23 Aug

19:00

Domtoren, Michaëlskapel

Domplein 21, Utrecht

Razor-sharp theater about our Queer history. A fast-paced history lesson and a cutting black comedy in one, at the location where it all began.

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 19:00

Domtoren, Michaëlskapel, Utrecht

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 21:00

Domtoren, Michaëlskapel, Utrecht

The Mad Sexton of the Dom Tower

More info & tickets

A Sharp Black Comedy About Queer History

Utrecht, the summer of 1729. In the chapel of the Dom Tower, the sexton catches two men making love. To divert attention from his own misdeeds, he points to the men as sinners and betrays them. His cowardly act marks the beginning of a manhunt for homosexual men, to be tried for their love: the Sodomite persecutions.

Nearly three centuries later, we return to the place where it all began. In the St. Michael's Chapel in the middle of the Dom Tower, Theatergroep Aluin and Compagnie Red Yellow & Blue present: The Mad Sexton of the Dom Tower. A lightning-fast history lesson and a razor-sharp black comedy in one.

About the Performance

Four actors are cast in a theater production about this queer history. They thought they were going to shine in the next hit musical about national history, but even before the premiere, they are confronted with the question: who actually gets to tell this story, and when does representation become a revenue model?

Twenty-five years after the first same-sex marriage and in the year that World Pride visits our country, the Utrecht theater companies Aluin and Compagnie Red Yellow & Blue use humor, music, and historical acuity to show the consequences of intolerance, homophobia, and having a blind spot.

The Makers

The Utrecht theater companies Theatergroep Aluin and Compagnie Red Yellow & Blue join forces for a performance about queer history that still resonates centuries later. Aluin turns every performance space into a temporary home, bringing recognizable, human text-based theater with minimal resources, from Greek tragedies to new pieces about history and current events.

Red Yellow & Blue writes contemporary repertoire about social tensions within recognizable families, groups of friends, and workplaces, where humor and confrontation meet. Their performances expose uncomfortable mechanisms and mirror the audience. Previous successes include 'Who’s afraid of Oscar Wilde' and the hit show 'Katwijk'.

Accessibility Note: The Dom Tower can only be visited by stairs and is therefore unfortunately not accessible for people with reduced mobility. The performances in December at Theater Kikker are accessible.