Storytelling
There is always a story behind every act, every scene, and every object. There is a story behind The Starry Night, a story behind Mamma Mia!, and most importantly, a story behind every human being. Like books, people carry stories within them, some short, some long, some filled with joy, others marked by hardship. Every story holds a lesson, a memory, a dream, or simply a moment meant to entertain, inspire, or connect us with one another. At 999 Geen Dienst Studio, storytelling is at the heart of everything we create. Through live performances, festivals, workshops, and community projects, we have shared hundreds of stories with audiences from diverse backgrounds, believing that every story has the power to build understanding, spark conversation, and bring people closer together.
Tommy's Stories
With more than 300 storytelling performances over six years, Tommy takes the audience on a journey through his life, exploring how and why he eventually ended up in the Netherlands. A lifetime of stories unfolds in just one hour, told in a cinematic way that makes you feel as if you are not simply listening to the story, but living it with him.
Tommy's Stories takes you through moments and details you would never imagine: the ups and downs, happiness and sadness, moments of silence and moments of action. It is a journey through different countries, cultures, people and experiences, where reality sometimes feels stranger than fiction. An emotional rollercoaster filled with humour, pain, hope and unexpected turns.
For one hour, you don't just hear Tommy's story. You experience it.
Language: English
Amalyashi
"Theater and storytelling Festival"
For the past five years, Amalyashi Festival has brought theatre and storytelling together in Leiden, creating a stage for new voices, new stories and emerging talent. Since its first edition, the festival has given a platform to more than 20 talents, not only offering them the opportunity to perform, but also helping them develop their skills through workshops, guidance and practical experience.
Amalyashi is more than a festival. It is the real practice of one of our golden rules:
“The Platform is for Everyone.”
Over the years, we have also produced several storytelling productions with established artists, emerging talents, and amateurs. We believe in diversity, because powerful stories can come from anyone and can be found everywhere. Our goal is to give those stories the space, support, and platform they deserve.
Misho & I
(The storyteller - Vol.4)
(2025)
A man shaped by distant homelands, foreign languages, and the echoes of many stories untold.
Coming from another culture gives him both the blessing of inspiration and the burden of feeling in between moments of deep struggle intertwined with flashes of joy and belonging.
Through his words, he searches for home, for identity, for connection.
Because every story he tells becomes a bridge between past and present, between here and there, between “them” and “us.”
Language: English
Performed by: Tommy Sherif
Mother's Day (2024)
Mothers are the greatest image of giving, the greatest source of care and tenderness. Even though the way of raising and conceiving differs from culture to culture, mothers always stand up for their children and they will always be children, no matter how old they are.
Your mother is your biggest fan.
Mother's Day is a story performance about how children see their mothers and how mothers feel about it.
Language: English
The Storyteller - Vol. 3 (2024)
The Storyteller is a story by a writer who believes in the power of words. She believes that words can be the most powerful method to connect people.
She believes that storytelling has the power to bring people together, break down prejudice, and challenge racism. Through her stories, she searches for what connects us rather than what divides us. She believes that words can build nations, and words can build worlds.
Language: English
Performed by: Yara Joujak
The Storyteller - Vol. 2 (2023)
The Storyteller is a story of a writer who believes in the power of words. He believes that words can be the most powerful method to make a change in the world. The word is light, and a torch that light the path to justice and freedom. Words can build worlds.
The storyteller explores the true meaning of freedom and why it is essential to every human life. Freedom is not a privilege, but a fundamental right, as essential as eating and drinking. The right to be free is the right to live.
Language: Dutch
Performed by: Bartho Braat
ID (2023)
(Misho is back)
Identity is what characterizes us. It is what makes us who we are. But identity is never just one thing. We carry different layers within us: personal, cultural, social, and even artistic identities.
Oh, is that complicated?
Misho is going to make it as simple as usual.
Language: English
Performed by: Tommy Sherif
13 Years (2023)
Yusuf Suali came from Somalia more than 13 years ago. In this deeply personal performance, Yusuf tells his own story: how he found his way into Dutch society and how he struggled for 13 years to secure his rights in the Netherlands. Thirteen years of struggling, thirteen years of fighting, thirteen years as a refugee.
Language: English
Performed by: Yusuf Suali
The Storyteller (2022)
The storyteller is a writer trapped in his own thoughts, unable to find the words for a new story. Until he realizes that being stuck is a story of its own, and sometimes reaching the end of an idea can be the beginning of a thousand new words.
Language: Dutch
Performed by: Emile Jansen
Bring Storytelling to Your Audience
Every audience deserves a story that moves, connects, and stays with them. Our storytelling performances bring powerful, personal, and diverse stories to theatres, cultural events, festivals, schools, organizations, and community spaces. Whether you are looking for an intimate evening or a performance as part of a larger programme, we would love to bring our stories to your audience.
For bookings and enquiries:
[email protected]