Happy Prince is a synth-driven pop EP for people living between emotional overload and
fragile optimism.
Blending nocturnal dreaminess with flashes of summer brightness, the record moves through
themes of burnout, longing, softness, and quiet rebellion. Inspired in spirit by the tender humanity
of Oscar Wilde, it holds space for vulnerability without letting go of rhythm, pulse, and pop
sensibility.
Warm analog synths, crisp, tactile beats, and Leclaire’s shape-shifting voice create a sound that feels both intimate and expansive — music for dancing through doubt, thinking through feeling, and
finding moments of beauty inside pressure.
Co-produced with Benedikt Fuchs, Happy Prince is a soundtrack for sensitive power: for anyone
trying to stay open-hearted in a world that rewards hardness.
Merlin or The Waste Land by Tankred Dorst // in collaboration with Ursula Ehler // in a version by Christoph Roos // AN INTERACTIVE DOUBLE PRODUCTION FOR THE THEATRE’S 75TH ANNIVERSARY
Tankred Dorst’s visually powerful “world fairy tale” Merlin or The Waste Land reimagines the
medieval legend of King Arthur and the Round Table in strikingly modern terms, unfolding as an
opulent parable about humanity. It is a tragedy about the dream of a better world, the search for a
life filled with happiness, love, and peace — and the inevitability of its failure.
When Merlin prophesies the rise of the Round Table, his father, the Devil, is anything but pleased.
He would much rather see his son use his magical powers to push humanity toward evil. As father
and son struggle over the shape of the future, the naïve Parzival and the treacherous Mordred —
King Arthur’s own son — throw Camelot’s democratic experiment into turmoil. Is the idea of a
world no longer ruled by the law of the strongest doomed to collapse under generational conflict?
To mark the theatre’s 75th anniversary, the drama department highlights the collaborative spirit of
the twin-city theatre by presenting two independent Merlin productions simultaneously as an
interactive double project: In Krefeld, artistic director Christoph Roos will stage Merlin or The
Waste Land on the main stage, while in Mönchengladbach, young director Luis Liun Koch will
create his own interpretation of the play in the studio theatre under the title Merlin feat. Ginevra.
Premieres and all performances take place on the same evenings and include live scenic elements
transmitted via video and audio into the parallel production in the other city.
A Video, Dance, and Music Performance
Artistic Director, Choreography & Production: Teresa Zschernig
Text & Dramaturgy: Juliane Hendes
Music: Aylin Leclaire
Costume & Makeup: Juliane Molitor
Video: Philippe Waldecker
with: Aylin Leclaire, Teresa Zschernig#
At the end of all dreams, the self stands alone and shines, for here it is allowed to be. Not you, not him, not her, just ME. Just you!
Imagine Puck from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" can alter the course of stories, has clairvoyant visions. Puck can help, sees images, sees you and your life. Your fate, your future! Using the character "Puck" from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", choreographer and performer Teresa Zschernig and composer Aylin Leclaire, together with their team, ask who we are and who we really want to be. By examining selected female Shakespearean characters, they look into the future, devising alternative life paths—What would Juliet's end look like today? How could Ophelia's fate be influenced? And what could Lady Macbeth's career have been?—they dream in the most musical of worlds and from one state of being to another. "Who am I? And if so, how many?" With Puck, anything is possible!
With her dark, folkloric electro-pop sound, Aylin Leclaire takes us on journeys through other worlds and dimensions time and again. The German-Turkish musician blends intricate beats with her virtuosic voice to tell emotionally charged stories, where her personal life experiences intertwine with an otherworldly poetry.
In her live shows the interdisciplinary artist fuses artistically sophisticated performances with elaborate stage designs to a body of art.
Her debut album, “Sculptural Rituals“, released in 2022, explores the cycle of artistic creation on an intimate and deeply moving level.
Aylin Leclaire releases innovative debut album with holographic art
In December 2022, Aylin Leclaire introduced her debut album „Sculptural Rituals“, offering a fresh and unique experience for music fans. Instead of traditional formats, Leclaire released her album as sculptural rituals in the form of holograms.
These sculptural albums are available in two unique forms: a DIY hologram pyramid that attaches to a smartphone, and a beautifully crafted ceramic sculpture designed to hold the phone. Each song features its own exclusive hologram video, accessible via QR codes.
Leclaire‘s inventive approach adds a new dimension to music consumption, blending audio and visual art in a captivating way.
Terz und Tentakel – Jellyfish Pizza (official video)
Terz und Tentakel – A Jellyfish Project by Verena Meis and Aylin Leclaire
For years, we’ve been writing songs about jellyfish – this time, we’re swimming against the far-right current.
Terz und Tentakel is an interdisciplinary music and performance project by Verena Meis (lyrics) and Aylin Leclaire(sound). Drawing inspiration from the radiant resilience of jellyfish, we create songs, stage designs, readings, installations, and immersive live formats – a fluid Gesamtkunstwerk exploring empowerment, diversity, and resistance.
Jellyfish are mesmerizing beings: composed of over 90% water, they can transform, regenerate, and glow. Their movements are rhythmic, poetic, and precise. They’ve been drifting through the oceans for millions of years – gentle, yet unstoppable. To us, jellyfish symbolize queer survival, adaptability, and collective intelligence.
In 2023, we released our first single, “Jellyfish Pizza” – a half-serious, half-playful take on culinary climate adaptation: jellyfish as food, as a mirror of ecological change, as a futuristic delicacy.
Mit „Quallen gegen Rechts“ folgt nun ein klarer Tentakel-Track gegen rechte Ideologien. Inmitten von Hass und Hetze stehen wir für eine andere Form der Kraft: leuchtend, vernetzt, vielstimmig
🦑 “Jellyfish Against the Far Right” is our sonic outcry against fascism. For us, music is a way to reclaim agency – to stay audible, visible, and emotionally present.
