Anne Kuit

If you dare, I float closer.

There are more people with than without thalassophobia; fear of the deep sea. No view of the bottom, not knowing what lives under you, too far away from land: unbearable, that great unknown. At least, that is what we are taught to believe.

When Anne stands in a fitting room to buy his first binder, the alter ego Leo emerges: a masculine version of himself that has always been there, but now suddenly comes out. One day Anne feels like Leo, the next Kate. But how do you explain that when you don’t even understand yourself yet, and the rest of the world suffers from that thalassophobia? Do you even need to explain yourself at all? LEO is a search for gender, drag, identity, queer sea creatures, a bobbing head and our all-consuming fear of the unknown.

LEO is a nuanced-activist solo performance about what it means to embark on a quest for your own gender identity; a journey that takes one past the alga that heralds the beginning of life on earth to the gender-affirming shop around the corner. But LEO is above all: an invitation to celebrate that quest. For if there is one thing Anne notes during his own journey: despite the fact that deviating from the gender norm comes with its share of bumps, it is above all a celebration of discovering who you all can be and already are. Through personal stories, philosophical reflections, social reflections and dragking acts, Anne Kuit and LEO arrive at a theatrical plea for more queer joy and gender euphoria.

Anne Kuit, she/he, is a theater producer and teacher, (educational) programmer, writer, queer, rule-breaker and language enthusiast. In 2019, she/he completed the Docent Theater course at ArtEZ in Arnhem (NL). Unlike the name of this program suggests, she graduated not only as a teacher, but also as a theater producer, production manager, dramaturg, discussion leader, business assistant, director, writer and player. “In other words; ‘an artistic and educational jack-of-all-trades,’ as we used to call it.”

Anne has been making and performing herself for as long as she can remember. With the project LEO, she takes the step to develop her own making, while fighting for a tolerant world. Anne lives in Ghent and works as a theater teacher at a.o KOPERGIETERY (BE) and Wisper (BE), as artistic assistant to writer and theater maker Marjolijn van Heemstra (NL), as education assistant at Ulrike Quade Company (NL) and Sadettin K (NL), as writing teacher at Creatief Schrijven (BE) and as discussion leader at Theater Rotterdam (NL). She also provides training to organizations on sexual and gender diversity and gender inclusive communication.

Text, concept and acting: Anne Kuit – With the support of: CAMPO, Victoria Deluxe, Gouvernement, Antwerp Queer Arts Festival and MESTIZO ARTS PLATFORM/WIPCOOP.

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