Ocean Breeze at Meervaart

NITE ensemble

The NITE ensemble (Sarah Janneh, Bien De Moor, Sanne den Hartogh, Nimuë Walraven and Olaf Ait Tami) and live percussionist Dirge Seçil Kuran embody this sincere, yet absurd, funny, magical and moving journey: a rollercoaster ride that feels like scrolling through a social media feed.

A relevant story about a body that doesn’t fit the norm, searching for community and fighting to be taken seriously, Ocean Breeze takes the audience to the heart of what it means to be a (or any) body in our society.

Imagine

Imagine a woman. She has it all: a good job, a nice house, a loving son. And then one day, she faints at work. After a long period of dealing with vague symptoms, she is forced to realize: she is sick. An unexplained illness is eating away at her. It is not cancer. It is not COVID. It is not AIDS. No one knows what is wrong with her — but there is something in the air. Maybe she is allergic to the 21st century?

In her search for a cure, she becomes increasingly isolated. She tries everything - yoga, expensive health gurus - but only gets sicker. Her battle with the disease does not match the story she has heard her whole life: if you work hard enough, you can control anything.

Lonely

Ocean Breeze follows this woman who is becoming increasingly lonely. In a self-made TV show that starts to take over her life, she can be anything she wants to be. In her own fantasy, she becomes the hero among the sick. Her story is absurd, empowering and cringe at the same time, but always fueled by the desire to be seen and therefore perhaps less alone.

Directed by Mart van Berckel. Inspired by Todd Haynes, Yolanda Hadid, Kim Kardashian, Olivia Laing, Audre Lorde, Nan Goldin, David Wojnarowicz and others who openly struggle with illness.

Please note: strobe effect in the performance.

The show is suitable for people who do not speak Dutch, but can read English. NITE tours with surtitles.