Performances
Wednesday, October 23 at 7pm: Matter of Interpretation
Concept and choreography: Kristina Aleksova
Co-authors and performers: Anita Wach, Luka Piletič, Sara Janašković
Lights: Borut Cajnko
Production: Zavod SPLOH
Producer: Špela Trošt
The performance is in Slovene.
Tickets
What came first, the word or the movement? Does the spoken thought determine the body or does the movement trigger the thought? How do movement and the interpretation of movement compete for dominance, how do they stimulate, determine and limit each other? In this playful exploration of the relation between movement and text, also the relation between the performers and the relation between the performers and the audience is unfolded.
Three dancers improvise movements, which are interpreted on the fly by a fourth performer. Every now and then there is music, every now and then one of the dancers withdraws for a while, every now and then someone in the audience coughs. Everything is subject to interpretation. Everything is a matter of interpretation.
Kristina Aleksova is a dancer, choreographer and performer.
Anita Wach is a dancer, choreographer and performer.
Sara Janašković is a dancer, choreographer and pedagogue.
Luka Piletič is an actor, performer and clown.
All four are passionate improvisers.
Matter of Interpretation is part of the Zavod SPLOH's Ventilator cycle, where each year a selected author, author duo or collective that crosses and connects the fields of music and performing arts is given the opportunity to develop their artistic potential. Ventilator introduces new creative approaches to musical-dance-performative expression and highlights innovations in the understanding of the artistic act, different relationships between structured form and improvisation, and a thoughtful relationship with space and audience.
Co-authors and performers: Anita Wach, Luka Piletič, Sara Janašković
Lights: Borut Cajnko
Production: Zavod SPLOH
Producer: Špela Trošt
The performance is in Slovene.
Tickets
What came first, the word or the movement? Does the spoken thought determine the body or does the movement trigger the thought? How do movement and the interpretation of movement compete for dominance, how do they stimulate, determine and limit each other? In this playful exploration of the relation between movement and text, also the relation between the performers and the relation between the performers and the audience is unfolded.
Three dancers improvise movements, which are interpreted on the fly by a fourth performer. Every now and then there is music, every now and then one of the dancers withdraws for a while, every now and then someone in the audience coughs. Everything is subject to interpretation. Everything is a matter of interpretation.
Kristina Aleksova is a dancer, choreographer and performer.
Anita Wach is a dancer, choreographer and performer.
Sara Janašković is a dancer, choreographer and pedagogue.
Luka Piletič is an actor, performer and clown.
All four are passionate improvisers.
Matter of Interpretation is part of the Zavod SPLOH's Ventilator cycle, where each year a selected author, author duo or collective that crosses and connects the fields of music and performing arts is given the opportunity to develop their artistic potential. Ventilator introduces new creative approaches to musical-dance-performative expression and highlights innovations in the understanding of the artistic act, different relationships between structured form and improvisation, and a thoughtful relationship with space and audience.
Wednesday, October 23 at 9pm: 4play
Concept: Beatrix Brunschko, Maja Dekleva Lapajne, Nele Kießling, Rama Nicholas
Performers: Maja Dekleva Lapajne, Nele Kießling, Rama Nicholas
Lights: Borut Cajnko
Production: Mary Shelley's Mothers
The performance is in English.
Tickets
4 are alive. 2 have careers. 4 want a change. 3 are happy. 4 are feminists. 2 are mothers. 3 feel alone. 2 are heterosexual. 3 are political. 4 are badly paid. 1 just wants sex. 4 lost someone. 2 won't ask. 1 is still smiling. 2 are religious. 1 doesn't shave. 2 are polyamorous. 1 is rich. 2 are depressed. 1 enjoys watching porn. 2 own apartments. 4 are middle class. 2 are searching for a lover. 4 are from different countries. 3 don't believe in true love. 1 is a communist. 4 have vaginas. 2 nearly quit theatre. 4 enjoy improvisation. 2 fear the unknown. 3 are precarious workers. 2 are afraid. 3 are brave. 4 play.
