V4 Improv Connect 2.0: Stories Without Borders

Current LAB Schedule and Project Progress

V4 Improv Connect 2.0 is now preparing for its first creative LAB in Lublin, Poland. This begins a shared artistic journey in which the same multilingual, story-first format will be developed, tested and refined across four V4 countries.

  • Lublin, Poland: 10–11 September 2026

    First LAB and development of the new format
  • Budapest, Hungary: 30–31 October 2026

    Further development, training and rehearsal
  • Bratislava, Slovakia: 18–19 February 2027
  • Prague, Czechia: 4–5 March 2027

Each LAB connects to a public performance where the developing format is tested with a live audience. Visit our Tours page for performance dates, venues, tickets and audience information.

Improv LABs

Creative Labs for Co-Creation and Training

Improv Labs are the heart of V4 Improv Connect 2.0. These intensive 2–3 day sessions are hosted in each partner country and bring together trainers and performers from Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary and Poland to rehearse, research and co-create new work.

Each LAB functions as a hands-on creative laboratory where we:

  • develop and test a new multilingual, language-barrier-free, story-first show format;
  • share methods and approaches across countries through practical knowledge exchange;
  • strengthen artistic skills through focused rehearsal and guided experimentation;
  • include a Train-the-Trainer element so that participants bring the learning back to their local theatres and communities;
  • invite external experts in areas such as physical theatre, movement, musical improv, long-form improv, non-verbal performance and acting when their expertise can support the format’s development.

The same developing format travels from one LAB to the next. This allows the team to build on what it has already learned rather than beginning again in each city.

By rotating the LABs across all four V4 countries, every partner has an equal opportunity to host, contribute and create local access to high-quality international training.

Participation in the LABs is by invitation only. Each project partner selects experienced performers or theatre leaders who can contribute actively to the creative process and share the learning with their own theatre and community.

The resulting format and selected project resources will be shared publicly under a Creative Commons CC BY licence, allowing other artists and theatre groups to use and adapt the work.

OUTREACH

Access, Inclusion and New Audiences

Outreach is built into the project so that its benefits extend beyond the core group of artists. In each partner country, we work with local schools, universities, acting schools, NGOs and community organisations to make improv more accessible—especially for people who are often underrepresented or excluded from cultural activities.

Outreach activities include:

  • Free tickets for students and community groups. Twenty percent of tickets for project performances are reserved for outreach.
  • At least one free introductory improv workshop in each partner country for high schools, universities, acting schools or community groups.
  • Tailored workshops and invitations for marginalized or vulnerable communities, such as refugees and migrants, Roma communities, LGBTQ+ communities, senior citizens and retirees, minorities, and other groups identified according to the local context.

Outreach tickets are distributed in cooperation with selected local organisations wherever possible, helping us reach the intended communities in a meaningful way.

The introductory workshops require no previous theatre or improv experience. They use accessible exercises to develop creativity, confidence, communication, listening, teamwork and social connection.

Together, the LABs and Outreach activities ensure that V4 Improv Connect 2.0 is not only about producing performances. The project also builds artistic skills, shares knowledge across borders, welcomes new audiences and contributes to the long-term development of improvisational theatre in the region.

Practical Information

  • Project implementation period: 2 March 2026–31 May 2027
  • Outreach period: 2 March 2026–30 April 2027
  • Partner countries: Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary and Poland
  • LAB participation: By invitation through the four project partners
  • Outreach tickets and workshops: Free for selected participating groups
  • Contact: hello@isac-eu.org

Outreach and Partnerships

Are you an NGO, school, university, acting school, municipality or community organisation working with marginalized or underrepresented communities?

We welcome outreach partners interested in:

  • receiving free performance invitations for their participants;
  • hosting a free introductory improv workshop; or
  • helping make theatre more accessible to people who may not normally attend cultural events.

Beyond the four V4 partner cities, the project will also visit a fifth international city for a flagship performance. The destination will be announced by the end of 2026.

Theatres, festivals, municipalities and cultural organisations interested in discussing the fifth international city or future cooperation with V4 Improv Connect are also welcome to contact us.

Please email hello@isac-eu.org and include your organisation’s name, city, the community you work with and the type of cooperation that interests you.

The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.