KTO Theatre
Kraków Artists: Theatre, Cabaret and Film
The Kraków Theatre of Oddities (KTO), founded by students of the Jagiellonian University in 1977; the inaugural performance was "Garden of Delights". Since 2021 it has been based in a new seat in Podgórze, at Jana Zamoyskiego Street 50; the inaugural performance "Open Theatre" took place on 7 September 2021, with part of the show staged in the garden and part in the building. From stage experience and experiments with street theatre the theatre developed a specific language of expression whose material is the actor's body, movement, voice and music. Jerzy Zoń has directed it from the start.
History
The Kraków Theatre of Curiosities (Krakowski Teatr Osobliwości), KTO for short, was founded in 1977 by students of the Jagiellonian University. It opened with the performance "Ogród rozkoszy" (The Garden of Delights), and it has been run by Jerzy Zoń from the start. Over the years, through stage experience and experiments with street theatre, it developed its own language: its material is the actor's body, movement, voice and music, while words play only a small part. Since 1985 the company has also performed street theatre drawing on the traditions of fairground and travelling theatre, and the theatre organises the ULICA International Street Theatre Festival. KTO's performances have been shown in many countries, and over 47 seasons they have been seen by more than three million spectators.
Since 1 January 2005 KTO has been a municipal theatre. Until 2016 it was based at Gzymsików Street 8, and then temporarily at Krowoderska Street 74. Since 2021 the theatre has been in Podgórze, at Jana Zamoyskiego Street 50, in the revitalised building of the former Wrzos cinema-theatre. The front facade from the days of the shelter run by the Congregation of St Vincent de Paul was restored there and set off as a separate white block. Further in stands a black theatre hall with an opening roof, and beyond it a garden, a pavilion that can serve as an open-air stage, a sensory garden and a viewing terrace. The design is by Aleksander Janicki and Mariusz Twardowski, and the building won the title "Modernisation of the Year 2021" in the Memory of Historic Places category. The performance "Teatr Otwarty" (Open Theatre) on 7 September 2021 showed both sides of the company's work: outdoor and on stage.
Did you know?
Glazed sections were built into the floor of the new building, through which you can see the limestone rock the building stands on. Fragments of the old walls have also been preserved.