With SCUSE, Canadian filmmaker Frédérique Cournoyer Lessard brings a new form of circus to the Netherlands: ‘cirque documentary’ – documentary circus. 

In this highly original performance, Frédérique presents six autobiographical scenes. Personal stories, interviews, archive photos, and film clips are combined with innovative acrobatics in a high aerial ring. 

Frédérique takes the audience back to fragments from his childhood and shows how they shaped his ideas about femininity and sexuality. This raises questions about the consequences of a binary upbringing that subtly but consistently distinguishes between boys and girls.

SCUSE demonstrates that contemporary circus can be not only spectacular but also impressively tell a story about current social issues. The performance moves the audience, leaves no one unmoved, and resonates long afterward. 

SCUSE is the winner of the Prix du CALQ (Québec) for best circus work 2025.

Combi tickets: a complete Friday night out

Make it a complete Friday night out at Maaspodium with a special combo ticket. Combine Scuse with the Circvus performance. FOOD and experience two shows in one evening. FOOD is a disturbingly delicious circus experience that lingers long after the last bite has been taken.

Program – Friday, May 1 (Maaspodium)
19.00 – 19.55 uur: FOOD
20.30 – 21.35 uur: Scuse

👉 Click here to purchase a combination ticket.
(€20 – New Generation / €30 – Standard)

Scuse will be played in English in Rotterdam.