Performance at Zaal3 of Het National Theatre of The Hague
Photos: Gergely Ofner
Augustyn en Zijn Vader(LAND)
Augustyn en Zijn Vader(LAND) is the next iteration of "Augustyn en zijn Vader". In this auto-ethnographic solo performance, Hilt de Vos and Aris Leon Lapa Pereira aimed to merge Kafka’s letters to his father with a deeply personal exploration of generational ties, immigration, and our inner labyrinths.
To celebrate 100 years of Kafka, I started a three-week residency at Maatschappij Discordia in Amsterdam. Through the lens of Augustyn—a new character inspired by the three generations of Kafka men: Hermann, Franz, and Felix—we embark on a journey that blends the writer’s letters with his haunting masterpiece, The Burrow.
This solo piece dives headfirst into Kafka’s shadowy world, where family tensions simmer, migration challenges loom large, and the mysteries of our inner selves metamorphose. This is more than a play, it’s a monologue about the migration difficulties my father and many other immigrants face: Anthropological homelessness, economic adjustments and bureaucratic impossibilities.
Prepare to laugh, squirm, and reflect as the lines between Kafka’s words and our modern-day struggles blur. This is more than a play—it’s a captivating dialogue between the past, the present, and the deeply human questions that haunt us all.
Performed and written by Aris Leon Lapa Pereira
Mentored by the Hilt de Vos
Light by Alexander Köppel
Sound by Robbi Meertens
Documentation and editing by Gergely Ofner
Special thanks to Zaal3 Den Haag and Jemima De Jonge
This project is supported by Maatschappij Discordia Amsterdam, Het National Theatre Den Haag and the Makersregeling of the Gemeente Den Haag.
© 2025, Leon Lapa Pereira
Performance at Zaal3 of Het National Theatre of The Hague
Photos: Gergely Ofner
Aris Leon Lapa Pereira (he/him) is a cross-disciplinary performance researcher exploring the boundaries of performative life. Deeply embedded in the landscape of Artistic Research, his personal practice is consistently informed by philosophical inquiry. By merging mechanical and technical knowledge with performative elements, he engages with multiple disciplines with genuine enthusiasm.
Currently focused on the de-romanticisation of nature, Leon investigates the Rights of Nature—specifically, the rights of water—in collaboration with the Embassy of the North Sea. Through this partnership, he co-founded the Confluence of European Water Bodies, a growing network of activist organisations that support his research into intercultural relationships and intimate connections with water.
Alongside this, he is a curator at the Instrument Inventors Initiative (iii) and co-founder of the WASTELAND Festival, where he leads research and performance curation through an ecological lens. Co-creation and collaboration are not just professional principles for Leon, but also sociological commitments—central to his Resonant Bodies Residencies, where these concepts are deeply explored.
For Leon, co-living is a vital practice that is increasingly endangered by today’s polycrisis. He is, therefore, continually seeking methods and tools to cultivate honest, careful, and communal environments.
