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

Minnie Maes is the smallest, grayest little mouse. She leaves no traces — so minimal is Minnie. In a world that is becoming increasingly harder and uglier — or as she says: “harder-lier” — Minnie withdraws. In Molenstraat 103 bus 5, she is Empress and she wields the scepter. Here she burns her mousiness and her mood rules. And otherwise: off with her head. But is she allowed to spit fire in a world that is already burning? Or does she then become what she loathes: a hunter, a chaser, a colonist? Does she become that man on an imperialist victory march, with only scorched earth in his wake? And who heals the wounds then? 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 and forms a second voice in Minnie’s universe. 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 unexpectedly stands at your door again.