Do we need what we eat? Do we eat what we need? What does it really cost?

In FOOD, American theatremaker Geoff Sobelle returns to Singapore with an invitation to chew on the complexities of consumption, memory, and meaning. Set around an absurdly oversized banquet table, this multi-sensory theatrical experience transforms the act of eating into a ritual of inquiry. Guests are not merely observers but participants in an unfolding meditation on appetite, both physical and existential.

Sobelle, known for weaving magic, movement, and meticulous design into his storytelling, serves as host and provocateur in this unforgettable dinner party. As the performance unfolds, the table becomes a time machine, a confession booth, and a microcosm of society’s shifting relationship with food. With his signature blend of absurdist humour, corporeal dexterity, and wry observation, Sobelle unpacks how what we consume reflects who we are and who we’ve become.

Before he opens this dinner to us in August, we spoke to Geoff as he shared more about the genesis of FOOD, the art of the dinner party, and how he orchestrates theatrical experiences that linger far beyond the final course. Read the interview in full below:

Bakchormeeboy: Hi Geoff, welcome back to Singapore again for the second time this year after HOME. Let’s start by talking about the conceptualisation process – when did the idea for FOOD come about, was there a specific trigger, and how did it develop into the work we’ll be seeing in August? 

Geoff Sobelle: I am drawn to projects that are based on very ordinary experiences of our life, things so general that it would be impossible to wrap our arms around them – the theme, “food,” is just that.  Practically everything in the human experience points toward or moves away from food. So, the absurdity  of calling an art project “FOOD,” really made me smile. 

I began dreaming about this show the same week that I found out that I was going to be a father.  The realization that my wife was now pregnant, and feeding a tiny life, and that this life would need nourishment and food – this blew my mind and definitely factored into the overwhelming sense of the subject. 

Bakchormeeboy: Especially considering that FOOD forms the third part of a trilogy, after HOME, what are the thematic links between the two works, and for audiences who managed to catch HOME, how different of an experience can they expect FOOD to be? How will it challenge them and their perspectives in new ways?

Geoff: The three shows are linked in this way: they are each non-narrative, no characters, no drama, no story per-se. Each are meant to be reflective – the audience will put themselves into the work and their own subjective experience according to the theme. Each of these projects directs the action at the audience themselves – with direct instruction.

Bakchormeeboy: Hopefully no one expects to be coming away from FOOD with a full stomach, but let’s talk about dinner parties, especially those that you’ve attended before. Could you share a little about dinner parties you’ve been to that have resulted in you getting more food for thought than for the stomach? Was there any reason behind these parties ending up so intellectually or emotionally stimulating?

Geoff: I love dinner parties where everyone speaks different languages and has great enthusiasm but little chance to understand one another.  The way that people find to still connect and share their enthusiasm and conviviality is so fabulous to me and I think says a great deal about who we are before language.

Bakchormeeboy: We previously talked about physical theatre and clownery, and sometimes how there is wonder in watching actors exert the most amount of effort to achieve a tiny thing. Can we expect more of that from FOOD as well? Is there a specific mindset you have to put yourself in or ritual you perform for Food, especially since you’ll be at the centre of attention?

Geoff: The only ritual that I engage in before the performance is setting up the show. I do this with a team of people and it takes several hours. It is very much a part of the experience for me – something akin to creating a dinner for someone, or setting up for a party. 

Bakchormeeboy: You were in Singapore a short while for SIFA, but I’m wondering if you noticed or felt anything different about our attitude towards food as a concept, as opposed to Americans? Especially with regards to other places you’ve toured Food to, have you noticed any interesting responses or attitudes towards food?

Geoff: Each and every place that we have toured the show to is of course totally different, even within the United States, I find great differences and nuance about different people’s perspectives on food and eating.  In Singapore itself, I was excited to visit a few hawker centres, and to try several “Singapore specialties.”  It’s fascinating to trace Singapore’s history through the dynamic path of its food traditions and culture clashes over the many years. 

Bakchormeeboy: How would you say your own attitude and ideas towards food has evolved over the years, especially comparing before you worked on Food and after?

Geoff: That’s not a totally fair question – only because right when I began working on FOOD, I became a father, and then we found ourselves in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.  So, creating this work coincided with other big shifts that may have had more to do with my habits and attitudes. I found myself cooking much more and embracing a domesticity in a way that was new to me.  It was a happy accident that I could then think about how the themes of the show marked my own life. But all of this is really beside the point – my own experience really does not feature in the show at all. I am much more interested in YOU!

Bakchormeeboy: The theme of the Esplanade’s The Studios 2025 is “Sustenance”. What do you feel is the sustenance that the world needs most right now? 

Geoff: I would imagine that preparing a meal for another person is good place to begin. 

Photo Credit: Maria Baranova

FOOD plays plays from 6th to 10th August 2025 at the Singtel Waterfront Theatre. Tickets available here

The Studios 2025 – Sustenance runs from July to September 2025. Full programme and more information available here