HISTORY OF THE THEATRE

The theatre was founded by high school students in Kremnica, November 17, 1973 as a Theatre of small-scale scene forms to entertain their classmates using simple sketches, songs and dance numbers. After the generations switched within the theatre, the original student Theatre “G” started to profile itself as an original cabaret theater with its own comedies and teamwork in direction. In 1979, it had found a home scene at the Labyrint Youth club, changing its name to “KREMNICA THEATRE UNDERGROUND“ at the same time. Between 1978 – 1984, the theatre regularly participated in the district, regional, national and international competitions of Small-scale theatre forms and club production, where it won several times and collected individual awards. In 1985, it attended the International Theatre Festival in Karlsruhe (Germany). From 1984 to 1990, the KREMNICA THEATRE UNDER GROUND had a permanent scene in the Theatre of music in the Fončorda residiential district in Banská Bystrica. There, it presented its cabaret evenings, inviting guests and theatres from all around Czechoslovakia. About two years later, the endeavors of the theatre turned professional via the Slovkoncert art agency. Between 1987 – 1990, it cooperated with the director of Theatre on a String, Peter Scherhaufer. However, following the Velvet Revolution, the theatre put its activities on hold. Only after 20 years, it has been brought back to life by its three former members – Anton Brčka, Ján Fakla and Roman Vykysalý, who also founded the non-profit organization KREMNICA THEATRE UNDER GROUND in 2010 alongside Martin Varhaňovský. The play TOI-TOY STORY (CLOWNS), directed by Jozef Krasula, was undertaken at this time. In 2011 and 2012, the Labyrint club became the home scene of the theatre’s plays and cabaret evenings once again. A new generation of young artists created the wandering theatre KREMNICA NOT ONLY GOLDEN or Kings, Ghosts, and Fools; playing it for three seasons. A year later, the cabaret PETER SCHERHAUFER LIVES premiered. Under the direction of Jana Mikitková, the theatre also realised its own dramatisation of Pavel Taussig’s novel, HANA. The play was introduced at the FESTIVAL OF FREEDOM in Bratislava (2015). The Kremnica theatre undergound also founded the AMPLIFIER Festival – New cabaret & Street art in Banská Štiavnica in 2016, where the original play GOAT AND HAMMER, also directed by Jana Mikitková, premiered. At the second annual edition of the AMPLIFIER FESTIVAL, in 2017, the ensemble premiered the unique theatre experience-based production EXCURSION TO UN-FREEDOM. In 2018, dramatic gastro-politicum written by the Czech author S.d.Ch. THE LAST GOOSE, directed by Karel Král, and author´s cabaret grotesque for children WHY THE TURKEY FIGHT THE TURKEY, directed by Jana Mikitková, premiered. At the turn 2018/2019 the Kremnica Theatre Underground was transformed to the Ensemble of Irregular Theatre (AND). AND was co-author of the project Renovation of the Identity for the City of Culture Banská Štiavnica 2019. It created the opening ceremony of the City of the Culture of Slovakia called THE FAMILY SILVER and during the whole year 2019 realized 4 projects: author´s street walking theatre ŠTIAVNICA NOT ONLY SILVER or Townsfolk, Poets and Náckovia, cycle of 9 progressive theatre performances DON’T BE AFRAID OF THEATER, hosted the Spanish miner´s cabaret CARBON CLUB and created author´s hybrid theatre for the teenagers EX-TREMISTS – heroes who have lost fear. At the fourth annual of AMPLIFIER FESTIVAL 2019 introduced the happening of the INVENTORY OF THE REVOLUTION and founded the first Czech-Slovak cabaret competition SKETCH UP. In the years 2020 and 2021 (despite the pandemic) AND has organized the 5th and 6th year of the AMPLIÓN Festival with the international participation. In 2021, the ensemble premiered the author’s non-verbal music-physical production: WELCOME TO STUPIDITY – sad street show, directed by Jana Mikitková.

Ján Fakla and collective: ŠTIAVNICA NOT ONLY SILVER or Townsfolk, poets and Náckovia, 2019, directed by: Jana Mikitková
Jana Mikitková and collective: EX-TREMISTS – heroes who have lost fear , 2019, directed by: Jana Mikitková
Ján Fakla & Jana Mikitková: WELCOME TO STUPIDITY – sad street show, 2021, directed by: Jana Mikitková
Jana Mikitková: THE GODLIKE (bar cabaret noir), 2022, directed by: Jana Mikitková

Ján Fakla and collective.: CABARET MIX, 1977, collective direction
Ján Fakla, Anton Brčka: CABARET LA TEATRO MIX, 1978, collective direction
Ján Fakla, Roman Vykysalý, Anton Brčka: JUNKYARD I., 1979, collective direction
Vanda Facunová: ROBINSON &CANNIBALS, or Guess Who’s Coming For Dinner, 1979, collective direction
Ján Fakla: NON TEATRO BUFFO, or Saga Of The Slovak Gag, 1981, directed by: Ján Fakla and Roman Vykysalý
Ján Fakla: MISCREANTS, or Quo vadis, homine?, 1983, directed by: Anton Brčka, Ján Fakla and Roman Vykysalý
Ján Fakla, Roman Vykysalý, Anton Brčka: JUNKYARD II., 1984, collective direction
Ján Fakla: CHANGING ROOM, 1985, directed by: Anton Brčka and Ján Fakla
Ján Fakla: ENTHUSIASTS, 1987, directed by: Peter Scherhaufer
Ivan Vyskočil: BETWEEN SPEECHES, 1988, directed by: Peter Scherhaufer
Andrzej Strzelecki: CLOWNS, 1989, directed by: Peter Scherhaufer
Collective of authors: PRELIMINARY INVENTORY OF THE REVOLUTION, 1990, directed by: Peter Scherhaufer
Anton Brčka: ČORO-MORO, 1991, collective direction
Collective: TOI-TOY STORY (CLOWNS), 2010, directed by: Jozef Krasula
Collective: KREMNICA NOT ONLY GOLDEN, or Kings, Ghosts and Fools, 2013, directed by: Jana Mikitková and collective
Collective: PETER SCHERHAUFER LIVES, 2013, directed by: Jana Mikitková and collective
Jana Mikitková, Ján Fakla: HANA, 2013, directed by: Jana Mikitková
Ján Fakla and collective: GOAT AND HAMMER, 2016, directed by: Jana Mikitková
Jana Mikitková and collective: EXCURSION TO UN-FREEDOM, 2017, directed by: Jana Mikitková
S.d.Ch.: THE FINAL GOOSE, 2018, directed by: Karel Král
Ján Fakla & Jana Mikitková: WHY THE TURKEY FOUGHT THE TURKEY, 2018, directed by: Jana Mikitková