IF we really are what we eat, what does that say about who we are today, ask Displace Yourself Theatre in Food For Thought at the York Theatre Royal Studio tomorrow night.

The Bradford physical theatre company will be examining the influence of the fast-food industry, questioning if food can help or hurt our health and pondering what is the true cost to the planet.

The play was developed originally as part of the European project BeSpectACTive in 2017 at York Theatre Royal, where two free performances were given in the Studio in July that year.

"We were selected by Theatre Royal artistic director Damian Cruden and associate director Juliet Forster to represent York at BeSpectACTive, which involved 12 companies from across Europe commissioning work where the audience could be involved both before and after the show," says Mike, whose company first visited York in February 2016 with their homelessness play, Eden, presented at Friargate Theatre.

"We had some great feedback from the 2017 shows, leading to us getting Arts Council funding for doing five shows this year," he adds.

Food For Thought has been made through research and collaboration with people from across the world, including farmers, academics and experts in Britain, Sansepolcro, Tuscany, Italy, and Budapest, Hungary. "The research was my favourite part of it," says Mike.

York Press:

Jennifer Nevin in Food For Thought at the York Theatre Royal Studio. Picture: Tim Smith

From farmer to factory, from land to laboratory and grower to grazer, the show introducers characters from the food chain whose lives are ruled and fuelled by what we consume every day. What's more, it asks whether our food culture and history can teach us anything about the future? Oh, and if food has the power to unite families, why are more of us eating alone?

So many questions to answer. "We were interested in the food industry and how that relationship has changed over time, and we were also concerned by how the food chain was part of the environmental and climate change problem," says Mike.

"When we came to do the show again this year, we'd anticipated slight changes in the script, but it's taken a real swing and become a very different piece as it struck us there were links between our changing attitudes to food and societal change, amid a general disconnect with nature.

"This can be compared with the social disconnect that is exploding right now; labelling people 'them' and 'us'. That culture is thriving at the moment and is very unsettling, when we should stop saying 'them' and 'us', and just say 'us'.

"So we ask the audience to come on a journey with us to encourage positive and healthy relationships in our lives." Tickets for tomorrow's 7.45pm performance are on sale on 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Did you know?

Displace Yourself Theatre also run Creating Together on the second Monday of each month, from 11am to 3pm, in the De Grey Rooms, York. Set up through Ats Council England's Elevate fund, it is aimed at "people who don't have easy access to the arts".