About Us
Bridges is a 26-month international artistic project, conducted by four European theatres: EUX - Compagnie d'Improvisation (Paris, France), KD IGLU (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Grund Színház (Budapest, Hungary) and Teatro a Molla (Bologna, Italy). The central theme of the project is the artistic exploration of language through the tools of theatrical improvisation.
Our objective is to explore how different languages and non-verbal communication can be used in a live artform such as improvisation, where the content of the performances is produced on the spot through collective collaboration. Through 3 artistic Labs 10 artists from 4 different countries explored and developed different expressive tools in order to create a performance that integrates languages such as movement, music, sound, and lights with spoken languages and gibberish. This performance transcends English as a shared language in order to reach audiences of many different native languages and cultures.
So far, the show's performances have engaged audiences in five different countries, seeking to engage audience members who rarely visit the theatre and avoid international shows due to the fear of not understanding English - the language most commonly used among touring improvisers. Our peformances project have drawn more than 1.500 spectators, with more than two thirds of them seeing an multilingual improvisational performance for the first time.
The results of the project were disseminated through the Bridges Academy, in September 2026, which brought together 32 artists under 35 to network, share practices, and try out some of the tools and techniques that have formed the core of the Bridges project. The intent was to produce a greater effect in the larger European artistic community, with the hope that some of these young artists will form lasting collaborations and further evolve the work.
The results, methods, a series of podcasts and articles about the project are available on the Bridges Knowledge Sharing portal with the idea of spreading and inventing new innovative approaches to the use of language in international theatrical improvisation.
Improvisational Theatre of Ljubljana was founded in 2013 in response to the need for a professional approach to the art of spontaneous theatre in Slovenia. IGLU performs weekly in Ljubljana, and its members have over twenty years of experience performing in theatres, street performances and television productions. IGLU members are regular participants in numerous international festivals where they teach, learn, and perform.
Grund Színház was established in 2011; since its inception, it has been presenting an ever-increasing number and type of performances to the audience. Its founder and director is Andrew Hefler , who introduced the genre of theatre and applied improvisation to Hungary. The artists of the company are committed to presenting moments from real life on stage, which are familiar, but at the same time shed a different light on everyday and social problems, often with the help of sophisticated humor.
Founded in Paris in 2006, EUX is an improvisation company specialising in show production and training. Since its creation, the EUX improvisation company has created more than 25 different productions that have been performed in France and abroad. Throughout its existence, the company has performed in around twenty different countries in Europe and around the world.
Teatro a Molla is a theatre company founded in 2009 in Bologna, Italy. Its work focuses on theatrical improvisation and its members are theatre professionals with over twenty years of experience each. Performances are likely to combine improvisation with other forms of theatre such as clowning, scripted drama or other theatrical genres. Teatro a Molla runs an improvisation school for adults, programs with high schools, corporate workshops for businesses, and often partners with social enterprises to create custom programs.
