ABOUT NAKED STAGE
Naked Stage is an international festival of improvisational theatre taking place in Ljubljana every two years. Art of improvisation is in the spur of the moment, in the inclusivity, curiosity and presence. The festival embodies a tradition of experimentation, the interconnection of diverse performative practices, and a dialogue between the international and local communities of improvisers. Each edition of the festival has its own unique character, yet they all strive to explore the art of improvisation itself and, above all, to establish improvisational theatre as an outright member of the performing arts family. This year, the festival will welcome guests from France, Austria and Poland, alongside local artists showcasing their performances. At the end of October, Stara elektrarna - Elektro Ljubljana (The Old Powerstation) will open its doors to nine performances, with the festival also including improvisational theatre and drag performance
workshops.
The festival was originally held at the KUD France Prešeren (France Prešeren Cultural Centre )in Trnovo, where improvisational theatre in Slovenia found its first stage, its first communities and its first successes. Festival’s first artistic directors were Maja Dekleva Lapajne and Gregor Moder from the Narobov Collective. Following the shutdown of KUD France Prešeren, the festival moved to Stara Elektrarna (The Old Power Station), which became its new home, an environment that is at the same time new and unfamiliar to improvisational theatre and that at the same time holds a space that allows improvisation to expand in all its unpredictable magnitude. In the past, festival events have also taken place at AKC Metelkova, the Modern Gallery and Layer House in Kranj. Improvisation always returns to places where the space lives and breathes with it.
This year, the return of the festival to its ‘home stage’ coincides with the City of Women festival, as we will be performing at the Old Power Station during their programme.
Today, the festival is led by Eva Jus as producer and Sara Šoukal as artistic director, and they have chosen "being seen” as the festival’s theme. They understand visibility as an action, as a decision, as a space that must be either claimed - or offered. Eva and Sara wish to create a meeting point for those who are often overlooked: marginalised communities, neglected professions, different generations, bodies that are not in the spotlight, and artistic practices that do not fit into established frameworks. The Naked Stage thus opens the door to improvisation,interwoven with dance, clowning, drag performance, physical theatre and technical improvisation. The spotlight falls on creators who, through their presence, broaden our understanding of improvisation as an art form that is at once collective and intimate, political and playful, vulnerable and powerful. And above all, Naked!
Since its inception, the festival has maintained two fundamental objectives: to offer the audience an insight into the current developments in improvisational theatre, and to empower invited artists to engage in intensive exploration of new approaches through workshops, rehearsals and international collaborations. Naked Stage provides a space where improvisational theatre is not merely entertainment on the fringes of theatre, but a full-blooded, experimental and original art form. More than half of the performances hosted by the festival are premieres — they are created here, in Ljubljana, in a dialogue between the creators, the space and the audience.
workshops.
The festival was originally held at the KUD France Prešeren (France Prešeren Cultural Centre )in Trnovo, where improvisational theatre in Slovenia found its first stage, its first communities and its first successes. Festival’s first artistic directors were Maja Dekleva Lapajne and Gregor Moder from the Narobov Collective. Following the shutdown of KUD France Prešeren, the festival moved to Stara Elektrarna (The Old Power Station), which became its new home, an environment that is at the same time new and unfamiliar to improvisational theatre and that at the same time holds a space that allows improvisation to expand in all its unpredictable magnitude. In the past, festival events have also taken place at AKC Metelkova, the Modern Gallery and Layer House in Kranj. Improvisation always returns to places where the space lives and breathes with it.
This year, the return of the festival to its ‘home stage’ coincides with the City of Women festival, as we will be performing at the Old Power Station during their programme.
Today, the festival is led by Eva Jus as producer and Sara Šoukal as artistic director, and they have chosen "being seen” as the festival’s theme. They understand visibility as an action, as a decision, as a space that must be either claimed - or offered. Eva and Sara wish to create a meeting point for those who are often overlooked: marginalised communities, neglected professions, different generations, bodies that are not in the spotlight, and artistic practices that do not fit into established frameworks. The Naked Stage thus opens the door to improvisation,interwoven with dance, clowning, drag performance, physical theatre and technical improvisation. The spotlight falls on creators who, through their presence, broaden our understanding of improvisation as an art form that is at once collective and intimate, political and playful, vulnerable and powerful. And above all, Naked!
