Tales and Mutability is a music theatre piece about how we see each other, and how this can change when we connect. It is about the narratives we have been given – and the sterotypes they are based around – and about what happens when these stories begin to change.
There are three characters, who intersect, interact, and evolve: a Seer who hears and sings the future, a Pirate Princess who collects stories, and a Trickster who moves between worlds. At first, each character is isolated in their own world and language: singing, speaking, or movement. They see each other through stereotypes, and their interactions go wrong.
As their journey unfolds and they get to know each other, they learn each other’s languages and understand one another better. Melody, text, and movement gradually converge, creating new ways of communicating and imagining the future.
At its heart, Tales and Mutability is a story about connection, identity, desire, and the possibility of rewriting the narratives we have been given; creating our own stories.
Performances:
30 May 2026 at 20:00 – Splendor, Amsterdam – sneak preview
7 February 2026 at 20:00 – Splendor, Amsterdam – work-in-progress presentation
8 May 2027 at 20:00 – Korzo, Den Haag, as part of Dag in de Branding festival – full show and première
Performers:
Antje Lohse – mezzo-soprano
Valentina Vella – actor
Xolani Mdluli – dancer
Musicians from Nieuw Amsterdams Peil:
Heleen Hulst – viola and mandolin
Marieke Franssen – bass flute
Gerard Bouwhuis – piano
Lars Wouters van den Oudenweijer – (bass) clarinet
Natalia Alvarez-Arenas – percussion
Dario Calderone – contrabass
Text and story by Maaike Haneveld
Music, directing, and electronics by myself (Wilma Pistorius)
This project is at the heart of my composing residency at festival Dag in de Branding.
With thanks to: èsG société Gavigniès, Gemeente Den Haag, Konrad Boehmer Foundation, Dioraphte, Johan Wagenaar Stichting, and Keep an Eye foundation