Open House of Legacies
Entangled in the Trickster’s Web – Anansi, Theatergroep Kalebas, and the many transformations of the trickster.
This programme focuses on the trickster: a figure who moves between different worlds and lays bare existing power relations. The trickster disrupts, reflects, and reveals what often remains hidden.
Location The Bookshop
Duration 90 min
Genre Perspective
Language Dutch
Entangled in the Trickster’s Web
We explore what the Trickster can teach us about theatre as a place where society resonates, about shifting power structures, and about the power of imagination and storytelling in these changes.
We begin with the legacy of Theatergroep Kalebas and follow the traces of Anansi, the spider and storyteller. Since the 1980s, these figures have appeared in many different forms, both on stage and beyond: sometimes as a mediator, sometimes as a challenger, always as a bearer of knowledge and humour, and as someone who knows how to circumvent or rewrite rules. -|-
What has Anansi meant for Dutch theatre? And how does this influence continue to resonate in the work of contemporary makers?
During the programme, we will be in conversation with Mister Anansi, Yahmani Blackman, and Femi Dawkins. From their own practices and perspectives, they reflect on the meaning of the trickster, on the journey of stories and the changes they undergo, and on the traces this figure leaves behind.
Programme
15:00–18:00 doors open for viewing the archives
19:00–20:30 panel discussion
Mister Anansi
Wijnand Stomp, also known as Mister Anansi, is a master storyteller and children’s comedian from Haarlem, and the leading theatrical Anansi storyteller in the Netherlands. He blends the timeless figure of the classic spider-man with contemporary adventures in an original way.
With humor, mischief, and a touch of wisdom, he captivates audiences of all ages and keeps the Anansi storytelling tradition alive. In 2013, he was named Storyteller of the Year and received the Pearl of the Dutch Caribbean (“Art & Literature”). In 2016, he was awarded the Brasa Dey Award for Lifetime Achievement. Largely thanks to his initiative, the Anansi storytelling tradition has been included in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Netherlands.
Open House of Legacies
On 28 May 2026, The Need for Legacy will organize the second edition of Open House of Legacies. These gatherings bring together performing artists of color and professionals from the cultural sector to actively contribute to the ongoing development of the (digital) archive of House of Legacies.
Open House of Legacies is designed as an open house where stories, images, memories, and documents from both past and present are shared and documented. The archive is approached as a living and growing platform shaped through dialogue with the makers and communities involved. Central to this process is the question of how those involved wish their heritage to be preserved, described, and shared—now and for future generations.
The gatherings create space for intergenerational exchange and collective reflection. Participants explore which stories are already visible, which perspectives are still missing, and how the archive can continue to be enriched and passed on. -|-
Both makers already represented in the archive and new contributors are explicitly invited to participate. During Open House of Legacies, participants are encouraged to:
- Share their own archival materials, such as photos, programs, documents, data, and personal stories.
- Contribute ideas about the representation and context of their work and history.
- Help build a more complete and multi‑voiced understanding of the shared history.
- Engage in conversation with makers, thinkers, and community members from different generations.
For bookworms and eager listeners aged 6 and up, we present The Bookshop Kids! Every first Sunday of the month, we transform our soft‑pink Bookshop into a place full of children’s stories where imagination has all the space it needs.
For bookworms and eager listeners aged 6 and up, we present The Bookshop Kids! Every first Sunday of the month, we transform our soft‑pink Bookshop into a place full of children’s stories where imagination has all the space it needs.
