Veerle Baetens and Bo Spaenc - Here, I as Empress - Molenstraat 103/Bus 5

On stage: a woman and a man. An actress and a musician. Music, body, and words together tell the story of one figure who is so colorful that there seem to be multiple characters on stage. Veerle and Bo throw themselves into the interaction with each other and the audience. In full surrender to the storytelling, they dare to float, sweat, yield, and sometimes collapse. Minnie Maes is the smallest, grayest little mouse. She leaves no traces — that is how minimal Minnie is. In a world that is becoming increasingly harsh and ugly — or as she says: harsh-ugly — Minnie withdraws. In Molenstraat 103 bus 5 she is Empress and wields the scepter. Here she burns her mousiness and her mood rules. And otherwise: off with their heads. 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 colonizer? Does she become that man on an imperialistic victory march, with 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 and forms a second voice in Minnie’s universe. 'Hier, ik als keizerin' (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. bospaenc.be