HIER, IK ALS KEIZERIN - MOLENSTRAAT 103/BUS 5
About the event
Minnie Maes is the smallest, greyest little mouse. She leaves no trace — Minnie is that minuscule.
In a world that is becoming increasingly harsh and ugly — or as she calls it, harder-ugly — Minnie withdraws. At Molenstraat 103, box 5, she is Empress and rules with authority. Here she burns her mousiness and reigns over her own mood. Otherwise: heads will roll.
But may she breathe fire in a world that is already burning? Or does she then become what she despises: a hunter, a chaser, a coloniser? Does she become that man on an imperialist victory march, leaving only scorched earth in his wake? And who, then, heals the wounds?
Veerle Baetens and Bo Spaenc search for a possible answer. Veerle embodies Minnie. She gives her a voice.
Bo’s music weaves through her words, forming a second voice in Minnie’s universe.
Hier, ik als keizerin is a musical monologue about loneliness, power and doubt. About how loud it can be inside a mind that feels too much. About the terrifying and liberating act of taking up space. And about what happens when the world unexpectedly knocks on your door again.
VEERLE BAETENS is an actress, director, screenwriter and singer. In 2012 she gained international recognition with her leading role in The Broken Circle Breakdown, for which she won several awards. Since then, she has mainly focused on film and television projects. She made her directorial debut with The Breaking Ice, based on the novel by Lize Spit. Now she accepts Bo’s invitation to return to the stage with Hier, ik als keizerin. From the outset, she contributes to the artistic and conceptual direction of the performance, addressing a theme close to her heart and exploring the interplay between text, physical performance and music.
BO SPAENC responds with both grotesque circus-like sounds and an intimate sound palette of vocals, Indian harmonium, organic percussion and toy piano. As artistic director of Muziektheater De Kolonie — and later as a freelancer — Bo created musical theatre with strong storytellers such as Lucas van den Eynde, Peter De Graef, Tania Van der Sanden, Bart Hollanders, Warre Borgmans, Vic De Wachter, Stefaan Degand and Bruno Vanden Broecke, alongside his live music. These productions were widely presented in cultural centres. With Hier, ik als keizerin, Bo and Veerle create musical theatre in which word, voice and instruments constantly surprise and challenge each other.
