KAHVE – Historische Tuin Aalsmeer
Date: Sunday, November 9, 2025
Location: Historische Tuin (Historical Garden), Praamplein, Aalsmeer 1431 CV
Times: 2:30 PM & 4:00 PM (two performances)
The garden opens from 2:00 PM
Tickets: €14 + €1 service fee (includes a traditional cup of coffee)
Tickets via: https://publicfrequencies.weticket.io/kahve-historische-tuin-aalsmeer
KAHVE is an intimate theater performance, a warm invitation to experience the history, political, social, and economic power of coffee in an immersive theatrical way during the preparation of a cup of coffee. Binaural sound recording of music and text, smell, movement, and narration come together on stage.
Coffee is a migrant, born and raised in countries miles away, which we can now associate with our lifestyle and sometimes even with a “national identity” (Greece, Turkey, Italy, etc.). The conditions under which and where the coffee beans are produced, who profits from them, and how they end up in our cups are rarely questioned.
With this performance, K&A pay tribute to coffee and investigate the social and political conditions that have led to the practice of drinking coffee. Fascinated by how multiple cultures have embraced this drink and integrated it into their cultural identity, K&A explore its origins and development.
“Because goats danced in the moonlight, because monks fell asleep praying, because the Turks attacked Austria, because Mohammed IV sent an embassy to Louis XIV, because the English drank hard, a new historical engine appeared… this is how we might sum up the prodigious adventure of coffee” Heinrich Eduard Jacob – L’épopée du café
Between history and fiction, legends and myths, the audience follows the journey of the coffee bean and coffee itself through time and space.
About the sound of the performance In “KAHVE,” the spectator listens to the composition through headphones that have been recorded binaurally. Binaural audio mimics the way human ears capture sound waves. By using this technique, sounds are placed in three dimensions, providing the listener with a fully immersive experience. Binaural audio places the listener in the middle of the recording location, thus creating a 360° sonic bubble.
Credits
Concept, text & performance: K&A — Karla Isidorou & Alexandra Bellon
Music composition, recording & live music: Alexandra Bellon
Sound mix: Alessandro Mazzieri
Voice: Hanne Struyf
Technical support during editing & premiere: Andries van Duijvenbode & Harwin Wegner
Technical support on tour: Kees van Leeuwen
All-round support: Kishan Buldeo Rai
Video: Karla Isidorou
Video soundtrack: Alexandra Bellon
Kafetzou: Desi Komninou
Marketing & Communication: Melly Social Agency
Graphic design (marketing): freshie type, Aude Bario
Marketing and communication contributions: Inti Gallardo, Elena Constantinou
Side-program playlist: Sofronis Sofroniou
Quotes, references & images (highly recommended reading):
“Turkish Coffee in Greece” by Ilias Petropoulos, “L’Épopée du Café” by H.E. Jacob, “The Devil’s Cup: History of the World According to Coffee” by Stewart Lee Allen, “Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World” by Mark Pendergrast, and many other books that passed across our table.
Co-producers: Theater Ins Blau, Stichting Public Frequencies, cie K&A
With special thanks to:
Chryssa Panagiotopoulou, Mirjam Hensgens, Kees van Leeuwen, and the entire team of Theater Ins Blau, Rithymna Leiden, B&B Tuk aan de Vliet, all the Botanical Gardens, their staff and volunteers, and everyone who shared several cups of coffee with us — sharing, thinking, exchanging, and supporting us in creating the experience of KAHVE.
This project “KAHVE” was made possible with financial support from Fonds 21.
Details
- Date:
- November 9
- Time:
-
14h30 - 15h30
- Event Categories:
- K&A, Theater
- Website:
- https://www.ifthesunisasquare.com/event/kahve-in-de-historische-tuin-aalsmeer/
Organizer
- Stichting Public Frequencies
Venue
- Historische Tuin Aalsmeer
-
Praamplein Aalsmeer
Aalsmeer, 1431 CV Netherlands + Google Map