Ayoub Kharkhach
Ayoub Kharkhach is a cabaret artist and songwriter, currently developing his first full-length theater production. A self-taught musician, he learned to play guitar and piano at a young age. He now accompanies his own songs, addressing heavy themes with a light, playful touch. In 2023, with virtually no prior theater experience, he won both the jury and audience prizes at the Amsterdam Kleinkunst Festival. In 2025 and 2026, he will tour the country with his show.
“En verbied de vogels om te fluiten is a musical, autobiographical theater show that I wrote under the coaching and direction of Pepijn Cladder. Through stories and songs about food, faith, illness and my relationship with my parents, I explore the meaning of the experiences I’ve had so far. This is the first full-length show that I have both written and performed. The piece was developed after I won both the jury and audience prizes at the 2023 Amsterdam Kleinkunst Festival, and it is based on the performance I presented there. For me, music and food play a key role in connecting with others and creating intimacy, which is why they are central to the show’s themes.”
The songs in this performance are sung in Dutch.
Picture by: Jaap Reedijk