Torch Song

Coming soon… Harvey Fierstein’s

27-29 March 2026

Torch Song (originally Torch Song Trilogy) is an iconic and highly acclaimed play by Harvey Fierstein. It tells the story of Arnold Beckoff, a Jewish gay man, drag queen, and torch singer, as he navigates love, loss, and parenthood in 1970s and 1980s New York City across three hilarious and deeply heartfelt acts.

Premiering on Broadway in 1982, Torch Song established itself as a trailblazer for queer theater by unapologetically depicting gay sexuality and families on a Broadway stage in an era of backlash against the social progress of the queer community. The play won two Tony Awards, including Best Play, and established Fierstein as one of the most important voices in modern theatre. It remains a milestone of LGBTQ+ representation and a timeless story about love, family, and the search for acceptance.

Despite being over 40 years old, Torch Song is still extremely relevant today as we see the rights of the LBGTQ+ community come under attack, which is why we wish to revive this rebellious piece. Read more about the director’s vision below!

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This project is supported by the AFK (Amsterdam Fund for the Arts).

Meet the Director

Ties Jansen is a Dutch-American actor, director, producer, and voice and speech coach.

On-stage credits in the Netherlands include the Dutch national tour of Zin in Zappelin Live (BazarMedia Productions), Heathers: the Musical, Chicago, Be More Chill (HEAP), La Cage Aux Folles, Smiley, Cabaret (QETC), …Spelling Bee (Cauldron Performing Arts). On-stage US credits: Welcome to the Wood: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Pace Performing Arts), I Do Believe in Fairies (The Killer Darlings), This Is Our Youth, and Measure for Measure. Directing credits include Little Shop of Horrors (Musicalvereniging DOS), Be More Chill, R+H Cinderella (HEAP). Film: Blocked (Dir. Pieter Hussaarts), I Love Amsterdam…And You (Euphoria Productions), The Other Night (Skuttlbut Studios), Nachtapotheker (Dir. Omnia Hamers, as producer). Additional credits: Judas (ITA, directed by Robert Icke), The Mousetrap, Huisvrouwen bestaan niet (REP Entertainment).

Ties also regularly performs in educational theater shows for high schoolers around The Netherlands with Theatergroep Zwerm (Op de 1ste rij). Alma mater: Pace University School of Performing Arts (NYC, BFA Acting). Ties has been Treasurer of Ensemble Nieuwe Theaterwerkers (ENT) since September 2024. www.tiesjansen.com.

"Torch Song is more than just a play that tickles my funny bone and tugs at my heartstrings. In a country, continent, world in which LGBTQ+ rights are under attack, and in which queer people once again face ubiquitous marginalization as a consequence of the shaping of a perception of queerness coming from outside the community, I feel compelled to present what queerness can be, has been, and always will be. It is the centerpiece of a culture of love, acceptance, and family, and Torch Song depicts that reality perfectly. By putting it on the stage in Amsterdam, I hope to utilize Fierstein's sharp pen and monumental legacy as an act of resistance against continued marginalization."

Meet the Team

Lucia Alvargonzalez

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Lucia is a performer and theater maker from Spain, graduated from AMDA, NY. She made her directorial debut during her university years with "A Very Potter Musical" and "A Very Potter Sequel", in Madrid. Most recently she was assistant director for QETC's Endless Second (2023), and DOOR Foundation's "The Circle of Truth" (2024). She's incredibly grateful to be a part of this wonderful team in her first project with The Cauldron.
Ellen Brooker

PRODUCTION MANAGER
Ellen is a Canadian theatre-maker who prides herself on finding the harmony between creativity and organization and is pleased to be doing just that for Torch Song. She obtained a Master's Degree in Applied Imagination in the Creative Industries from Central St Martin's (London, England) in 2018, and has since taught Stage Management at St. Mary’s University in London, England and in workshops internationally.
Selected production credits include: Technical Coordination for foldA, digital arts festival 2020 (Kingston, Canada), Stage Management for Morro & Jasp: Save the Date at Red Pearl Womxn international clown festival 2020 (Helsinki, Finland) and, since living in the Netherlands, Stage Management for QETC’s 2024 production of La Cage aux Folles and numerous productions with The Cauldron.
Daniela Carvalho

STAGE MANAGER
Daniela loves sticky notes, wearing all black, and seeing a show come to life - from the rehearsal room, to backstage, to the tech booth.
She most recently worked on Spelling Bee and La Cage aux Folles, and is excited to be back in action on this production!
Macy Hohenleitner

DRAMATURGE

Macy is an American Netherlands-based multidisciplinary creative. As a freelancer, she brings her passion for storytelling and the arts into marketing, acting, and teaching. Her work often bridges creative expression and community building. Macy is a graduate of Media and Culture, with a minor in Creative Cities, under the Humanities Honours Programme at Utrecht University. She also trained in Drama and Theatre Arts at Goldsmiths, University of London. When not working, Macy is cooking, crafting, and cruising through Utrecht on her bike.
Sheila Bosco

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
In addition to her passion for drumming and musicals, Sheila began her theater career while in school in New York City and has since worked as a freelance theater technician, technical director, and sound/lighting designer. She is part of New York City’s “It’s Your Fault Theater” and serves on the boards of Outsound (San Francisco) and The Cauldron (Amsterdam).
Rosemary Lloyd

COSTUME DESIGNER
Rosemary’s creative roots are in theatre, where they first explored storytelling through acting and singing before moving behind the curtain into directing, producing, and design. Along the way, they discovered a special love for the artistry of costuming and makeup—the transformative details that bring characters fully to life. They have worked across many facets of the creative process, which gives them a well-rounded perspective and a deep appreciation for collaboration. Whether crafting an intricate look or adapting a design to fit a performer’s unique energy, Rosemary approaches each project with flexibility, imagination, and care. For them, costuming isn’t just about clothes - it’s about helping a story breathe.
Cecilia Berghäll

SET DESIGNER

Cecilia is a producer, scenographer, and maker whose work blends movement, design, and storytelling with a BA in Dance and Cinema Studies from the University of Oregon and an MA in Scenography from HKU. She developed her practice at Het Huis Utrecht, supporting residencies, festivals, and performances, and continues to collaborate with festivals and independent artists to guide projects from concept to completion. As a designer, her work spans set, and costume, drawing on timing, movement, scale, atmosphere, and narrative to craft immersive worlds for contemporary installations and theater. Her projects have appeared at Spring Festival, Schweigman&/Bronte Hond, Vonk Festival, Over het IJ, QETC, and the Prague Quadrennial, among others.
Claudia Minardi

PROPS DESIGNER

Claudia is a musical theater enthusiast who loves to just be in the room where it happens. She worked as a production lead in The Addams Family, props director for A Chorus Line and Once Upon a Mattress, and casting director for Blocked, a short film. In her spare time she loves to join an ensemble or two, just to know what it feels like to step on stage.