Mees van Rijswijk has so far mostly been described as “sweet,” “calm,” and “enthusiastic,” an “everyone’s friend,” a “nice guy, but genuinely nice.” One day, someone even called him “harmless.” And that’s when it went wrong, because of course he doesn’t feel taken seriously at all. Since then, Mees has had one big wish: he wants to become furious.
With that goal in mind, he sets out on an adventure. He locks himself in a rage room for a day, learns how to grunt, picks fights, and heads to the Malieveld in the hope of making the greatest protest sign ever. Along the way, he hopes to connect with lots of angry people — partly to study their craft, partly to discover whether there is something in that anger that connects them. Maybe world peace begins in a mosh pit, or in the meeting of a knuckle and a jaw.
AAAARGH is a musical spoken word performance about a grating, failing search for anger. Through personal texts, songs, and anecdotes, Mees confronts an emotion he has tried to avoid his entire life. AAARGH is not a manual. Not therapy. Not a safe space. It’s not even a word. It’s a radical attempt to remain gentle — precisely by resisting at full force.
Credits
Concept, text, performance: Mees van Rijswijk
Music: Sander Koning
Director: Sjaan Flikweert
Set design: Caya Emmelkamp
Costume design: ChaPauw
Production: Annemarie Venema
Artistic and business supervision: Eva van Netten, Marleen Nagtegaal, and Mark Hospers
Marketing: Merel Hoekstra & Mathé Többen
Special thanks to | Het Cultuurfonds & Gemeente Leeuwarden
