On November 5th 2019, the LeidenAsiaCentre presents, in collaboration with New Heroes, the theater performance “Meet the Millennials” (in English), at the Theater aan het Spui in the Hague. In search of common ground between millennials of the East and West, Lucas de Man embarked on a journey to meet peers in East Asia. To discover what connects us as a generation, Lucas traveled to six cities in six weeks, having inspiring encounters in Tokyo, Shenzhen, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Hong Kong. Inspired by this journey, he created a theatrical lecture performance—a story of a taboo-breaking generation that’s ready for radical change.
Europe and Asia may know cultural differences, but we mostly share common ground as we all try to make the best of life and the challenges it presents. And for millennials, these challenges are more complex than ever: how to handle the ever-increasing work pressure and burn-out problems among our generation? What to do about growing social inequality and the lack of urban living space? And how to face the future as robotics and new technologies take over daily life and drastically alter the world as we know it?
In seeking answers to these questions, the performance connects stories of daily life, work, education, artificial intelligence, emancipation and individual happiness in Asia’s megacities. It’s a combination of film footage, documentary, manga animations, K-pop, storytelling and inspiring encounters with artists, scientists, students and professors.
Meet the Millennials inspires. It shows how a generation of innovative, creative-minded individuals are tackling the biggest challenges of our time. In doing so, it highlights social innovation as the key to what sets this generation apart; the common ground where East and West meet and stand together…