KLANCYK was founded in 2004. It was a precursor of the Warsaw improvisation form, which entails the construction of shows as they are staged, based on direct suggestions from the audience. This type of play is situated between theatre, performance art and comedy. Its roots can be traced to the 1950s. “Our group’s ambition is to explore the staging potential of American and British improvisation methods, combined with the Polish theatrical, cultural and social context, in addition to the Klancyk actors’ specific sense of humour”. This abstract humour is what has won over audiences and critics, as well as artists like Dorota Masłowska, Maciej Stuhr and Marcin Masecki, who are regulars in Klancyk’s shows.
The theme of Klancyk’s performance at Malta will be this year’s Idiom, Latin America: Mestizos. The group will present an improvised radio play, enriched with theatricals. It will be created live, featuring clarinettist, improviser and culture animator Paweł Szamburski. One word from the audience will set off an avalanche of scenes: big and small, spoken backwards and sung in rhymes. Improvisation by Klancyk is like theatrical jazz: a witty form of club performance culture.