Revolution Is a Dinner Party is a hand puppet performance combining singing and spoken word that reimagines Mao Zedong’s phrase, “Revolution is not a dinner party,” as an invitation to reflect on food, pests, and kinship.
The play stages an afterlife dialogue between a sparrow and a rat—each a puppet on one of the performer’s hands. Drawing from Mao’s “Smash Sparrows” campaign and the French “Great Hanoi Rat Massacre,” the two debate class conflicts and historical injustice, revealing how human and vermin are entangled in political violence and colonial sanitation efforts.
The performance unfolds in a hand-painted puppet theatre stage on which guts, flowers, mouths, sewers, and sexual organs intertwine—evoking the porous, unruly nature of bodies and echoing the play’s theme on inter-species intimacy.
The performance was conceived and produced by performance artist Kexin Hao, who started in 2025 as Waag's newest 3Package Deal artist in residence. Originally from Beijing and now based in the Netherlands, Kexin creates immersive, interdisciplinary experiences that engage audiences through movement, storytelling and play. Her work explores history, society, and heritage themes—often through participatory performances that borrow from pop culture archetypes such as workout routines, video games, and dining rituals.
Programme
| 19:30 - 19:45 hrs | Welcome & introduction |
| 19:45 - 21:15 hrs | Performance Revolution Is a Dinner Party |
| 21:15 - 21:30 hrs | Drinks |
Accessibility
If you are tight on funds and want to participate in this event, please get in touch with sanna [@] waag [dot] org.
