On 7th May 2026, we hosted the very first Theatre of Remembrance conference on using theatre as a tool for historical awareness in Brussels.

We greatly enjoyed having an opportunity to share an interactive and multimedia programme with policymakers, theatre makers and educators from across Europe. The programme included a performance by youngsters from ACADEMY Berlin who presented an excerpt from Power Resistance directed by Rachel Hameleers and Milena Sundari Nowak.

This was followed by a panel discussion featuring:

• Katharina von Schnurbein (European Commission Coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life)
• Malik Azmani (Chair of the VVD Delegation in the European Parliament and a member of the liberal Renew Europe Group)
• Kees Ribbens (Senior Researcher at NIOD (Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies)
• Alex Maws (Head of Education and Heritage at The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) & member of the Education Working Group and UK delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)

Honouring history also means taking responsibility for what comes next: how we live together, and how we continue to build a shared future. In that sense, theatre and remembrance play a vital role. – Malik Azmani

In the second part of the conference, there were interactive workshops led by the Theater Na de Dam team which utilised lessons from Atelier van Herrinering which centres on how theatrical tools can be applied in a classroom context using stories from the Second World War to encourage students to engage with history and have an opportunity to empathise with the stories of the past.

Impact Research for Theatre of Remembrance 2024-2026

As we wrap up this edition of Theatre of Remembrance, we wanted to share our impact research with you which provides both a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the reach that the project has and its effect on the young and elderly participants, as well as the audiences who engage with our partners and their productions. We hope you enjoy reading it and learning more about the project!