Mary Shelley's Mothers is an international feminist art collective that brings together Beatrix Brunschko from Austria, Nele Kießling from Germany, Rama Nicholas from Australia and Maja Dekleva Lapajne from Slovenia. The members of the collective are passionate improvisers who, among other things, practice intimate conversations in the European late evening and Australian early morning hours, like to drink cheap bubbles together, and above all enjoy the shared stage action. In 4play, they playfully and boldly tackle the theme of sex and sexuality.
Performers: Maja Dekleva Lapajne, Nele Kießling, Rama Nicholas
Lights: Borut Cajnko
Production: Mary Shelley's Mothers
The performance is in English.
Tickets
4 are alive. 2 have careers. 4 want a change. 3 are happy. 4 are feminists. 2 are mothers. 3 feel alone. 2 are heterosexual. 3 are political. 4 are badly paid. 1 just wants sex. 4 lost someone. 2 won't ask. 1 is still smiling. 2 are religious. 1 doesn't shave. 2 are polyamorous. 1 is rich. 2 are depressed. 1 enjoys watching porn. 2 own apartments. 4 are middle class. 2 are searching for a lover. 4 are from different countries. 3 don't believe in true love. 1 is a communist. 4 have vaginas. 2 nearly quit theatre. 4 enjoy improvisation. 2 fear the unknown. 3 are precarious workers. 2 are afraid. 3 are brave. 4 play.
Mary Shelley's Mothers is an international feminist art collective that brings together Beatrix Brunschko from Austria, Nele Kießling from Germany, Rama Nicholas from Australia and Maja Dekleva Lapajne from Slovenia. The members of the collective are passionate improvisers who, among other things, practice intimate conversations in the European late evening and Australian early morning hours, like to drink cheap bubbles together, and above all enjoy the shared stage action. In 4play, they playfully and boldly tackle the theme of sex and sexuality.
Photo: Markus Scholz
Thursday, October 24 at 7pm: 500 Seconds
Concept and directing: Juš Milčinski
Performers: Vid Sodnik, Peter Frankl
Music: Urh Mlakar
Lights: Borut Cajnko
Production: IGLU Theatre
The performance is in Slovene.
Tickets
500 seconds is the time it takes for light to travel from the Sun to Earth. In theory, an event that happened on the Sun would not be perceived by the eye on Earth until 8 minutes and 20 seconds later. Because light takes so long to reach us, we actually observe all distant events in their past.
This cosmic inspiration guides improvisers Vid Sodnik and Peter Frankl. Before the start of each scene, one of them chooses an event or a situation or a movement to do at exactly the 500th second. So he himself represents the Sun, which has already experienced the event, even if only in his mind at the moment, while the other improviser is the Earth, which only perceives his partner's choice when the light reaches his eyes. The collage of events reveals the consequences of the Sun's choices on Earth.
IGLU Theatre is the most active impro theatre in Slovenia. The company regularly performs at the venue Pionirski teater in Ljubljana and elsewhere in Slovenia, and is also active guestperforming abroad at international festivals. IGLU works closely with theatres from Germany, Switzerland and Canada, is a member of Ohana, the international association of European improvisers, and a member of ITI, the International Theatresports Institute.
Performers: Vid Sodnik, Peter Frankl
Music: Urh Mlakar
Lights: Borut Cajnko
Production: IGLU Theatre
The performance is in Slovene.
Tickets
500 seconds is the time it takes for light to travel from the Sun to Earth. In theory, an event that happened on the Sun would not be perceived by the eye on Earth until 8 minutes and 20 seconds later. Because light takes so long to reach us, we actually observe all distant events in their past.
This cosmic inspiration guides improvisers Vid Sodnik and Peter Frankl. Before the start of each scene, one of them chooses an event or a situation or a movement to do at exactly the 500th second. So he himself represents the Sun, which has already experienced the event, even if only in his mind at the moment, while the other improviser is the Earth, which only perceives his partner's choice when the light reaches his eyes. The collage of events reveals the consequences of the Sun's choices on Earth.
IGLU Theatre is the most active impro theatre in Slovenia. The company regularly performs at the venue Pionirski teater in Ljubljana and elsewhere in Slovenia, and is also active guestperforming abroad at international festivals. IGLU works closely with theatres from Germany, Switzerland and Canada, is a member of Ohana, the international association of European improvisers, and a member of ITI, the International Theatresports Institute.
