Although the shame of having a burn-out and feeling overstressed has declined in recent years, stigma still surrounds depression and anxiety disorders. The play “Labyrinth of Lines”, which will be performed at De Machinefabriek on the 22nd and 23rd of June, follows five days in the lives of people in a hospital ward for mental disease.
The show is A-Way Productions’ answer to the everlasting taboo on mental disorders: ““Apparently, some problems are more acceptable than others.” According to a press release from the group, A-Way Productions is “a young, energetic and creative theatre collective” of enthusiastic international students and starters based in Groningen.
The subjects of the play are young men and women in the prime of their lives struggling with societal pressures and to cope with their own feelings. Mariska Bone, the co-founder of the A-Way productions, which has existed since 2015, writes that the play aims to show that mental health care is important for everyone and normalize mental health challenges: “’Labyrinth of Lines’ is a plea for society to have a healthier relationship with mental disease.”
