Questioning family heritage, the place of women and motherhood in society, the pressures attached to them… From March 20th and until April 19th, 2025, the Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers presents on its stage the play Anatomy of a Suicide. In a production by Christophe Rauck, the text by Alice Birch (screenwriter of series like Normal People, Dead Ringers…) unfolds like a score bringing together multiple scenes in a single tableau. On stage, 10 actors embody 27 characters to deliver a powerful performance, blending humor and emotion.
©Anatomy of a Suicide/Nanterre-Amandiers Theater
Three women, three stories
Carol, Anna and Bonnie – played respectively by Audrey Bonnet, Noémie Gantier and Servane Ducorps – are three women searching for meaning, coming from three different generations. Yet all are bound by a painful family legacy, a trauma that is passed down through the years. How can you feel free when you must constantly struggle against destructive forces? How can you manage to bring your darkness into dialogue with your light? Is it truly possible to leave the past behind you? What drives someone to commit the irreparable?
By revealing the dazzling sides of her characters, but also their darkest ones, the British author stAlice Birch examines the brutality of motherhood and the consequences of society's demands regarding this role, to understand the distress that gnaws at these three women.
©Anatomy of a Suicide/Nanterre-Amandiers Theatre
A precise and complex staging
This family drama unfolds in a piece with incomparable precision. The three women individually recount their interconnected stories despite generational differences. Using humor, sharp writing, mirrored dialogue and synchronicity, Alice Birch creates an ideally constructed score where her characters' voices intertwine to play a perfect melody. Through narratives that transcend time and borders, the family structure reveals itself, allowing the different puzzle pieces to come together. A magnificent piece you absolutely shouldn't miss this spring!
©Anatomy of a Suicide/Nanterre-Amandiers Theatre
Anatomy of a Suicide
Nanterre-Amandiers Theatre
7, Pablo-Picasso Avenue – Nanterre
Until April 19, 2025
More info and tickets