Photo: Uroš Žuraj
Thursday, October 24 at 9pm: Amphibian
Concept, music, performing: Urh Mlakar
Lights: Borut Cajnko
The performance is in Slovene.
Tickets
Amphibians are we who work across genres and create fresh fusions of different artistic fields. Amphibians are we, whose multi-medium creativity doesn't stop at the field of work, but spills out across the whole of our lives. Amphibians are us, moving between different worlds and nurturing multiple registers of being at the same time. With consequences of one kind and another.
The performance fuses music, improvisational theatre and visual arts. A solo performer invites the audience to participate with thematic suggestions. Thus, songs, monologues and paintings are created through collaborative participation. Welcome to a swamp of offbeat thoughts, whimsical songs and spontaneous co-created ideas!
Urh Mlakar is a versatile artist from Ljubljana, Slovenia, with a background in music production, dubbing, acting, screenwriting, editing, singing and directing. As a rapper he works in the UM & KUNA Freestyle Show, and as a backing vocalist in the hip hop fusion band Skova in Skovani. As a freestyle and impro theatre workshop teacher, he regularly works with young people in projects such as shows and streams. As an improviser and impro musician he works closely with the Slovenian Impro League, IGLU Theatre and SNIG. He co-created the musical monocomedy Recept za srečo by Rok Škrlep. UM is the current national freestyle battle champion in Slovenia and the best impro musician of the past three seasons of the Impro League. As a freestyle rapper, he collaborates with illustrator Jernej Žumer in the project Slika z jezika. As a creator of entertaining videos, he is regularly active on social networks under the name Umetnost Misli.
Lights: Borut Cajnko
The performance is in Slovene.
Tickets
Amphibians are we who work across genres and create fresh fusions of different artistic fields. Amphibians are we, whose multi-medium creativity doesn't stop at the field of work, but spills out across the whole of our lives. Amphibians are us, moving between different worlds and nurturing multiple registers of being at the same time. With consequences of one kind and another.
The performance fuses music, improvisational theatre and visual arts. A solo performer invites the audience to participate with thematic suggestions. Thus, songs, monologues and paintings are created through collaborative participation. Welcome to a swamp of offbeat thoughts, whimsical songs and spontaneous co-created ideas!
Urh Mlakar is a versatile artist from Ljubljana, Slovenia, with a background in music production, dubbing, acting, screenwriting, editing, singing and directing. As a rapper he works in the UM & KUNA Freestyle Show, and as a backing vocalist in the hip hop fusion band Skova in Skovani. As a freestyle and impro theatre workshop teacher, he regularly works with young people in projects such as shows and streams. As an improviser and impro musician he works closely with the Slovenian Impro League, IGLU Theatre and SNIG. He co-created the musical monocomedy Recept za srečo by Rok Škrlep. UM is the current national freestyle battle champion in Slovenia and the best impro musician of the past three seasons of the Impro League. As a freestyle rapper, he collaborates with illustrator Jernej Žumer in the project Slika z jezika. As a creator of entertaining videos, he is regularly active on social networks under the name Umetnost Misli.
Friday, October 25 at 5pm: Herely and Therely
Concept and performing: Ana Gorenc, Anna Klochenko, Anteja Puš, Čarli Turšič, Ela Mia Bellomo, Gaja Lana Erjavec, Iva Nina Krizmanič, Julija Vugrinec K., Marjeta Povše, Meta Hočevar, Natan Polenec
Mentoring and artistic leadership: Doroteja Jemec, Martin Kerin, Nina Beganović, Olivija Grafenauer
Lights: Borut Cajnko
Production: ŠILA – High School Impro League, IMPRO Association
The performance is in Slovene.
Tickets will only be available at the box office at the Old Power Station.
At the beginning of the summer, a group of high school students, now traditionally accompanied by their mentors, get away from the fast-paced city life and travel for a few days to areas with poor signal. Together, they explore impro theatre in nature, listen to the songs of crickets, donkeys and other animals, rest on the grass, admire the beautiful views and get regularly checked for ticks. The environment they live in also gives them endless inspiration for stories. In the performance Herely and Therely, the performers draw inspiration from the micro-spaces they find themselves in, the objects that surround them, the sensations they feel and the sounds that escape the space. One story here, another there, a third somewhere else, all magically connecting to one another. For most of the performers, this is the first longer improvisational performance, the first departure from short form impro and the first deep impro exploration.
