UP

Up! – a solo show by Robert Janč 

Robert Janč presents himself as a show host who ends up having to improvise a stand-up routine when a star American comedian does not show up. The night he was hoping to start his comedy career gradually becomes a tragicomic revelation of his life.

UP! is first of all a stand-up show trying to make people laugh. At the same time, the performance turns a lens on stand-up comedy itself, examining its laws and techniques, but also the cruelty of it, the unnerving need to be funny without having anything a “normal” actor would be able to use as a “shield.” There is no character, no plot, no partner — usually not even a prop to play with. On a third and even subtler level, the performer is a clown caught up in the middle of a problematic situation and left with the only thing that a clown has – the ever present desire to be with the audience. 

About the Company

Clown theatre company Squandra Sua creates street shows for families and stage shows for adult audiences. Their shows are widely popular across the Czech Republic and have been well received internationally. Robert Janč worked with the Czech Republic’s leading physical theatre companies before beginning his career as a clown on stage and in hospital settings.