Jaha Koo HARIBO KIMCHI

Theatre 12€

Friday 13 November · until 15 Nov

In 'Haribo Kimchi', Jaha Koo takes us to a South Korean pojangmacha, where three characters—a snail, a gummy bear, and an eel—guide us on a culinary journey exploring food as a refuge for those displaced from their culture, in a performance blending music, video, and robotic performers.

Synopsis Presented with the Alkantara Festival Jaha Koo HARIBO KIMCHI ACCESSIBILITY In Korean and English with Portuguese and English subtitles This show contains loud sound and strong smells In Haribo Kimchi, we find ourselves in a pojangmacha, one of the typical late-night street food bars in South Korea. There, we meet three characters—a snail, a gummy bear, and an eel—who lead us on a culinary journey, exploring food as a refuge for those living displaced from their culture. In a series of intimate and absurd accounts, the characters revisit the evolution of kimchi culture, the bitter pain of unfiltered racism, the shame of trying to fit in, and the deep umami taste of home. In a hybrid style combining music, video, and robotic performers, Jaha Koo reflects on cultural assimilation with all its conflicts and paradoxes. In an exceptional performance that awakens all the senses, he serves personal stories marinated in bittersweet melancholy. After its national premiere at Teatro Municipal do Porto in March 2025, Haribo Kimchi now arrives at TBA, opening the Alkantara Festival 2026. Jaha Koo is a South Korean theatre/performance creator, music composer, and videographer. His artistic practice oscillates between multimedia and performance, encompassing his own music, video, text, and robotic objects. Thematically, he focuses on structural issues of Korean society and how the inescapable past tragically affects our lives today. In 2026, Jaha Koo became the youngest and first Asian artist to receive the prestigious International Ibsen Award. Concept, text, direction, music, sound, and video Jaha Koo Performed by Gona, Haribo, Eel, Jaha Koo, and two guests Dramaturgy Dries Douibi Scenography, research collaboration, and multimedia operation Eunkyung Jeong Artistic consultancy Pol Heyvaert Technical coordination Korneel Coessens Technicians Bart Huybrechts, Tom Daniels, and Jasse Vergauwe Production coordination Wim Clapdorp English proofreading Jason Wrubell Snail animation Vincent Lynen Production CAMPO Co-production Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Rideau de Bruxelles, Theater Utrecht, SPRING Festival, Festival d’Automne à Paris, Théâtre de la Bastille, Tangente St. Pölten, Festival für Gegenwartskultur, &Espoo Theatre, International Summer Festival Kampnagel, Sophiensaele, Meet You Festival, Bunker, National Theatre and Concert Hall Taipei, The Divine Comedy International Theater Festival / Teatr Laznia Nowa, and Perpodium With the support of the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government through Cronos Invest and the Flemish Government Prices Discounts Non-cumulative. Discounts do not apply to single prices. Under 18 Single price of €3 Under 25 Single price of €5 50% discount Unemployed people, CML professionals, and municipal companies (extendable to a companion) 30% discount Performance professionals, over 65, people with disabilities or Deaf people (companion is entitled to a free ticket) Cultura Pass Free entry for under 23 and over 65 residents of Lisbon municipality in performances with paid tickets. Only available at the TBA Box Office.