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Last year, during Oerol 2025, Via Berlin and the University of Amsterdam presented When Did You Leave? — a unique fusion of music theatre and social science research. Visitors were immersed in different storylines reflecting a wide range of political convictions. But what was the actual impact of these stories on the audience’s perspectives? During this live presentation on 15 June 2026, social scientist Matthijs Rooduijn and Artistic Director Dagmar Slagmolen will unveil the findings. A vital and unique insight into how radical ideas spread — and how susceptible we truly are to influence.
In When Did You Leave?, artists and researchers investigated how storytelling can shape political beliefs. Visitors were paired with a character and submerged in their worldview—from progressive to conservative, and from populist to pluralist. Audience attitudes were measured both before and after the experience. The verdict: stories have a far greater impact than we might think.
How do the radical views of others affect our own thinking? This programme reveals how convictions are formed, how they shift, and just how influenceable we are. During this live reveal, we will share the research data, insights from focus groups, and the most remarkable moments from the experiment.