Every day, thousands of people walk through the Antwerp Central Station. Everyone plays a role: to quickly buy a sandwich, to go to the toilet, to read the newspaper or to go skating in the underground car park. It is like a museum where the visitors wander around. They look at the stores, at the coffee shops, at the conductors, at life, as if they were works of art.                            

In Human Zoo, a voice can be heard through your headphones. It guides you as you walk through one of the most beautiful railway stations in Europe. In this gigantic building, located next to the Antwerp Zoo, where you can see gorillas, chimpanzees and orang-utans in their artificial habitats, you meet mankind. Behold homo sapiens in an honest and uninhibited
way, in an environment familiar to him.

Since 2001, the Antwerp-based theatre company Bad van Marie has been creating visual site-specific theatre productions, in which the spectator is immersed in a redefined reality in a particular location. Not only spoken words and the actors' performance, but all elements present at the location are part of their productions. The actors become part of the crowd and passers-by become actors. Balancing between fact and fiction, you are confronted with your own interpretations.

In a time when we make or want to make less and less of an effort, and are looking for instant gratification, Bad van Marie's work is seemingly accessible and easily digestible. It seems like a getaway for the viewer, not a lengthy, difficult book, but a snack. (...) But it is not. In an artistic, challenging and participatory way, Bad van Marie holds up a mirror to the society we live in. You'll go home with a backpack full of questions. - De Morgen

Practical information
23 04 2022 - 11:00
23 04 2022 - 15:00
30 04 2022 - 11:00
30 04 2022 - 15:00
07 05 2022 - 11:00
07 05 2022 - 15:00
Antwerp Central Station

Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes

Language: Dutch

Tickets can be booked until 12 pm on Friday. On Saturday, tickets can be bought on site. Meetup Saturday at Flamingoplein.

Credits
Concept: Matthias Meersman, Peter Boelens
Voice: Vanessa Broes
Music: Zwerm
Montage: Toon Callier
Production: Annelies Boelens Coproductie: EUROPALIA TRAINS & TRACKS in collaboration with Het Oude Badhuis

With the support of Stad Antwerpen, KMSKA, Arenberg