Amuse
A Neo-Burlesque Myth
June 27th, 19:00 and 21:00 at Cinetol
We're excited to announce our next show: Amuse. Performed by our own artistic advisor, Madison Jolliffe!
About Amuse: A legendary courtesan steps out of the frame to confront the myths men made of her, reclaiming her story through burlesque, striptease, and speculative imagination. Phryne, the legendary courtesan of Ancient Greece, now Burlesque performer, steps onto the stage to give us a performance we’ll never forget. But as she begins, she realizes her “memories” aren’t truly her own—they are images, stories, and myths created by the men who painted her, sculpted her, and wrote about her.
Recreating these famous depictions—most notably the sensational story of her trial, where she supposedly saved her life by flashing her tits to the jury—Phryne begins to imagine other possibilities: What if she was in full control of her image?
What could legacy look like through her own eyes?
At the end of the performance, the actor removes her wig, breaking character to speak directly about why this story matters today. As a former sex worker, she is tired of seeing sex workers’ stories told exclusively by non-sex workers. Fantasizing Phryne is an act of reclamation—centering sex worker voices, questioning authorship and the role of the muse, and inviting audiences to reimagine how history is written.
Performance date
Madison Jolliffe
Madison Jolliffe is a theatre director and acting teacher who has dived into the burlesque world and now performs as Lola Nightshade around the Netherlands. She’s also the artistic director and choreographer of The Cat Eye Cabaret, a neo-burlesque collective based in Utrecht that produces many shows each year. Last year, they created a theatre piece that used Burlesque dramaturgy and performance techniques with collaborators Al Tom and Olivia woods. The show, Fantasizing Phryne, premiered in Germany and will be touring this year under the title Amuse. This course is the ultimate combination of Madison’s passions- teaching theatre and dance, getting people in touch with their power through sensuality, mentoring and collaborating with other artists, and creating exciting performances.