Näidendite andmebaas

Silence and Cries is an Estonian radio drama, written by Andres Noormets. The protagonist of the play is simply “Me” or “I”. “I” could be anyone; we never learn their age, gender, or name. “I” is searching for a sense of silence in the rush of everyday life. They are searching not only for the absence of sound, but also for a pause from urgency and routine. They are seeking silence within and without. There is probably a part of “Me” in each of us.

Their desire becomes a problem for others, and at the same time, the silence of others becomes a problem for “Me”. On the bus, they are in the way. And the other commuters think that “I” is having some kind of health problem. At the car repair shop, their presence is ignored. And no one is reminding that “I” is waiting, not even when he asks for it. Silence and Cries looks into the way society turns away from those who move differently, think differently, or resist the norm in any way.

This is an existential radio drama about the human struggle to be present, to be seen and heard, in a world that often seems indifferent. It considers how silence can be used as a weapon of power, and how silence has been a part of Estonian history. Silence and Cries is a poetic, introspective monologue, broken up by brief encounters with nameless others. The protagonist’s story plays out in ordinary places: an auto shop, a supermarket, a crosswalk. Places where small acts of waiting, questioning, or quietly refusing take on a symbolic weight.
Inspired by the poetry of Federico García Lorca, Noormets’ radio drama blends lyrical reflection with the absurd tensions of everyday life. The text is a subtle yet powerful meditation on dignity, loneliness, and the radical strength found in stillness. It blurs the line between sound and silence, thought and speech, private despair and public defiance