FOOD by Michael Zandl: the act of eating in contemporary circus

We all eat. But what happens when food becomes more than nourishment—when it becomes power, privilege, and an entertaining circus performance?

Playing with food
In FOOD, Austrian creative director Michael Zandl turns the act of eating into a playful yet unsettling mirror of modern society. Premiering at its home base: producent Korzo in The Hague, FOOD is a wordless, absurd, and witty circus exploration of consumption, full of acrobatics and object manipulation. We watch as the boundaries between desire and necessity blur, giving rise to something grotesque, surprising, and disturbingly hypnotic.

A collective voice with unique talents
Developed over two years and six (10) residencies, FOOD is co-created and performed by juggler and object manipulator Fidel Rott, Chinese pole artist Jakob Vöckler, and acrobatic twins Karin & Hedvig Brodén who were nominated for the BNG Circusprijs 2024 - Icaric play and partner acrobatics.  Each of them studied at Codarts and bringing their own artistic language, physicality, and vision to the table.

“I’ve worked with most of them before,” says Michael. “And the more I know them, the more I can build around what makes them unique. Whether it’s Jakob’s clownish authority or the visual illusion of the twins.”

The performance reflects not only on food as a means of consumption, but also on the creative act itself: building something complex and layered, with multiple perspectives, and making it land - together.

A microcosm
During his 5 year artist residency at Korzo Theatre as the firs maker specialized in circus, Michael proved himself to be a highly versatile maker. For example, the décor in FOOD is built from prototypes he mainly invented himself. And this décor is not just part of the stage, but a whole microcosm woven into the story of FOOD and brought to life by the performers: one stuck in the wall, unable to consume; another in front of a never-ending, food-supplying fridge.

FOOD for thought
Although all of us have a relationship to food, Michael and his co-creators aimed to keep this performance from becoming judgmental. “We’re not here to blame anyone or tell people what’s right or wrong in consumption,” he says. “But the way we produce food, who gets access to it, how it’s advertised says so much about where we are. It’s a perfect excuse to talk about more.”
So rather than presenting a clear-cut message, FOOD invites the audience to read between the (visual) lines.

FOOD premieres at Korzo September 26^th during Festival Cirque Mania and will tour internationally from fall 2025.