WHEN:
April 17–19, 2025
WHERE:
Edlis Neeson Theater
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
220 E Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
TICKETS:
For more information and tickets visit the MCA website.
A spokesperson describes the event as follows:
“...KLII exorcizes the ghost of King Leopold II in a mytho-biographical performance by theater-maker Kaneza Schaal. By exploring the invisible historic roots of racism, misogyny, and misinformation, Schaal searches for ways of handling these everyday threats in the present.
Designed by Christopher Myers, KLII is inspired by Mark Twain’s 1905 work King Leopold’s Soliloquy, a fictional monologue reflecting on Twain’s visit to the Congo Free State. It also draws from Aimé Césaire’s Discourse on Colonialism and Patrice Lumumba’s 1960 independence speech in Congo. Featuring East African musicians and African American opera singers, the production’s dynamic sound design—rooted in La Muette de Portici—explores the lasting impact of colonialism in our daily lives.
A reclamation of history and canon, Schaal and Myers propose an exorcism in theater, starring one of the villains of the 19th century whose actions resonate through the present day. KLII explores the nature of evil and what is required to unroot legacies of catastrophic events..."
