Buikzwam - Kompagnie Kistemaker

Theatre maker Karlijn Kistemaker went to the GP 17 times in her life with severe abdominal pain. “You’re exaggerating, you just have a low pain threshold, this is normal, just take a paracetamol.”

After many dismissive gestures, painkillers, and diets, she stumbled upon an article in which Birgit Schuurman (Katja's sister, indeed) revealed that she had been diagnosed with the chronic disease endometriosis. Not long after, Karlijn received the same diagnosis, and a far too quick-witted doctor unsuspectingly called out: "Oh, and do you still want children?" What followed was a wondrous journey through tissue landscapes, dollops of cold gel, hormone injections, and the recurring question: do I want a child, or do I just want it to happen? 1 in 10 people with female sexual characteristics has endometriosis. That is nearly 500,000 people in the Netherlands and 200 million worldwide. That is more than the number of people with rheumatism or asthma. What exactly is it? How is it possible that this disease is so unknown? And why did it take 24 years for Karlijn to receive the diagnosis? In her disarming solo show Buikzwam, Karlijn recounts her experiences with endometriosis in a dryly humorous manner.

The press on “Buikzwam is a small, important performance about a big subject. A performance that deserves a large audience.” - Theaterkrant