Sawdust Symphony

A playful symphony of sawdust, tools, and the untamed human need to create.

“With their performance, three circus artists embody the collaboration between humans and nature—a symbiosis that could hardly be more beautiful.”
— Vorarlberg Online

In Sawdust Symphony, Michael Zandl, David Eisele, and Kolja Huneck combine their passion for woodworking, craftsmanship, and object manipulation.

The performance explores the human urge to create—from the first idea to the act of building—along with the joys and pitfalls of work and the relationship between humans and their tools. Characters obsessed with creation transform their space, as well as themselves, inviting the audience into a unique DIY adventure.

Sawdust Symphony is an intense dialogue between satisfaction and frustration, accompanied by the smell of fresh wood and gasoline.

Creative team

Created and performed by: Michael Zandl, David Eisele, Kolja Huneck
Artistic collaboration: Lucho Smit, Darragh McLoughlin
Sound design: Juliano Abramovay, Lasse Munk
Lighting design: Sanne Rosbag
Set design and special effects: Philipp Dünnwald, Michael Zandl
Technical team: Roland Kumpl, Stephan Kalod, Casper van Overschee, Cecilia Rosso, Batist Van Baekel
Production: Korzo (Mirjam Zwanenburg)

Supported by: Federal Chancellery of the Republic of Austria, Ministry of Culture of the Netherlands, City of The Hague (NL)

Co-production: Provinciaal Domein Dommelhof – Theater op de Markt, Le Palc – Pôle national cirque – Châlons-en-Champagne

Partners and residencies: Latitude 50 – Pôle des arts du cirque et de la rue, Werkplaats Diepenheim, Dynamo – Workspace for Circus and Performing Arts, La Transverse – Scène Ouverte aux Arts Publics, Gutsverwaltung Fischhorn, TENT

Special thanks: Christine and Josef Zandl, Batist van Baekel, Daniel Beiter, Birgit Haberkamp

Michael Zandl, David Eisele, and Kolja Huneck graduated from Codarts Circus Arts in Rotterdam in 2017, 2018, and 2019. During their studies, they became close friends whose artistic approaches complement one another. While creating their solo works (Janus, Cycle, CM_30), they discovered a shared passion for building and craftsmanship, which ultimately brought them together as a collective.

Michael Zandl is a circus creator and performer from Austria. He graduated from Codarts Circus Arts in Rotterdam in 2017. His work explores absurd situations and subtle humor as powerful expressive tools. Technical details and special effects play an important role in his performances, and he is closely involved in creating his own scenography, props, and illusions. Since 2021, he has been a resident choreographer at Korzo Theatre in The Hague. He currently tours with Sawdust Symphony and his solo performance Janus.

https://www.michaelzandl.com/

David Eisele grew up in the Black Forest region near Freiburg, Germany. He is an energetic artist with a minimalist lifestyle. Exploring unusual possibilities of the human body and working with objects are his main sources of inspiration.

His work focuses on reimagining the diabolo and translating its qualities—along with those of the Cyr wheel—into new contexts. After graduating from Codarts in 2018, he created his solo performance Cycle, which he continues to tour. His acclaimed act Senses has taken him to nine countries and over one hundred performances.

http://www.davideisele.com/ 

Kolja Huneck is a circus creator and performer from Munich, Germany. He graduated from Codarts Circus Arts in Rotterdam in 2019. His work currently focuses on contemplative circus projects and alternative dramaturgical approaches that invite reflection or create fleeting sensory experiences.

His signature objects include vinyl records and custom-developed discs. Alongside Sawdust Symphony, he also tours with his solo performance CM_30.

https://www.kolja.art/ 

Reviews

“An ode to the human desire to create: three men, a few tools, and a soundtrack. It sounds bizarre—and it is—but this hybrid of circus and physical theatre truly works. Madly brilliant, Sawdust Symphony combines masterful object manipulation, originality, and plenty of humor.”
— Clare Simpson, Fringe Festival

“Sawdust Symphony is an extraordinary performance. I have never seen anything like it, on stage, in the circus ring, or anywhere else. It echoes Dadaism, Samuel Beckett, and Alien, yet also delivers moments of breathtaking brilliance, inspiring originality, and striking humor.
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.”
— Arts Talk Magazine

“With this production, three circus artists embody the collaboration between humans and nature, a symbiosis that could hardly be more beautiful.”
— Vorarlberg Online

“The circus and theatre performance of this trio is phenomenal and astonishing. We want to see more from this world of magical illusions!”
— KULTUR – Zeitschrift für Kultur und Gesellschaft