Biography
Rachella Kingswijk is a Dutch actress, filmmaker, playwright, and storyteller of Surinamese descent based in Paris, France.
After working in theatre and film in the Netherlands, Kingswijk wrote and performed the solo theatre production *His Name Was Wolf* (*Zijn naam was Wolf*), a play about human trafficking that premiered at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival in 2015. The production led to an invitation from CoMensha, the Dutch national centre of expertise on human trafficking, to perform selected monologues during a congress attended by Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands.
Later that year, she moved to Paris to study at the renowned *École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq*, where she specialized in physical theatre and devised performance. Following her graduation, she joined the Opéra National de Paris, performing at both the Opéra Bastille and the Palais Garnier. During her time with the company, she worked under directors including Terry Gilliam, Leah Hausman, Lotte de Beer, and Mervyn Millar, appearing in productions such as *Benvenuto Cellini*, *Aïda*, and *Les Brigands*, in which she portrayed Tortilla in 2024.
Alongside her work as a performer, Kingswijk developed original theatrical and immersive storytelling projects. She is the founder of Freaky Tours Paris, a company specializing in guided storytelling experiences inspired by history, mystery, folklore, and true crime.
After the birth of her son in 2025, Kingswijk chose to focus her career primarily on theatre and film development. She is the writer, director, producer, and lead actress of *The Unraveling of Dahlia Brown*, a feature-length psychological thriller filmed in Paris, New York, London, Amsterdam, and Texel. The film marks her feature directorial debut.
Kingswijk continues to work internationally as an actress, filmmaker, playwright, and creator of original storytelling projects.