ŠILA - High School Impro League is an improvisational theatre programme for the cultural enrichment of students. It has been running continuously since 1997, providing education, socialising and theatrical engagement for young people. Around 350 high school students participate in the project each year.
Mentoring and artistic leadership: Doroteja Jemec, Martin Kerin, Nina Beganović, Olivija Grafenauer
Lights: Borut Cajnko
Production: ŠILA – High School Impro League, IMPRO Association
The performance is in Slovene.
Tickets will only be available at the box office at the Old Power Station.
At the beginning of the summer, a group of high school students, now traditionally accompanied by their mentors, get away from the fast-paced city life and travel for a few days to areas with poor signal. Together, they explore impro theatre in nature, listen to the songs of crickets, donkeys and other animals, rest on the grass, admire the beautiful views and get regularly checked for ticks. The environment they live in also gives them endless inspiration for stories. In the performance Herely and Therely, the performers draw inspiration from the micro-spaces they find themselves in, the objects that surround them, the sensations they feel and the sounds that escape the space. One story here, another there, a third somewhere else, all magically connecting to one another. For most of the performers, this is the first longer improvisational performance, the first departure from short form impro and the first deep impro exploration.
ŠILA - High School Impro League is an improvisational theatre programme for the cultural enrichment of students. It has been running continuously since 1997, providing education, socialising and theatrical engagement for young people. Around 350 high school students participate in the project each year.
Photo: Teja Goli
Friday, October 25 at 7pm: Couples
Performers: Adam McKenzie, Andrej Lyga, Mistral Majer, Rama Nicholas, Šimon Pliska, Tanja Matijašević
Lights: Borut Cajnko
The performance is in English.
Tickets
At every Naked Stage, we treat ourselves to a festival production, where improvisers from different parts of the world and various artistic backgrounds meet on stage. This time, the collaborative performance is conceived by director Nele Kießling, who decides to send the festival cast for partner therapy. All kinds of relationships - loving, anxious, non-binding, monogamous, teasing, dying, polyamorous, committed, open, hierarchical, tense, supportive, tight or generous - try to build bridges between misunderstandings, love, needs and everyday crap. A humorous and touching impro format for everyone who isn't perfect.
Nele Kießling is an actress, improviser, teacher, moderator and trainer from Göttingen, Germany. She has been teaching improvisation and stage presence at the University of Applied Science and Art in Hildesheim, as well as at the University Hildeshem, for many years. She is a member of Kießling&Kaffka (impro and music), Die Stereotypen (impro and comedy) and Mary Shelley's Mothers (impro and performance).
Lights: Borut Cajnko
The performance is in English.
Tickets
At every Naked Stage, we treat ourselves to a festival production, where improvisers from different parts of the world and various artistic backgrounds meet on stage. This time, the collaborative performance is conceived by director Nele Kießling, who decides to send the festival cast for partner therapy. All kinds of relationships - loving, anxious, non-binding, monogamous, teasing, dying, polyamorous, committed, open, hierarchical, tense, supportive, tight or generous - try to build bridges between misunderstandings, love, needs and everyday crap. A humorous and touching impro format for everyone who isn't perfect.
Nele Kießling is an actress, improviser, teacher, moderator and trainer from Göttingen, Germany. She has been teaching improvisation and stage presence at the University of Applied Science and Art in Hildesheim, as well as at the University Hildeshem, for many years. She is a member of Kießling&Kaffka (impro and music), Die Stereotypen (impro and comedy) and Mary Shelley's Mothers (impro and performance).
Friday, October 25 at 9pm: Afterparty
Concept and performing: Simeon Huzun, Tina Janežič
Production: Za crknt, Društvo za sodobno klovnsko umetnost
Support: Društvo ŠKUC, Jambor in L’Ex Asilo Filangieri, Napoli
The performance is in Slovene.
