V4 Improv Connect 2.0: Stories Without Borders

Meet the People. Follow the Journey.

Meet the artists, trainers, project partners and collaborators behind V4 Improv Connect 2.0: Stories Without Borders.

Through short biographies and photographs, you can discover the people bringing their experience, ideas and artistic approaches to this international collaboration.

This page also documents the project as it develops. We will share photographs, videos and highlights from our Improv LABs, public performances and Outreach activities across Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland and beyond.

New profiles, galleries and videos will be added throughout the project, allowing you to follow the journey from the first creative LAB to the final performances and project results.

You can also explore photo and video documentation from the first V4 Improv Connect (2023–2025) below.

Meet the International Ensemble

One of the most important parts of V4 Improv Connect is not simply the format being created, but who is creating it.

The first international ensemble comes together in Lublin, bringing performers with different theatrical backgrounds, experiences and approaches from Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary and Poland. More artists, experts and collaborators will be introduced as the project continues through its partner cities.

Hon Chong
Hon ChongProject Creator, Artistic Lead & Performer
Originally from Malaysia and based in Bratislava, Hon Chong is an actor, improviser, theatre director and teaching artist. He founded ISAC and Funnylicious Theater, where he serves as Artistic Director. Hon created V4 Improv Connect in 2023 and leads its artistic development and overall continuity across the partner countries.
Juraj Benčík
Juraj BenčíkPerformer & Slovakia Delegate
Juraj Benčík is a Slovak actor, director and theatre educator with extensive professional stage experience. His work spans drama, puppetry, mime and physical theatre, including performances with the pantomime ensemble of internationally recognised mime artist Milan Sládek. He brings a strongly physical and actor-centred theatrical vocabulary to the ensemble.
Arkadiusz “Arek” Ziętek
Arkadiusz “Arek” ZiętekExternal Expert & LAB Facilitator
Arkadiusz Ziętek is a Lublin-born actor, director, theatre educator and trainer. Improvisation has been part of his wider artistic and educational practice since 2007. Influenced by his work with Keith Johnstone, Arek brings an actor-centred approach to spontaneity, storytelling and stage communication.
Michal Beneš
Michal BenešPerformer & Czechia Delegate
Driven by a love of character-led storytelling, Michal Beneš brings three years of dedicated improv experience to the project. He is drawn to stepping into the unknown, discovering vivid characters and finding the unexpected moments that emerge when performers create a story live on stage.
Veronika Opatrná
Veronika OpatrnáPerformer & Czechia Delegate
Veronika Opatrná is a Prague-based designer and improviser who sees the stage as a space for joyful and deeply accepting human connection. She is drawn to the way improv brings performers and audiences together through shared spontaneity, laughter, awkwardness and the humanity that makes live performance feel real.
Paulína Prokopiuk
Paulína ProkopiukPerformer, Poland Delegate & Lublin Tour Coordinator
Paulína Prokopiuk is a Polish actress, theatre director, improviser and paramedic. She is Vice President of Eastern Theatre in Lublin, where her work includes performance, directing, international projects, and educational and social theatre. A returning participant from Phase 1, she brings continuity and strong knowledge of the local theatre community.
Adriana Pulley
Adriana PulleyPerformer & Poland Delegate
U.S.-born and based in Lublin, Adriana Pulley is an actor, writer and creative drawn to culturally rich and internationally rooted stories. Her work with Eastern Theatre has included acting and assisting on international productions. She brings an expressive approach to storytelling and another international perspective to the ensemble.
Veronika Bán-Horváth
Veronika Bán-HorváthPerformer & Hungary Delegate
Veronika Bán-Horváth is the Artistic Director of Budapest-based Itt és Most Társulat. She works as an actor, director and trainer and has a background in drama and special-needs education. For more than ten years, she has explored theatrical and applied improvisation through artistic, educational and social collaborations. She also participated in Phase 1.
Luca Pelsőczy
Luca PelsőczyPerformer & Hungary Delegate
Luca Pelsőczy is a Hungarian actor and performer with Itt és Most Társulat. She regularly appears in the company’s theatrical and applied improv work, including performances that explore real situations and audience-submitted conflicts through improvised scenes. Her stage and screen experience adds another performance perspective to the international ensemble.
Mark Jane
Mark JaneExternal Expert & LAB Facilitator
Mark Jane is an English actor, director and teacher specialized in improvised theatre since 1994. He has lived in Paris, France since 1996. In 2012 he supervised the French translation of Keith Johstone’s “Impro- Improvisation and theatre”. In 2018 he published his own book « Jeux et Enjeux : La boîte à outils de l’improvisation théâtrale » with Dixit Edtions. In 2021 the English version “Creating Improvised Theatre” was published by Routledge.
Łukasz “Luk” Wojtowicz
Łukasz “Luk” WojtowiczLublin Tour Coordinator and Host
Lublin city coordination is led by Łukasz “Luk” Wojtowicz, President of Eastern Theatre and the Lublin city coordinator for V4 Improv Connect 2.0. The Polish partner coordinates the local venues, accommodation, festival cooperation, promotion, outreach and practical delivery of the Lublin programme.

