BECOMING: A celebration of queer

Total experience

A BECOMING evening is no ordinary show. It’s what the makers call a ‘total experience’, from the moment you arrive right through to the after-party. ‘Think of it as a mini-festival,’ says Loulou. ‘Visitors can make badges in the foyer or stop at the make-up station to literally start their transformation to the evening. This is followed by a line-up of around eight very diverse acts – a mix of poetry, dance, spoken word and mini-workshops.’

BECOMING Trans & Loved revolves around love, dissected into themes including romance, family and self-love. Sharmila: ‘Director and poet Savannah Wolin recites poems about her experiences with love as a black trans woman. And I perform a dance act about my sexual development and experiences as a young trans sex worker.’ Tijn de Jong is another guest, who leads a participative ceremony in which the audience proclaims their affirmation of trans people. The Mexican trans woman Alejandra Ortiz reads aloud from her book, and the Colombian-Danish musician and trans man Patri Roa Johansen gives a mini-workshop on the inner child.

Ballroom

‘BECOMING evolved from a need for theatre that focuses on ownership and experience,’ Loulou explains. ‘We don’t want to tell stories about subjects we know little about. So for every edition, we get together with a selection of local partners and makers.’ Make-up artist and activist Sharmila Vooren, appointed as programmer in Utrecht, went in search of these partners. ‘Before and after BECOMING A Ball, for example, Savannah Bay – who took over the first women’s bookshop in the Netherlands – will be in the lobby with books. We’re also working closely with the Utrecht Ballroom Works, a platform that organises classes in various ballroom disciplines, working to promote well-being, unity and protection for queer and trans people of colour.’

The show in May is an ode to the ballroom culture that emerged in New York in the 1960s. This culture led to the dance style ‘voguing’, for example, which became all the rage within the black and Latin-American LGBTQ+ community.

Hypermedium

Loulou sees theatre as a ‘hypermedium’: an interdisciplinary platform for visual arts, dance and film, in which the connection with the audience is vital. ‘The very act of coming together, in this case in a theatre, is so important in these times. Traditional theatre can be so anonymous and individual. We try our best to connect with the audience, so that we go through a transition together. Hence the name ‘becoming’. I call this the art of gathering.’

Although BECOMING has a definite ‘queer lens’, the shows are intended for a wider public. ‘As long as they’re open-minded,’ says Loulou. ‘It can be quite edgy; you hear very personal, sensitive stories about sex work, love, bodies – sometimes quite explicit. This mustn’t make you feel uncomfortable.’ Loulou continues: ‘It will be an eye opener for a lot of people, because the focus is on celebrating trans people rather than highlighting the negative side as so often happens in films, for example. I want to confront people in a positive way.’ Sharmila: ‘You can laugh and cry at our shows. We just hope that people feel safe, that they dare to come on their own and talk to people they don’t know. There are lots of different queer and trans scenes in Utrecht, but everyone is on their own little island. This is a place where we can bring them all together.’

BECOMING is for anyone of 14 years of age and older.

The shows are mainly in English, interspersed with Dutch and non-verbal elements.

27 March 2026 | BECOMING Trans & Loved
8 May 2026 | BECOMING A Ball

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