Tickets
Meet Cat Woman and Edina Živa Diva, or revisit them if you already know them, and jointly discover a new genre of theatre: contemporary reality. These two beings, who grew up somewhere at the crossroads of clown, dance, physical theatre, drag, somatics and the beloved alter idiocy, seduce us into the stretching and melting of time. They stretch the performance to such an extent that we can slowly and pleasurably observe the delicious extinction and re-emergence of theatre. The last exhales, perhaps.
Years ago, a group of professional clowns decided to create the Za crknt cabaret in order to be able to research and develop contemporary clowning in all its dimensions and to bring it closer to an adult audience. They later formalized their activity in the association Društvo za sodobno klovnsko umetnost. Rather than to a traditional circus they offer a hand to life. Contemporary clowns break the fourth wall with humor and contact the people with their devoted play. With their naive and direct approach to today’s current topics, they address the audience members who took off their work clothes and remembered that they were human.
Production: Za crknt, Društvo za sodobno klovnsko umetnost
Support: Društvo ŠKUC, Jambor in L’Ex Asilo Filangieri, Napoli
The performance is in Slovene.
Tickets
Meet Cat Woman and Edina Živa Diva, or revisit them if you already know them, and jointly discover a new genre of theatre: contemporary reality. These two beings, who grew up somewhere at the crossroads of clown, dance, physical theatre, drag, somatics and the beloved alter idiocy, seduce us into the stretching and melting of time. They stretch the performance to such an extent that we can slowly and pleasurably observe the delicious extinction and re-emergence of theatre. The last exhales, perhaps.
Years ago, a group of professional clowns decided to create the Za crknt cabaret in order to be able to research and develop contemporary clowning in all its dimensions and to bring it closer to an adult audience. They later formalized their activity in the association Društvo za sodobno klovnsko umetnost. Rather than to a traditional circus they offer a hand to life. Contemporary clowns break the fourth wall with humor and contact the people with their devoted play. With their naive and direct approach to today’s current topics, they address the audience members who took off their work clothes and remembered that they were human.
Saturday, October 26 at 7pm: Art of Process: Artist on Trial
Author and performer: Sara Šoukal
Music: Justin Durel
Lights: Borut Cajnko
Producer: Eva Jus
Support: Pionirski teater, IGLU, The Municipality of Ljubljana
The performance is in Slovene.
Tickets
Improvisational theatre is, at its core, the art of "being here and now". In improvisation, with each successive moment, step, word, scene, we say goodbye to the previous idea and welcome the new. Improvisational theatre is the art of process, it is both a celebration of the moment and a practice of saying goodbye. With this premise in mind, Sara Šoukal, in her first improvised solo performance, says goodbye to her fellow performers and confronts the void they leave behind. How does this emptiness enrich her, what does it give her, what does it take away, who and what does she meet when she is left alone? With the help of a musician, she descends into the unknown and poses more questions than answers. The performance opens up the creative process to the audience in a subtle way. It nurtures the performer's vulnerability and the accessibility of theatrical improvisation, while at the same time offers a glimpse into how challenging this art form can really be.
Sara Šoukal is a performer and theatre pedagogue. She is one of the most prominent and active figures in the field of improvisational theatre in Slovenia. She is a member of the international projects Ohana, a network of European young improvisers, and Project Eve, a network of European women improvisers, through which she collaborates with some of the most influential names of the European impro scene. She combines her skills in the field of impro theatre with other artistic expressions, for example in co-directing the youth interdisciplinary performance Cypher with Žigan Krajnčan. She conceived the project Midva med nama with Luka Piletič, and has toured extensively in festivals around the world, including the Canberra International Festival with her original project Štrikanje.
Justin Durel makes and teaches theatre. He holds a degree in Playwriting from DePaul University in Chicago and a degree as an Actor-Creator from the Helikos International School of Theatre Creation. He is an award winning performer, dramatist, director, pedagogue, mask-maker and a musician and has worked in the United States, Canada, Croatia, Ireland and Slovenia for over 25 years. He has been to Antarctica once. But this performance is his first venture into improvisational theatre.
Music: Justin Durel
Lights: Borut Cajnko
Producer: Eva Jus
Support: Pionirski teater, IGLU, The Municipality of Ljubljana
The performance is in Slovene.
