This Sunday morning, Feb. 26, enjoy the family concert Anne the Cat. A new symphonic fairy tale, a musical, exciting and sweet tale with beautiful puppets and delightful songs.

With the Residentie Orkest olv Joost Geevers
Direction and narration: Herman van Veen, script and lyrics: Mark Haayema, music: Edith Leerkes, actors: Mark Haayema and Eric-Jan Lens, design: Cynthia Borst.

Herman van Veen: "Once upon a time in the 1970s, with the Residentie Orkest, we presented the symphonic fairy tale Alfred J. Kwak in Duck major third. Now, a lifetime later, I wrote a new story for this glorious orchestra. Anne the Cat, named after our daughter.

On my umpteenth anniversary, the Dutch Association of Theatre Directors gave me a bronze angel by the Flemish sculptor Julia Berger. This frail creature has stood in our garden for some twenty years now, protecting the trees, the animals, our home and family. Buried behind the sculpture are our "deceased" pets. A cat and three dogs: Lisa, Bandit, June and Mark.

Cat Lisa modeled with my daughter for the story of Anne the Cat. From Lisa I borrowed her mischief and snoozing, from Anne the child, her curiosity and jokes. It was not difficult to tell the story of Anne the Cat to write; after all, Anne is the sum total of a domestic cat, a daughter, a traveling father and a deceased grandmother.

Presented by Alfred once in my younger days, Anne will be presented by the actor/writer I admire, Mark Haayema, and his colleague Eric-Jan Lens. I predict a wonderful, musical, exciting and theatrical event. Should Anne's future become like Alfred's history, a lot of fun awaits us. For example, already this spring the book of the same name with Publisher Harlekijn with illustrations by Cynthia Borst."

• Meow, meow

• I go, I go, chasing my nose. Looking, looking, looking for my daddy!

-Mark Haayema-