is a touching mosaic of real stories, dreams and memories. Based on interviews with people born in Europe between 1940 and 1949, an emotional chronicle is created - between hope and disappointment, gain and loss, tenderness and anger. Philip Venables' music lends these voices a playful intensity. It penetrates what is said, opens up spaces for the unsaid - and brings to life what words cannot grasp. Between orchestral outbursts and intimate moments, an invitation is created to review one's own history.

The focus is on the authenticity of the narrative. The singers lend their voices to the memories, manoeuvre collective crises and universal moments of happiness, playing everyone and yet no one.

We Are The Lucky Ones is an invitation to listen - and to think further. What do we leave behind? What responsibility do we bear?

We Are The Lucky Ones is part the democracy campaign of the RuhrBühnen network.

Co-produced and co-commissioned by Dutch National Opera and Ruhrtriennale. By permission of Opera Edition Ltd.

Five performers stand on an elevated stage in front of the window facade of a former industrial hall. On the left, Claron McFadden is bent over a box, while Michael Wilmering and Nina van Essen hold large white sheets of paper. On the right side of the image, Alex Rosen and Steven van Linden are holding a tall wooden ladder. — We Are The Lucky Ones, director: Ted Huffman, f.l.t.r. Claron McFadden, Michael Wilmering, Nina van Essen, Alex Rosen, Steven van der Linden © Caroline Seidel, Ruhrtriennale 2025

Several performers move dynamically across a brightly lit, elevated stage inside a darkened industrial hall. On the left side of the image, Helena Rasker wears a vibrant pink suit, Claron McFadden appears in a black-and-white patterned robe, Nina van Essen sparkles in a silver sequin dress, and Sophia Burgos stands out in a flowing red evening gown. Opposite them, male performers dressed in elegant evening attire engage with energetic gestures, creating a sense of theatrical tension and movement. — We Are The Lucky Ones, Regie: Ted Huffman, f.l.t.r. Helena Raser, Claron McFadden, Nina van Essen, Sophia Burgos, Alex Rosen, Michael Wilmering, Steven van der Linden © Caroline Seidel, Ruhrtriennale 2025

Several performers strike expressive poses on a brightly lit, elevated stage in front of a white panel wall inside an old industrial hall. In the foreground, colorful paper streamers float through the air. — We Are The Lucky Ones, director: Ted Huffman, v.l.n.r. Alex Rosen, Sophia Burgos, Steven van der Linden, Nina van Essen, Claron McFadden, Michael Wilmering © Caroline Seidel, Ruhrtriennale 2025

In the foreground, Helena Rasker stands on a brightly lit stage, holding a microphone and dressed in a vibrant pink and red outfit. Colorful paper garlands are scattered around her feet, while several performers walk across an elevated stage in the background. The scene takes place in a former industrial hall. — We Are The Lucky Ones, director: Ted Huffman, v.l.n.r. Alex Rosen, Helena Rasker, Sophia Burgos, Steven van der Linden, Nina van Essen, Claron McFadden, Michael Wilmering © Caroline Seidel, Ruhrtriennale 2025

Several performers stand on an elevated stage in front of the large window facade of a former industrial hall. In the center of the image, a projection of a nuclear mushroom cloud creates a dramatic atmosphere. On the right side of the image, a woman in a silver sequin dress walks toward the stage, while other performers are positioned between ladders and white panels. — We Are The Lucky Ones, director: Ted Huffman, f.l.n.r. Claron McFadden, Alex Rosen, Helena Rasker, Sophia Burgos, Michael Wilmering, Steven van der Linden, Nina van Essen © Caroline Seidel, Ruhrtriennale 2025

A performer stands in front of a projection showing a black-and-white photograph of a man sitting on a bench in a garden. The performer holds up an image of a dog in front of their face, visually aligning with the projection in the background. — We Are The Lucky Ones, director: Ted Huffman. Steven van der Linden © Caroline Seidel, Ruhrtriennale 2025

Press reviews

“We Are the Lucky Ones gives voice to a generation. […] What emerges is a portrait of a generation told with compassion, wisdom and artfulness. […] the creators of We Are the Lucky Ones push the boundaries of opera.” – The New York Times, 17 March 2025

“A harrowing, tender, funny, non-judgmental living portrait of a generation. […] Venables has created a huge-hearted score [...] that is entirely his own” – Bachtrack, 22 March 2025

“A sound that alternates between music of memory, wild outbursts and lyrical moments. ” – TAZ, 26 March 2025

Cast

Composition
- Philip Venables
Libretto
- Nina Segal,
- Ted Huffman
Conductor
- Bassem Akiki
Direction
- Ted Huffman
Set Design
- Ted Huffman
Costume Design
- Ted Huffman,
- Sonoko Kamimura
Lighting Design
- Bertrand Couderc
Movement
- Pim Veulings
Video Design
- Nadja Sofie Eller,
- Tobias Staab
Dramaturgy
- Nina Segal,
- Laura Roling
Sound Design Production
- Timo Merkies
Sounddesign Venue
- Thomas Wegner
Assistant Conductor
- Lochlan Brown
Assistant Director
- Sonoko Kamimura
ONE
- Claron McFadden
TWO
- Sophia Burgos
THREE
- Nina van Essen
FOUR
- Helena Rasker
FIVE
- Steven van der Linden
SIX
- Frederick Ballentine
SEVEN
- Michael Wilmering
EIGHT
- Alex Rosen
Orchestra
- Bochumer Symphoniker
Team Dutch National Opera
- Emma Becker,
- Nikki Boerhof,
- Frauke Bockhorn,
- Emma Eberlijn,
- Jan-Paul Grijpink,
- Jenny Henger,
- Coen van der Hoeven,
- Remko Holleboom,
- Jeroen Jaspers,
- Anton Kool,
- Roland Lammers van Toorenburg,
- Emiel Rietvelt,
- Pepijn van der Sanden,
- Merijn Schipper,
- Ramón Schoones,
- Jip van't Veer
Assistant Artistic Production Manager Ruhrtriennale
- Anna Sophie Hutter
Technical Project Manager Ruhrtriennale
- Ole Meißner
Technician
- Steven Böhm,
- Leif Hetfeld,
- Dirk Heymann,
- Patrick Kievernagel,
- Torben Krol,
- Franzi Luhn,
- Daniel Przemus,
- Fanny Schmidt,
- Stephan Schneppel,
- Alma Schraer,
- Ralph Schwarzenauer,
- Petar Skrivan,
- Jens Tuch,
- Johannes Voltz,
- Jakob Wundrack,
- Jonas Wüstefeld
Dressing and Costume Team Ruhrtriennale
- Daniela Bermudez,
- Paula de la Haye
Hair and Makeup Team Ruhrtriennale
- Pia Norberg,
- Freya Rottländer