Veronika Abdul-Visocka presents first performance at Frascati Producties

In She Was Born for Happiness, DAS Theatre alumnus Veronika Abdul-Visocka explores the relationship between self-harm and the promise of happiness. While the work is rooted in the authors' personal experiences, it communicates with several literary works, films and visual arts pieces. She was born for happiness will premiere at Frascati on Thursday, 17 September.

Veronika Abdul-Visocka (Latvia, 1997) is a theatre maker, writer and performer. In 2025 she graduated from the master’s programme at DAS Theatre. Her work emerges from a power-critical, hybrid perspective. Shaped by the multiple languages, religions and political systems she was raised within, Veronika explores fluidity, multiversality and the capacity for transformation.

She was born for happiness approaches self-harm as a response to structural violence rather than an individual problem, by critically addressing environments that demand constant positivity, success, and happiness. Places where pain, doubt, or the inability to belong, are made invisible. The work is made in close collaboration with composer and theatre maker Patsy Lassbo (Sweden, 1988).

Through theatre and new media, the work is recreating living spaces in which acts of self-harm have taken place. The makers strive to create a space to speak about experiences of self-harm without falling into violent self-exposure, or romanticization of pain. An earlier version of the work was presented during Beginnings 2026.

She Was Born for Happiness runs from 15 to 19 September in Frascati 4. Premiere: Thursday, 17 September at 20:00.

concept, text, direction Veronika Abdul-Visocka ligths, music, dramaturgy Patsy Lassbo performance Florence Minder video Kristian Møller-Munar extern advies Marta Keil editorial advice Nicolas Lange handcrafted dress Džeina Lubāne 3D printing Ed Douwes co-produced by Grand Theatre Groningen supported by the residence programme at PACT Zollverein, co-funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia, Zahra Mohseni with thanks to Swedish Arts Grants