Operation Hellfire

• Date: 03 June - 13 June
• Time: 20:00
• Location: Koninklijke Schouwburg, Grote zaal

Disclaimer: This show is in Dutch

Does international law really work for everyone? With Operation Hellfire, director Eric de Vroedt presents a political thriller where law, power, and morality collide. What if a U.S. president had to appear before the International Criminal Court? Featuring Rick Paul van Mulligen, Gustav Borreman, Soumaya Ahouaoui, and Yamill Jones.

A ‘what if’ that frighteningly mirrors reality
The Dutch Prime Minister organizes an international summit on the collapsing world order. He wants to spark a counter-movement, returning to a time when (international) law truly mattered. But then the unthinkable happens: the former U.S. president, one of the guests of honor, is arrested upon arrival in The Hague by the International Criminal Court.

The reaction from Washington is immediate. The American Service-Members’ Protection Act is triggered, a law designed to protect Americans from prosecution by the ICC. A diplomatic crisis of unprecedented scale unfolds. The ICC refuses to withdraw the charges, even under the threat of a potential invasion.

‘International City of Peace and Justice’
In response to the establishment of the ICC in 2002, the U.S. passed the American Service Members’ Protection Act. This law grants the U.S. president the authority to use “all means necessary and appropriate” to free an American citizen or ally if charged by the ICC. In popular culture, it became known as the “Hague Invasion Act.”

The city of The Hague calls itself the “International City of Peace and Justice.” In Operation Hellfire, writers Joeri Heegstra and Max Wind ask: how far is the Netherlands willing to go to uphold these ideals?

“In 2024, Joeri Heegstra and Max Wind wrote Exit Poll for The National Theatre, a fast-paced, humorous political thriller about the elections. Now they turn their focus to international law. How just is it, really? Does it work equally well for everyone? Especially now, as the international world order seems to wobble, it’s important to ask these questions.” – Director Eric de Vroedt

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