Korzo's production house and TENT act as partners in talent development. Circus makers connected to TENT can increasingly be found on stage or in Korzo's studio. In turn, TENT supervises Korzo's new circus maker from its expertise. In 2021, this will be Michael Zandl.
Michael Zandl grew up in the Austrian Alps, with a lot of outdoor sports and acrobatics. And it was his fascination with flying objects that brought him to the circus and the stage. With his graduation show (Codarts Circus Arts, Rotterdam) he won the Marc Jonkers Prize and was invited to the Young Stage Festival. This was followed by the solo performance JANUS, a combination of physical storytelling, illusion theatre and object manipulation.
Michael is interested in transcending the conventional circus idiom. He likes to work with objects from everyday life. Special effects and technical ingenuity are often the highlights of his performances. He has a passion for absurd situations and subtle humour, which he sees as a powerful form of expression. The complexity of the professional (circus) field has made Zandl a very inventive artist. For instance, he often makes the props and scenography himself and is always at the centre of the creation process. Knowledge of the technique needed to create his work is always interwoven with his creative development.
For Sawdust Symphony, Michael Zandl works with juggler Kolja Huneck and diabolo and Cyril wheel specialist David Eisele. In a society where old-fashioned craftsmanship seems to be disappearing, the contemporary circus performance Sawdust Symphony plays with the meaning and DIY romance of power tools like drills, sanders and automatic saws. The performers go to the limit to use their bodies to manipulate the machines and, vice versa, the tools have their influence on the makers. Who actually controls whom in this creative process?
The three create an exciting performance for young and old that evokes emotions and fascination for physical exertion, the sound of manual labour and the movement quality of a jigsaw.
PREMIERE 24- 25 September 2021 (Korzo)
