HERE, I AS EMPRESS Molenstraat 103 / bus 5 - Veerle Baetens & Bo Spaenc

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 wields the scepter. Outside was too fast, too loud, too demanding, too many roles... Indoors there is routine to fill the void: hey Google, YouTube, chat GPT... Inside she is free, the Empress in her empire: superwoman, unapproachable, enfant terrible. Here she burns her mousiness and her mood rules. And otherwise: off with their heads. But may she breathe fire in a world that is already burning? Or does she then become what she abhors: 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 seek a possible answer. Veerle Baetens embodies Minnie. She gives her a voice. Bo’s musical layer weaves through her words and forms a second voice in her 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 is back, unexpectedly, at your door. 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 . She made her directorial debut with the film Het smelt (The Melting), based on the novel by Lize Spit. Bo Spaenc gives a rebuttal with both grotesque circus sounds and an honest sound of vocals, Indian organ, organic percussion, and toy piano. From and with Acting: Veerle Baetens Live music and composition: Bo Spaenc Script: based on an idea by Veerle Baetens & Kiana Porte, written by Veerle Baetens & Yoline Denys Costumes : Manu Verschuren