Tickets
Improvisational theatre is, at its core, the art of "being here and now". In improvisation, with each successive moment, step, word, scene, we say goodbye to the previous idea and welcome the new. Improvisational theatre is the art of process, it is both a celebration of the moment and a practice of saying goodbye. With this premise in mind, Sara Šoukal, in her first improvised solo performance, says goodbye to her fellow performers and confronts the void they leave behind. How does this emptiness enrich her, what does it give her, what does it take away, who and what does she meet when she is left alone? With the help of a musician, she descends into the unknown and poses more questions than answers. The performance opens up the creative process to the audience in a subtle way. It nurtures the performer's vulnerability and the accessibility of theatrical improvisation, while at the same time offers a glimpse into how challenging this art form can really be.
Sara Šoukal is a performer and theatre pedagogue. She is one of the most prominent and active figures in the field of improvisational theatre in Slovenia. She is a member of the international projects Ohana, a network of European young improvisers, and Project Eve, a network of European women improvisers, through which she collaborates with some of the most influential names of the European impro scene. She combines her skills in the field of impro theatre with other artistic expressions, for example in co-directing the youth interdisciplinary performance Cypher with Žigan Krajnčan. She conceived the project Midva med nama with Luka Piletič, and has toured extensively in festivals around the world, including the Canberra International Festival with her original project Štrikanje.
Justin Durel makes and teaches theatre. He holds a degree in Playwriting from DePaul University in Chicago and a degree as an Actor-Creator from the Helikos International School of Theatre Creation. He is an award winning performer, dramatist, director, pedagogue, mask-maker and a musician and has worked in the United States, Canada, Croatia, Ireland and Slovenia for over 25 years. He has been to Antarctica once. But this performance is his first venture into improvisational theatre.
Photo: Nina Pernat
Saturday, October 26 at 9pm: The Bohemian Tragedy
Concept: Us boys who go out together
Performers: Andrej Lyga, Šimon Pliska
Music: Haštal Hapka
Lights: Jonatan Vnouček
Producer: Lucie Mlejnková
The performance is in English.
Tickets
The unstoppable explorers of freedom in improvisation embark on a journey from scratch, again and again. They observe what is already between them and within the space. To go somewhere from scratch means that this scratch is already existent, rather than being nothing. In opening up the already existing, they create space for emerging structures. They fill the stage with bodies, movement, rhythms, voices, acrobatics and pantomime. While improvising, they learn their own language, which consists of dark Czech humour, movement enthusiasm and an exquisitely bad taste in folklore singing.
The ensemble My kluci, co spolu chodíme / Us boys who go out together was born at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. The boys, who often go on stage dates, met in freeform impro classes as part of their studies. Andrej Lyga is a Czech actor committed to physical, bodily entrances into performing, Šimon Pliska is a Slovak mime artist, Haštal Hapka is a musician who combines folklore elements with contemporary approaches, and Jonatan Vnouček is a passionate light designer. The boys occasionally perform at international festivals and regularly perform together in Prague, where they continue to explore special, untrodden paths of theatrical and performative improvisation.
Performers: Andrej Lyga, Šimon Pliska
Music: Haštal Hapka
Lights: Jonatan Vnouček
Producer: Lucie Mlejnková
The performance is in English.
Tickets
The unstoppable explorers of freedom in improvisation embark on a journey from scratch, again and again. They observe what is already between them and within the space. To go somewhere from scratch means that this scratch is already existent, rather than being nothing. In opening up the already existing, they create space for emerging structures. They fill the stage with bodies, movement, rhythms, voices, acrobatics and pantomime. While improvising, they learn their own language, which consists of dark Czech humour, movement enthusiasm and an exquisitely bad taste in folklore singing.
The ensemble My kluci, co spolu chodíme / Us boys who go out together was born at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. The boys, who often go on stage dates, met in freeform impro classes as part of their studies. Andrej Lyga is a Czech actor committed to physical, bodily entrances into performing, Šimon Pliska is a Slovak mime artist, Haštal Hapka is a musician who combines folklore elements with contemporary approaches, and Jonatan Vnouček is a passionate light designer. The boys occasionally perform at international festivals and regularly perform together in Prague, where they continue to explore special, untrodden paths of theatrical and performative improvisation.
Photo: Michal Hančovský