On Thursday 6 March 2025, the new performance of Hotel Modern will première in Theater Rotterdam: THE FALL OF GRANADA

Hotel Modern and Abdelkader Benali join forces in The Fall of Granada, a performance full of compelling storytelling, spectacular shadow play and music.

For seven hundred years, the south of Spain was part of a prosperous Moorish kingdom, in which Muslims, Jews and Christians lived together. The arts flourished, science flourished. In 1492, this came to an end, when Catholic Spain conquered the last Moorish city: Granada. What followed was a long process of persecution and expulsion of Jews and Muslims by the Inquisition. Hotel Modern and Abdelkader Benali bring the world of Granada to life: the moving stories, the dances, the painful loss and the inevitable climax of the Fall.

In 2023, Hotel Modern met Abdelkader Benali while working for the NTR television series Jan Janszoon, Piraat van de wereld. Benali was the narrator in the series, we made animations. This series – broadcast in February 2024 – tells the story of the 17th-century Haarlem native Jan Janszoon who migrates to Morocco, makes a splash as a pirate and converts to Islam. Through conversations with Benali, Hotel Modern became interested in the rich cultural and religious exchange between North Africa and Europe and the idea arose to make The Fall of Granada together.

Abdelkader Benali (Ighazzazen, Morocco, 1975) is a writer and programme maker, and is known for his work in which he explores the themes of identity, multiculturalism and migration. He writes novels, essays, columns and plays. Hotel Modern and Abdelkader Benali are making De Val van Granada together.

• Reviews & articles

• Tourdates The Fall of Granada

• Tuesday 4 March 2025 Theater Rotterdam Rotterdam The Netherlands
• Wednesday 5 March 2025 Theater Rotterdam Rotterdam The Netherlands
• Thursday 6 March 2025 Theater Rotterdam Rotterdam The Netherlands
• Friday 7 March 2025 Theater Rotterdam Rotterdam The Netherlands
• Tuesday 11 March 2025 Theater Kikker Utrecht The Netherlands
• Wednesday 12 March 2025 Theater Kikker Utrecht The Netherlands
• Thursday 13 March 2025 Theater Kikker Utrecht The Netherlands
• Tuesday 18 March 2025 Frascati Amsterdam The Netherlands
• Wednesday 19 March 2025 Frascati Amsterdam The Netherlands
• Thursday 20 March 2025 Frascati Amsterdam The Netherlands
• Friday 21 March 2025 Musis & Stadstheater Arnhem Netherlands
• Wednesday 26 March 2025 Deventer Schouwburg Deventer The Netherlands
• Friday 4 April 2025 De Lieve Vrouw Amersfoort The Netherlands
• Thursday 10 April 2025 Groene Engel Oss NL
• Thursday 24 April 2025 De Maagd Bergen op Zoom NL
• View all our tourdates in the agenda

• Makers

• makers and actors: Abdelkader Benali, Pauline Kalker, Arlène Hoornweg, Herman Helle, Jorn Heijdenrijk text: Abdelkader Benali and Hotel Modern live music Chris Saris assistance props, puppets and costumes: Marsha Agerbeek, Juliet Camphens, Jacqueline de Maat, Jozef van Rossum, Barbara Witteveen help with research Ravyvano van Kralingen poster and flyer Supergrumpy, Notdef theatre technicians Joost ten Hagen, Joris van Oosterhout, Pablo Strörmann thanks to Machiel Kunst, de Lichtbende business management Inge Kruithof publicity Michiel van Zuijlen administration Ariëlle Leenheer subsidy Performing Arts Fund, Municipality of Rotterdam