Rolf Hauser

1.    How and when did you start working at Dutch National Opera & Ballet (description schooling / career)?

I started in 1986, after being asked to help set up the stage department within Het Muziektheater, as deputy head of Stage Services. Six years later, the head of Stage Services was leaving, so I was asked to succeed him. Finally, in 1997, I was invited to become head of the Production Workshop. So I basically accepted three job offers in a row.

2.    What makes your craft / job so special within DNO&B and what makes it so special to yourself?

As head of the Production Workshop, you are in charge of your own building, which means you have to look after maintenance and investments. On the other hand, you’re the one who is called when something is wrong with the building or needs to be adjusted. Lastly, I manage my department and am responsible for the creation of all the sets for the DNO&B productions. The combination of these opportunities, while being surrounded by professionals who all have a ‘can do’ mentality, makes this job very special.

3.    What is your favorite production seen from your craft’s / job’s perspective? Do you have any special memories of that production?

For anyone who was working at DNO&B in the late 1990s, the premieres of the Ring productions were extraordinary moments. After more than a hundred years of investments in theaters and a professional theater environment, it was finally possible to perform the entire Der Ring des Nibelungen in the Netherlands. Thus the dream of the Wagnervereeniging, one of the predecessors of Dutch National Opera, was finally realized. The Ring was an enormous tour de force for both the department I had just left and the department where I had just begun. The exceptional memories of these productions are numerously, and the learning curve was immensely steep.

Last update: 30-11-2022.