Katie Cruel

Katie (Marit Hooijschuur), a young metal musician without the right documents, has recently arrived in the city, where all her efforts are focused on survival. Having fled the extremely conservative rural community where she grew up, the traumas of her childhood continue to haunt her. One night, after performing on stage, an older man (Gerardjan Rijnders) approaches Katie on the street. Their wondrous encounter, the night that follows and his eventual attempts to save her expose the gulfs that exist between genders, classes and generations. Ultimately, Katie realizes that extreme actions are the only way out within world as hopeless as ours. 

Following on from Sheath and Knife (Schede en Mes), Katie Cruel is the second instalment of LENZ’s ‘murder ballad trilogy’ with Frascati Producties: a triptych of productions investigating the complex triangle of victim, perpetrator and onlooker. Each of the shows is different in terms of time, place and musical influences, and each can be experienced individually.

Murder ballad playlist by LENZ

"A murder ballad is, simply put and in its broadest sense, a song in which someone is intentionally killed. They exist typically in traditional music but at this point they appear in almost all musical genres. Here’s a selection of our favourites. Multiple of these were big sources of inspiration while developing Katie Cruel. Enjoy."