Text Steven Seedo
Image Nadia Pojitonova
PARAMARIBO — “The idea arose from the loss of my mother. It is also a part of grieving. I want to honor my mother by telling her story, from my experience as a daughter.” This is what Glenda Peters (Paramaribo, 1965) says the True Time about her musical theater performance ‘Mother’. In the performance, which highlights her life before and after the death of her mother, she takes the audience through important moments in her life.
She emphasizes that the show is for everyone — not just mothers. The premiere is this weekend.
The central focus is on the unconditional love between mother and child. Peters describes her mother as a powerful woman who emigrated to the Netherlands as a single mother at the age of 23. “She has always remained herself and has never denied her Surinamese origins. This allows me to be myself too.”
Errand
Peters wants to convey a broader message with her performance. “You can do so much more than you think. With perseverance, willpower, flexibility and a good dose of humor you can go far. My mother is living proof of that.”
She talks candidly about her childhood, the mother-daughter bond, her roots in Suriname and her growth in the Netherlands.
Glenda Peters was born in Paramaribo in 1965 and has lived in the Netherlands since she was three years old. In her teenage years she regularly took part in talent shows, in which she was often successful. In 2021 she released the single ‘Rotterdam’ in the context of the Open Up to Eurovisionprogram, which offered local artists a stage.
“Perseverance, willpower, flexibility and a good dose of humor can go a long way. My mother is living proof of that.”
—Glenda Peters
Last year she returned to Suriname for the first time, which she describes as “an emotional moment”. Her mother died in 2024 at the age of 82. “I cherish all the memories. I will never forget her.”
Tribute
With the theater performance, Peters not only pays tribute to her mother, but also a recognizable and moving story about love, loss and resilience.
‘Mother’ seems to be an adapted version of the theater performance ‘Tomorrow’s Day’, which Peters staged before her departure to Suriname. In this performance she knows how to touch the audience with recognizable songs, with moments of both laughter and tears and a strong message that connects people.
Peters made her breakthrough in 1985 when she won the very first edition of the Soundmixshow, presented by Henny Huisman, on November 17 with her rendition of ‘One Day I’ll Fly Away’ by the American singer Randy Crawford.
In the new theater performance she also looks back on this period and the choices she made afterwards as a mother and artist.
