BLIND
BLIND returns for a powerful restaging after its celebrated 2015 debut, which was seen at major theatres and festivals in London, New York, Tokyo, and the Netherlands.
Created together with Nancy Black of Black Hole Theatre (Melbourne, Australia) and coached by Afro-Brazilian anthropologist Patrick Oliveira, BLIND is an immersive visual theatre experience that blends dance, sound, light and the manipulation of foam sculptures.
Rooted in Paiva’s own childhood illness—one that scarred his skin and left him temporarily blind—the piece is an embodied ritual of healing. Through his self‑taught Object Score, the performer rewrites his body into a living map of limits, vulnerability, and resistance.
“Giving life to things that aren’t alive is a way of healing and a reminder that we don’t own life; we only look after it.”
– Duda Paiva, 2026
CREDITS
Concept: Duda Paiva en Nancy Black
Direction: Nancy Black
Choreography and puppet coach: Duda Paiva
Performer: Ilija Surla or Duda Paiva
Music and sound design: Wilco Alkema
Light design: Mark Verhoef
Puppets: Evandro Serodio and Duda Paiva
Dramaturgical advice: Nienke Rooijakkers
Costumes decor: Machtelt Halewijn
Costume performers: Atty Kingma
Decor realization: Daniel Patijn
A coproduction with Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes (FR), Black Hole Theatre (AUS), Nordland Visual Theatre (NO) and Korzo producties (NL). Co-financed by Performing Arts Fund (NL). With a lot of thanks to Hans C. Boer, Domokos Kovacs, Patrick Oliveira and MapLab Utrecht.
Reviews
Sydney Morning Herald ★★★★
"Blind is a theatre experience that openly hands interpretation to its audience. It's as delightful as it is heartbreaking and too beautiful to define."
Het Parool ★★★★
"Incredibly entertaining, moving universe."
Theaterkrant ★★★★
"In Blind Duda Paiva dances with his demons (…) The man might have been distorted, repulsive – but he is not. When he dances, he looks more like an asymmetrical Hieronymus Bosch (…) powerful choreography and direction (…) strongly supported by soundscape and decor (…) beautiful puppets from grotesquely realistic to almost abstract (…) they remind you of portraits by Marlene Dumas.”
l’Ardennais
"Duda Paiva captures the audience (…) with bated breath the audience follows the gestures of this genius puppeteer (...) he lets his foam puppets foam dance, sing and let them fight to the death (...) the magic reigns."
Underground The Hague
"I was reminded of the ugliness / beauty, good / evil, lumpy / flat dichotomies we try to negotiate on a daily basis. There is piece of mind in knowing the only thing to do is to hold them tight in an awkward embrace as we blindly dance through life.”
Scene photos
