I am Michael Zandl and grew up in a small village in the Austrian Alps. Exploring various outdoor sports introduced me to acrobatics and movement. After studying agricultural science in Vienna, I decided to follow my passion and moved to Rotterdam to study at Codarts Circus Arts, specialising in Object Manipulation. Since 2019, I have been 'house maker' at Korzo Theatre The Hague where I premiered Sawdust Symphony in 2021. For my next creation with the working title Food, I will step off stage for the first time and make my debut as a director. Together with four circus performers, we explore endless human consumption and its impact on our environment and society.
In my creations, I want to go beyond ordinary circus references. I work with objects and materials not often associated with circus. As a result, my work is often described as a passion for the absurd combined with abstraction and subtle humor. Technical details and playing with illusions and special effects are at the core of my work. Building the scenography and props myself is a full part of my creative process.
As a maker and performer, I have been associated with TENT for several years who, among other things, is a key advisor in all my creations as a circus maker. Finally, in my current creation Food, I now have the pleasure of collaborating as Maker for a week with the incredible performers: Fidel Rott, Hedvig Brodén, Jakob Vöckler and Karin Brodén. In this week, we will focus our research on eating our props and sets.
MAKER FOR
A WEEK