Phase 1 Media Archive: 2023–2025

BRATISLAVA

Show Title: V4 Improv Connect Show Premiere (Impro Therapy and Tabloid)

Show Date: 13 April 2024

Venue: Teatro Colorato, Bratislava

SHOW TOURS

PRAGUE

Show: V4 Improv Connect Show (Bulvár + Impro Terapie)

Date: 11 May 2024

Venue: D21 Theatre, Prague

SKOPJE

Show: V4 Improv Connect Show – Tabloids and Impro Therapy)

Date: 30 November 2024

Venue: KIC Salon 1919, Skopje

BUDAPEST

Show: V4 Improv Connect Show – Tabloids and Impro Therapy)

Date: 26 October 2024

Venue: Itt és Most, Budapest

IN THE PRESS

Theatre Times

The V4 Improv Connect Project is featured in The Theatre Times, with an in-depth interview featuring our V4 project partners and participants.
Thank you to Ivanka Apostolova Baskar for the thoughtful write-up.

🔗 Read the article – part 1

🔗 Read the article – part 2

The Slovak Spectator

Hon Chong speaks to a local journalist about his theatre (Funnylicious) in Bratislava and the V4 Improv Connect project.

🔗 Read the article

PRESS RELEASE & MEDIA INVITATION

For Immediate Release

V4 Improv Connect – A Landmark Improvisational Theater Event in Bratislava

Bratislava, Slovakia – April 9-14, 2024

Funnylicious Theater, with the support of the Visegrad Fund, is thrilled to present V4 Improv Connect, an international improvisational theater event, taking place from April 9 to 14, 2024, in Bratislava.

For the first time, performers, trainers, and leaders from the Visegrád countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland) and beyond will gather for an unparalleled celebration of improvisational theater, blending cultures, creativity, and spontaneous storytelling.

What to Expect?

Free Nightly Public Performances – Engaging, unscripted, and interactive shows in English, uniting international talent on stage.

Workshops & Social Events – A mix of open and professional training sessions, fostering artistic exchange and growth.

A Cultural Milestone – The first improv event of this scale in Bratislava, connecting diverse communities through laughter and storytelling.

Media Invitation

We warmly invite media representatives to attend and cover this special event. Your presence will help highlight the importance of improv theater as a recognized and respected art form, standing alongside traditional theater.

We would greatly appreciate your support in promoting this event via your social media channels and platforms, helping us bring improvisational theater to a wider audience in Bratislava and beyond.

For further details, interviews, or press materials, please do not hesitate to reach out. We look forward to welcoming you and your team at Funnylicious Theater for an unforgettable experience!

Event Details

Date: April 9-14, 2024

Location: Funnylicious Theater, Bratislava

🎟 Admission: Free public performances

🔗 Event Info & Updates:

Facebook Event: https://fb.me/e/58uWz3RMc

Official Website: https://isac-eu.org/

For media inquiries, please contact:

Hon Chong

Founder and Artistic Director

📧 info@funnylicious.eu

📞 +421 918 895 948

🌐 www.funnylicious.eu

📱 Facebook.com/befunnylicious

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.