Since its inception, the festival has maintained two fundamental objectives: to offer the audience an insight into the current developments in improvisational theatre, and to empower invited artists to engage in intensive exploration of new approaches through workshops, rehearsals and international collaborations. Naked Stage provides a space where improvisational theatre is not merely entertainment on the fringes of theatre, but a full-blooded, experimental and original art form. More than half of the performances hosted by the festival are premieres — they are created here, in Ljubljana, in a dialogue between the creators, the space and the audience.
THEME OF THE 18th EDITION OF THE FESTIVAL: TO BE SEEN
To be seen is an action. It is a verb, a decision we make with our bodies, with our voices, and ultimately through art. At a time when the world is increasingly retreating into safe confines, Naked Stage insists that the stage is a space where we can show ourselves as we are: imperfect, daring, vulnerable,loud, gentle, present.
Being seen also means promoting the visibility of all genders and identities that present and express /reveal themselves on stage; it means being seen in the moment, in the act, but also in the memory that remains.
Improvisation is an art form that does not conceal its creation, yet at the same time retains the power to make an impression even after the fleeting nature of what has been created has passed. It is the art of the process: an art in which the product, so urgently demanded by the system, is in fact the very act of creation itself. It is a search for performative value in what happens amongst us.
Improvisation is a collective art. Its power lies in fostering relationships between the performers, in dialogue with the space, and in live interaction with the audience.
Improvisational theatre is committed to building community and to the community of creation: art is born amongst us, not within us alone. Perhaps this is why improvisational theatre remains on the fringes – not being seen. We, the festival’s organisers, have strived from the very beginning to ensure that improvisational theatre is recognised as an equal, established branch of theatre – as an art form that can stand confidently alongside other alternative forms, such as clowning, contemporary circus and street theatre. Improvisational theatre is no less significant. It is not an add-on. It is not a fringe activity. It is a full-blooded, original, exploratory art form that deserves
its own place in the cultural ecosystem.
This year’s festival theme, ‘Being Seen’, comes at a time when culture is under attack. Clear and direct pressure on creators is pushing us all to the margins and depriving artists and creators across all genres of their space. When the very existence of creativity is under attack,the quest for visibility is a radical act, and for those on the margins the struggle to be recognized, to be seen, is the battle that will determine the kind of future we all will have.
Naked stage is a festival that believes in community, and only community can keep the doors
open at a time when others would like to shatter it by dismantling communities, denying us
access to public spaces and creativity, and concealing everything that is different within four walls.
At Naked stage, we believe that art is a space for connection, that visibility is political, and that improvisation can be a bridge between people who would otherwise not share the stage.
At a time when those who wish to silence others are the most visible, we are choosing a
different path: We wish to create a space where ‘the others’ can be seen.
Being seen also means promoting the visibility of all genders and identities that present and express /reveal themselves on stage; it means being seen in the moment, in the act, but also in the memory that remains.
Improvisation is an art form that does not conceal its creation, yet at the same time retains the power to make an impression even after the fleeting nature of what has been created has passed. It is the art of the process: an art in which the product, so urgently demanded by the system, is in fact the very act of creation itself. It is a search for performative value in what happens amongst us.
Improvisation is a collective art. Its power lies in fostering relationships between the performers, in dialogue with the space, and in live interaction with the audience.
Improvisational theatre is committed to building community and to the community of creation: art is born amongst us, not within us alone. Perhaps this is why improvisational theatre remains on the fringes – not being seen. We, the festival’s organisers, have strived from the very beginning to ensure that improvisational theatre is recognised as an equal, established branch of theatre – as an art form that can stand confidently alongside other alternative forms, such as clowning, contemporary circus and street theatre. Improvisational theatre is no less significant. It is not an add-on. It is not a fringe activity. It is a full-blooded, original, exploratory art form that deserves
its own place in the cultural ecosystem.
This year’s festival theme, ‘Being Seen’, comes at a time when culture is under attack. Clear and direct pressure on creators is pushing us all to the margins and depriving artists and creators across all genres of their space. When the very existence of creativity is under attack,the quest for visibility is a radical act, and for those on the margins the struggle to be recognized, to be seen, is the battle that will determine the kind of future we all will have.
Naked stage is a festival that believes in community, and only community can keep the doors
open at a time when others would like to shatter it by dismantling communities, denying us
access to public spaces and creativity, and concealing everything that is different within four walls.
At Naked stage, we believe that art is a space for connection, that visibility is political, and that improvisation can be a bridge between people who would otherwise not share the stage.
At a time when those who wish to silence others are the most visible, we are choosing a
different path: We wish to create a space where ‘the others’ can be seen.
WHAT WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE 18th NAKED STAGE?
