Here, I as empress - Molenstraat 103/bus 5 - Veerle Baetens & Bo Spaenc

On stage are Veerle Baetens and Bo Spaenc. They play one character. But that character has many sides. Sometimes it seems like there are several. Veerle and Bo seek each other out, challenge each other, and also involve the audience. The main character withdraws from the world. Outside, everything is too fast and too busy. Inside, there is peace and control. In Molenstraat 103 bus 5 she is empress and wields the scepter. But what happens when that safe place starts to crack? The performance is inspired by the hikikomori phenomenon: people who shut themselves off from the outside world. It is about loneliness, about the pressure of today, and about the desire to escape for a moment. Here, I as empress is a musical monologue about loneliness, power, and doubt. About how loud it can be in a head that feels too much. About the terrifying and liberating act of taking up space. And about what happens when the world is unexpectedly at your door again. Veerle Baetens is an actress, director, screenwriter, and singer. In 2012, she made her international breakthrough with her lead role in the film The Broken Circle Breakdown for which she won multiple awards. Since then, she has mainly focused on film and television projects. Bo Spaenc makes music theater in which live music and strong storytellers come together. He previously worked with, among others, Lucas van den Eynde, Tania Van der Sanden and Stefaan Degand. In Hier, I as empress, he creates together with Veerle a quirky mix of music, singing, and acting.