SHIFT: Agnese Valmaggia - I Never Lie

A woman behind a drum kit in fascist Italy 100 years ago? It seems almost unimaginable. That very thought is the starting point for Agnese Valmaggia’s I Never Lie. What if you had been born in another era – who might you have been? And who might you still become in a future we can barely imagine?

Driven by this curiosity, Valmaggia uses the drum kit as a lens through which to explore the invisible rules that shape us. Over the past century, patterns of thought and stereotypes have been broken down, but how much further do we still have to go? How many things do we consider ‘normal’ today that, 100 years from now, will seem completely wrong?

I Never Lie is a solo performance combining music, visuals and storytelling to question what we take for granted in our everyday lives. A drum kit forms the beating heart of the show, surrounded by triggers, electronics, samples and immersive visuals, all controlled live. The performance invites you to imagine who we might become beyond the limits of expectation. A journey that challenges you to confront the truths we so often overlook.

SHIFT, an initiative of Explore the North and Stadsschouwburg De Harmonie.

This performance is part of SHIFT! Cutting-edge performing arts: raw, honest, relevant and disruptive. You come to SHIFT because you want to know what’s going on – in your mind, in the world, in others and in yourself, on both a large and a small scale. For curious thinkers and critical dreamers.

Throughout the year, performances you won’t want to miss take place at changing locations, venturing beyond the well-trodden paths of conventional theatre. From spoken word to postmodern dance. From theatrical manifestos to poetic requiems. These are performances by both emerging and more established artists, engaging with the issues of today and the possibilities of tomorrow.