Hotel Modern and New Dutch Connections

“The lone star.” That is what Liberians call that one big star that adorns their proud flag. After 34 years, the charismatic theater maker Bright Richards visited his native Liberia for the first time since he had to flee during a bloody civil war. Do they still remember him? What can he still mean to the country today? He takes us to places that were once important to him and to stories that have shaped his life.

Hotel Modern depicts this impressive and confusing return with ingenious scale models, puppets, and live animation. A journey in which past and present intertwine, in which gruesome memories of war and the new daily reality alternate with alienating speed. Confronting yet compassionate, Bright tells the story of his country's history, which emerged in the wake of a history of slavery. He tries to come to terms with the raw violence in which child soldiers were deployed, and seeks hope in the powerful way in which the women of Liberia ensured disarmament and peace. A performance like a road movie in which the creators wonder how one can look one's demons from the past in the eye, whether one can process a war together, and how perpetrators and victims can move on living together.

A coproduction of Hotel Modern and New Dutch Connection:

New Dutch Connections (NDC) is a theater producer with social impact. NDC makes the urgent stories of newcomers visible, gives them a voice, and connects these stories with audiences, communities, and the business community. Founder Bright Richards was honored for his work with the Gieskes Strijbis Podium Prize and an ‘Appeltje van Oranje’, and was recently named ‘Change Maker of the Year’ in the performing arts in the field of Diversity and Inclusion by the VSB Fund.

• Reviews & articles

• Tourdates The Lone Star

• Sunday 27 December 2026 Theater Rotterdam Rotterdam The Netherlands
• Monday 28 December 2026 Theater Rotterdam Rotterdam The Netherlands
• Tuesday 29 December 2026 Theater Rotterdam Rotterdam The Netherlands
• Wednesday 30 December 2026 Theater Rotterdam Rotterdam The Netherlands
• Tuesday 2 February 2027 De Blauwe Kei Veghel The Netherlands
• Wednesday 3 February 2027 Goudse Schouwburg Gouda The Netherlands
• Tuesday 9 February 2027 Theater Kikker Utrecht The Netherlands
• Wednesday 10 February 2027 Theater Kikker Utrecht The Netherlands
• Friday 12 February 2027 Theater Ins Blau Leiden The Netherlands
• Saturday 13 February 2027 De Lieve Vrouw Amersfoort The Netherlands
• Thursday 25 February 2027 De Groene Engel Oss The Netherlands
• Wednesday 3 March 2027 Westlandtheater De Naald Naaldwijk The Netherlands
• Wednesday 12 May 2027 Cultuurhuis De Klinker Winschoten Netherlands
• Wednesday 9 June 2027 De Schuur Haarlem The Netherlands
• View all our tourdates in the agenda

• Makers

• Makers and performers: Bright Richards, Herman Helle, Arlène Hoornweg, Pauline Kalker Technicians: Joost ten Hagen, Pablo Strörmann Set dressers and puppet makers: Juliet Campfens, Noor Sanders, Masha Agerbeek, Juliette Mout, Lybrich Wieringa Coproduction Hotel Modern en New Dutch Connections