The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s 2025 On Stageperformance series will end with Kaneza Schaal’s KLII , running from from April 17–19. Since 2022, the On Stage series has focused on a curatorial theme that rotates annually. This spring, the series takes Lineages as its guiding concept, featuring four works that explore notions of identity and shared history from outside and within the art world.

KLII exorcizes the ghost of King Leopold II in a mytho-biographical performance by theater-maker Kaneza Schaal. By exploring the invisible historic roots of racism, misogyny, and misinformation, Schaal searches for ways of handling these everyday threats in the present.

Designed by Christopher Myers, KLII is inspired by Mark Twain’s 1905 work King Leopold’s Soliloquy, a fictional monologue reflecting on Twain’s visit to the Congo Free State. It also draws from Aimé Césaire’s Discourse on Colonialism and Patrice Lumumba’s 1960 independence speech in Congo. Featuring East African musicians and African American opera singers, the production’s dynamic sound design—rooted in La Muette de Portici—explores the lasting impact of colonialism in our daily lives.

A reclamation of history and canon, Schaal and Myers propose an exorcism in theater, starring one of the villains of the 19th century whose actions resonate through the present day. KLII explores the nature of evil and what is required to unroot legacies of catastrophic events.

For media inquiries and interview requests, please email the MCA media team no later than April 14, 2025. 

To purchase tickets, please visit the event ticketing page.