Info

With the best of intentions, five actors compete for your sympathy — not for themselves, but to save a poor man named Willem. They examine what his tragic life story is really worth. Join this comic theatre performance about helping, good intentions, and the often unbelievable stories behind poverty. Can we truly change anything? Maybe. But no promises.
Do you donate to charity? Good for you! Ever given money to a beggar on the street? Even better! Doekje voor het bloeden is a musical, tragicomic theatre performance that offers a glimpse into the world of poverty, homelessness, and the absurdity that often goes along them. Willem’s suffering is turned into a story — with the aim of improving the story itself. But is it ethically sound to put poverty on display? Does it come at the expense of the dignity of the people whose lives are being told? The performance walks a fine line between theatre and reality.
Doekje voor het bloeden is part of the research into the future of money, alongside the performance De Kapitalisten by Het NUT / De Nwe Tijd and Belofte maakt schuld by Het NUT / Martin Rombouts.
The Gift Shop
Part of the performance is The Gift Shop: a museum shop where art is sold to help pay off someone else’s debts. This is a collaboration with illustrator and designer Mart Veldhuis, who paid off his student debt with his tapestryEigen Schuld (Own Debt). At The Gift Shop, you’re not just buying art or merchandise—you’re directly contributing to clearing someone else’s debt. So open your wallet and give for someone else! Because, as the capitalists among us like to say: “Money should circulate.” And let’s make sure it circulates in the right direction.
Accessibility info
It’s a 100-meter distance across flat grass from the bike parking to the location.