Cat Smits Company - Achter gesloten deuren

How does violence creep into your life so slowly that you no longer know what is normal? And how do you escape it again?

Achter Gesloten Deuren takes the audience into the invisible world of dominance and violence that takes place behind closed doors. Domestic violence is in the spotlight more than ever. According to recent CBS figures, more than 870 thousand Dutch people are victims of psychological and physical violence in the domestic sphere.

Cat Smits Company combines this urgent theme with the poetic power of puppetry in a dynamic mosaic narrative. The performance is based on the experiences of survivors: victims, their children, and perpetrators.

The actors and puppets portray different stories and perspectives, creating a complete picture of the circumstances that cause boundaries to shift daily. Until fear becomes the new normal.

Achter Gesloten Deuren is a poignant theater experience about recognition and resilience.

Audience reactions:

“You present this in a very understandable way. And so I would applaud it if, in addition to all the theaters you already visit, you would also do this more for professionals. I am thinking of medical assistants, practice nurses, healthcare and childcare workers, nurses, and preferably also youth care and the Raad voor de Kinderrechter.”

“My husband, who has known my story well for years, said after this performance that he now understood even better what I had been through. And that is mega valuable. Because how many victims feel misunderstood by their network? Not because the network doesn't want to understand them, but because the dynamics in such a relationship are so incredibly difficult to imagine.”