Veerle Baetens & Bo Spaenc // HERE, I AS EMPRESS - MOLENSTRAAT 103/BUS 5

Minnie Maes is the smallest, grayest gray mouse. She leaves no traces - so minimal is Minnie. In a world that is becoming increasingly harder and uglier - or as she says: hard-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 may she spit fire in a world that is already burning? Or does she then become what she detests: a hunter, a chaser, a colonist? Does she become that man on an imperialistic 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 itself 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. With HERE, I AS EMPRESS, Bo and Veerle make music theater in which word, song, and instruments surprise each other and go their own way contrarily. About the makers Veerle Baetens is an actress, director, screenwriter, and singer. In 2012, she broke through internationally with her lead role in the film The Broken Circle Breakdown for which she won multiple prizes. Since then, she has mainly focused on film and television projects. She made her directorial debut with the film Het smelt, based on the novel by Lize Spit. Now she accepts Bo's invitation to be on the boards again with HERE, I AS EMPRESS and gives direction to the performance in terms of content and form. Bo Spaenc gives a rebuttal with both grotesque circus sounds and with an honest sound of vocals, Indian organ, organic percussion, and children's piano. Bo, as artistic leader of Muziektheater De Kolonie, and nadine as a freelancer, made music theater with strong storytellers like Lucas van den Eynde, Peter De Graef, Tania Van der Sanden, Bart Hollanders, Warre Borgmans, Vic De Wachter, Stefaan Degand, and Bruno Vanden Broecke.