When plankton takes the stage: ZMT scientist Agostino Merico joins theatre production in Magdeburg
Professor Agostino Merico from the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen is putting marine science into an unusual spotlight. From 11 to 30 September 2026, he will join the cast of Kanton Plankton at Theater Magdeburg (Theatre of the Year 2025), a production combining science, visual art, theatre and poetry to explore the fascinating world of plankton.
Plankton produces much of the oxygen we breathe, influences the Earth's climate and encompasses an extraordinary diversity of life forms. In Kanton Plankton, this largely invisible world becomes the starting point for a site-specific production journey at Theater Magdeburg.
In the run-up to production, Agostino Merico, head of the working group Systems Ecology at ZMT, had given the artists an insight into the world of plankton whilst they visited ZMT and its laboratory facilities. He also contributed scientific texts to the production and will now appear on stage alongside the theatre ensemble. Taking on the role of a scientist, he will help connect current scientific knowledge about plankton with the artistic and emotional perspectives developed in the performance. After some pre-defined performances, he will also take part in Q&A sessions with the audience.
“Art and live performance are a very interesting way of channelling scientific information to the wider public,” says Merico. “That is why I was delighted to accept the invitation to become part of the cast.”
A poetic cosmos of microscopic life
Kanton Plankton is conceived and directed by visual artist and set designer Julia Oschatz. Christian Tschirner wrote the text, Felix Remme co-designed the stage and costumes, and Laura Guhl is responsible for dramaturgy. The cast includes Laura Fouquet, Rainer Frank, Philipp Kronenberg, Oktay Önder, Julia Oschatz and Isabel Will.
For several weeks, the production transforms the Kammer 2 space of the Schauspielhaus into a poetic cosmos inspired by the organisms freely drifting through the world's oceans and other aquatic environments. Some planktonic organisms have existed for billions of years; they glow and shimmer, form colonies and symbiotic relationships, and live inside a myriad of other organisms. Despite their microscopic size, they play fundamental roles in marine ecosystems and the global climate.
The term “plankton” comes from the Greek planktos, which means “drifter” of “wanderer”. Drawing on this idea, the production explores questions of metabolism, reproduction and diversity – and ultimately asks audiences to reconsider what life itself can mean.
Kanton Plankton is part of Theater Magdeburg's Kosmos series, which each season gives one production to an artist from outside the traditional field of theatre directing. The series aims to create new performances that extend beyond conventional theatre practice.
The premiere will take place on 11 September 2026 at Schauspielhaus Magdeburg, Kammer 2. Performances will run until 30 September 2026.
Further information and tickets: https://www.theater-magdeburg.de/inszenierungen/schauspiel/sz-20262027/premieren-2627/kanton-plankton/
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