First rule of shoplifting, do not talk about shoplifting.
A performative installation that explores the moral frictions of late capitalism.
Inside a replica of an Albert Heijn supermarket aisle, a performer voices the paradoxical thoughts of contemporary shoplifters—a stream of consciousness, based on 24 interviews with people who occasionally ‘forget’ to pay, in which activism and consumerism become inextricably entangled.
Visitors remain outside the installation. They peek into the aisle through the products on the shelves or observe the performer via CCTV footage, like surveillants in a present-day panopticon.
The supermarket is revealed as the epicenter of opportunism in a disenchanted society.
Why strive for virtue when the world is falling apart?
concept Dries Verhoeven
performance Isadora Tomasi, Rosie Sommers, Annica Muller
dramaturgy Miguel Melgares, Hellan Godee
sound design i.c.w. Isadora Tomasi
sound montage Peer Thielen
assistance to the director Didi Kreike
building installation Niklas van Woerden
subtitles Casper Wortmann
technical manager Roel Evenhuis
communication Esra Merkel
production Ellen van Bunnik (‘n More), Jitske Weijand
Press
“An impressive allegory of modern capitalism... The meticulousness borders on perfection. The audience stands there, grinning bitterly.”
Javier López Piñón in Theaterkrant (June 8, 2024)
Read the review here (in Dutch)
“A rock-solid new theatrical installation... The monologue lies somewhere between a confession and an accusation, placing the viewer in the complex dual role of understanding confessor and stern overseer.”
Dana Linssen in NRC (June 12, 2024)
Read the review here (in Dutch)
“We become cynical and operate morally dubious, just like the system around us.”
Marijn van der Jagt in de Groene Amsterdammer (June 5, 2024)
Read the article here (in Dutch)
“Activating is the goal… I’d like to bring you into a position of not-knowing”
Nina Siegal in The New York Times (May 22, 2025)
Read the article here