ADEM

ADEM is not a typical theatre play. It is about someone with suicidal thoughts - but it is more than that.

ADEM was written by Roel Pronk, who has personally felt how thin the line between staying and letting go can be. That personal experience makes the performance unprecedentedly real - it opens the door to the brain of a suicidal young adult and grants you a glimpse into a world that normally often remains hidden. ADEM is a multivocal theatre piece* that uses multiple actors to bring the inner world of the main character to life. The performance interweaves music, poetry and silence, making the vulnerability of the subject matter palpable. Yet ADEM remains fresh, light and is even full of familiarity and humour. The complex, multi-layered experience of mental health is thus visualised in an unprecedented way.

ADEM is not just a story about suicide; it is an invitation to see the world around you with different eyes. It is theatre that does not judge, but connects - an opportunity to pause together, recognise yourself in the other and find hope, just when you can't see for a moment.

With ADEM, we want to break the silence about suicide. The show was created from the writer's personal experience, having struggled with suicidal thoughts himself. That vulnerability is at the core: not to shock, but to connect. We find that many young people feel alone in their struggle - ADEM shows that they are not the only ones. By using theatre as a safe space for recognition, conversation and hope, we want to contribute to awareness as well as prevention.

This story needs to be told, especially now, as silence about suicide still prevails and the conversation is urgently needed.