Yesim Candam's 11 Red Flags: Spot Controlling Behavior in Relationships

On a brisk evening in Amsterdam, the Boom Chicago Upstairs Theater fills with low murmurs as people settle in for Yesim Candam’s 11 Red Flags, a theater-college that turns a stage into a classroom on coercion, control, and survival. Located in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands, the program runs roughly 2½ hours and guides attendees through eleven warning signs that distinguish jealous affection from manipulative domination. The meeting point is Boom Chicago Upstairs Theater, a compact performance room whose intimacy turns a single anecdote into a communal wake-up call. Candan—publicist, radio presenter, and women’s-rights advocate—lays out behaviors that often arrive small and plausible: the insistence on constant whereabouts, critiques of clothing, gradual separation from friends and family, and the pattern of blaming you for every conflict. The lecture frames those signals against a grim local statistic: in the Netherlands, an average of one woman is killed every eight days, and about half of those deaths are linked to a current or former partner. That context gives urgency to a show that is part storytelling, part public-health briefing, and part practical checklist. What makes 11 Red Flags stand out where Amsterdam’s cultural circuit can feel crowded is its procedural clarity and its civic edge. Boom Chicago Upstairs Theater is known for late-night comedy and tight stagecraft; here that energy translates into direct, actionable advice. Listeners leave with names for behaviors they’ve seen but couldn’t define, and with concrete ideas about safety, boundaries, and support networks. Practical attendees will appreciate the setup: close seating, clear sightlines, and a brisk two-and-a-half hour runtime that fits between canal walks and a neighborhood dinner. The content carries weight—expect moments that are wrenching and others that reframe what "small" control can become. The format works for individuals of any gender who want earlier recognition skills, and for partners, friends, or professionals who support others. If you’re in Amsterdam for the canals, museums, or nightlife, slotting in a thoughtful evening at Boom Chicago Upstairs Theater offers something different: a civic lesson delivered with theatrical craft. Come prepared to listen, to take notes, and to leave with the language and the tools to change the conversation around relationship safety in your own circles and communities. Many attendees leave with specific next steps: identifying safe people, documenting incidents, and contacting local support services or hotlines. The format invites questions after the talk and, when available, provides references to further reading and community organizations working on prevention. For visitors, this session is a meaningful complement to Amsterdam’s cultural program: it’s an evening that turns curiosity into competence and local urgency into practical, transferable skills. Booking through the event page is straightforward; check the referral link for dates and availability. Reserve your spot.