In 2026, Naked stage presents the drag king collective Dragi Drago (Slovenia), which playfully subverts stereotypes and questions gender on stage. The next two performances explore a different theme: on improv stages, we rarely see a diverse range of ages; in Slovenia, the vast majority of improvisers working outside the ŠILA and Impro League programmes are in the under-40 age group. The performance Silver Gold (Slovenia), as an intergenerational project, offers an exceptionally important insight into creative expression at different stages of life; above all, we are interested in the creative work of older people, who are marginalised from a broader social perspective. The voices of
young people are also marginalised; they do not know where they belong, both in the present and, in particular, in the future. At the festival, we traditionally provide a platform for young improvisers from the ŠILA project (Highschool improv league, Slovenia), who create a full-length performance on the festival’s theme. The final Slovenian collective to perform is Iglu teater, the only professional improvisational theatre in Slovenia. Their presence influences both the cultural landscape of the theatre scene in Ljubljana and the improv
community.
In the context of improvisational performances, the work of lighting designers remains in a supporting role to the performers on stage; even within the wider international community, this profession is still not recognised as an equal co-creator of performances. With the first improvised solo performance by lighting designer Armand Joubert (South Africa), we gain an insight into a profession that still operates behind the scenes of improv performances. Two duos are also coming to the festival, the first of which hails from Vienna: Anne Rab and Gerit Scholz (Austria). Both artists bring non-verbal expression to the improv stage, which sets them apart from most improvisers on both the Austrian and international stages. The second duo comes from France: Clara Jolfre and Morgan Brosed Ponce (France) both have backgrounds in other forms of performance, having taken up improv theatre later in their careers. Due to their different performative backgrounds, their style is unique, whilst their duet builds a bridge between improvised theatre, clowning and performance art. Katarzyna Chmara (Poland) will be performing a solo piece. Solo improvised performances are rare, yet important for the development of improvisation as a
recognised theatrical genre, as they showcase the full range of a performer’s knowledge and skills. Solo improv performances offer the best insight into the number of theatrical roles that an improviser takes on simultaneously.
Last but not least, it is important to emphasise one of improvisation’s greatest strengths: that it is a collective art form. In today’s world, where we need to explore and demonstrate ways of collaboration between different creative people, this is all the more important. It is also important to provide a space for professional improvisers to perform together and demonstrate just how ‘theatrical’ or ‘artistic’ the field of improvised theatre can be. For this reason, the final performance will be an ensemble show
directed by Katarzyna Chmara, featuring both international and local artists
young people are also marginalised; they do not know where they belong, both in the present and, in particular, in the future. At the festival, we traditionally provide a platform for young improvisers from the ŠILA project (Highschool improv league, Slovenia), who create a full-length performance on the festival’s theme. The final Slovenian collective to perform is Iglu teater, the only professional improvisational theatre in Slovenia. Their presence influences both the cultural landscape of the theatre scene in Ljubljana and the improv
community.
In the context of improvisational performances, the work of lighting designers remains in a supporting role to the performers on stage; even within the wider international community, this profession is still not recognised as an equal co-creator of performances. With the first improvised solo performance by lighting designer Armand Joubert (South Africa), we gain an insight into a profession that still operates behind the scenes of improv performances. Two duos are also coming to the festival, the first of which hails from Vienna: Anne Rab and Gerit Scholz (Austria). Both artists bring non-verbal expression to the improv stage, which sets them apart from most improvisers on both the Austrian and international stages. The second duo comes from France: Clara Jolfre and Morgan Brosed Ponce (France) both have backgrounds in other forms of performance, having taken up improv theatre later in their careers. Due to their different performative backgrounds, their style is unique, whilst their duet builds a bridge between improvised theatre, clowning and performance art. Katarzyna Chmara (Poland) will be performing a solo piece. Solo improvised performances are rare, yet important for the development of improvisation as a
recognised theatrical genre, as they showcase the full range of a performer’s knowledge and skills. Solo improv performances offer the best insight into the number of theatrical roles that an improviser takes on simultaneously.
Last but not least, it is important to emphasise one of improvisation’s greatest strengths: that it is a collective art form. In today’s world, where we need to explore and demonstrate ways of collaboration between different creative people, this is all the more important. It is also important to provide a space for professional improvisers to perform together and demonstrate just how ‘theatrical’ or ‘artistic’ the field of improvised theatre can be. For this reason, the final performance will be an ensemble show
directed by Katarzyna Chmara, featuring both international and local artists