Show dates
All shows start at 4:30pm (arrive by 4:00pm)
Saturday, February 14th
Thursday, February 19th
Saturday, February 21st
Sunday, February 22nd
Location: San Salvador de Barú (Reserve to receive location directions)
Reservation
Please reserve by writing your name and the number of tickets so we have an overview due to limited seat and parking space. You will then receive the exact location.
Reserve by Whatsapp at 8687-7437 with Elif.
Invitation
A bilingual play about a brave little girl called Momo, who appears one day out of nowhere in the amphitheater of a small city. Together with her friends Gigi the tourist guide, Beppo the street sweeper, the children, the magical turtle Cassiopeia and the mysterious Master Hora she stands up against a sneaky group of time thieves, who want to take control by robbing people of their life time.
A timeless story written by Michael Ende and directed by Tanja Otolski about the mystery of time, listening from the heart and following your truth. For children from the age of 6 onward and adults of any age.
A community organized open – air event from the artists of the Diamante Valley for all who want to experience the magic of theater. 🎪
In collaboration with Coliazul – children community project.
More About the Story
In our modern adaptation of Michael Ende’s timeless tale, Momo’s journey becomes even more urgent and relevant than ever. “Momo and the Time Thieves” reflects the world we live in today—where screens steal our presence, notifications fragment our attention, and the promise of “staying connected” leaves us more isolated than ever.
Be witness as the adults fall prey to a contemporary deception of the hypnotic glow of electronic devices that promise efficiency but deliver emptiness. The Gray Men cleverly convince us that life happens somewhere else, on some screen, in some future moment we’re frantically trying to reach.
But Momo knows a secret that the Time Thieves desperately want us to forget: time is not something to be saved, managed, or optimized. Time is life itself, and life only happens in this moment, with the people right in front of us.
Momo shows us what we’ve lost and what we can reclaim. In a world that values productivity over presence, efficiency over empathy, and scrolling over seeing, her simple act of giving someone her full attention becomes revolutionary.
This story is a mirror held up to our own lives, asking: How much of your time are you giving away? When did you last have a conversation without glancing at your phone? What happened to lazy afternoons with friends, to storytelling, to simply being?
The Time Thieves are counting on us being too busy to notice.
Join us for this bilingual theatrical experience that speaks to children and adults alike.
About Michael Ende
Michael Ende (1929-1995) was a German writer whose works transcend the boundaries of children’s literature to speak profound truths to readers of all ages. Best known for The Neverending Story and Momo, Ende possessed a rare gift: the ability to weave complex philosophical ideas into stories so enchanting that readers barely notice they’re being transformed by what they read. He created living worlds where truth reveals itself organically through story.
Ende believed that fantasy literature, far from being escapism, was a way to see reality more clearly. By stepping outside our familiar world, we can return with fresh eyes and recognize the magic and the danger in our everyday lives. The Gray Men aren’t just fictional villains—they’re a metaphor for everything in modern life that promises to give us more time while actually stealing our lives.
Momo took six years to complete. His writing process was meditative and patient. He would write a few pages, set them aside, and wait for the story to reveal its next chapter. This creative approach embodied the very philosophy Momo teaches: trust the present moment, don’t rush, and something genuine will emerge.
Today, decades after his death, Ende’s warnings about time theft feel eerily prophetic. He foresaw a world where people would become so obsessed with saving time that they’d forget how to live.
About Tanja Otolski – Director
Tanja Otolski is a freelance actress, theater maker, and theater educator whose journey has taken her from the prestigious Utrecht School of the Arts in the Netherlands to the stages of Amsterdam and Berlin, and finally to the lush landscapes of Costa Rica’s Diamante Valley.
With over 20 years of experience, Tanja has brought her passion for theater to this rural community, sharing her craft through workshops in improvisation, music, and creative arts.
“Theater is for me the ultimate tool to connect beyond differences and cultural backgrounds. We can create a world that is outside the conditioning and meet there in joy and art.”
This production of Momo and the Time Thieves represents a dream years in the making. Tanja has carefully adapted Ende’s story for our contemporary moment, updating the warnings about time theft to reflect our smartphone-dominated world while preserving the soul of the original vision. Working bilingually with 7 children and 11 adults, she has created a multigenerational collaboration that embodies the very message of the story: the transformative power of giving each other our full, undivided attention.
“The moment just before the play starts… the excitement in the air… the darkness… the silence… the breath… the first sound… Theater is a ritual, a ceremony, a shared experience and journey… so ancient and powerful and so human!”