On 17 April 2025 in front of the majestic Main Hall of the Warsaw University of Technology—where the history of Poland’s student movement intertwines with the present—an extraordinary performance unfolded.
Not a single word was spoken.
And yet—everything was told.
KTO Theatre from Kraków—one of the best-known Polish street-theatre companies—opened the Gala celebrating 75 years of the Student Movement in a way that will stay with every participant for a long time.
Jerzy Zoń and KTO Theatre – masters of imagination
Behind the magic of that evening stood Jerzy Zoń — director, actor, visionary.
A pioneer of Polish street theatre, involved with KTO Theatre since 1979, creator of spectacles that have captivated audiences from Kraków to Seoul, from Rio de Janeiro to Oslo.
For years Zoń has said:
“Talking doesn’t interest me at all. I build everything with images. You have to open the imagination.”
And that is exactly what he did — he opened our imagination wider than ever before.
Polish theatre that conquers the world
KTO Theatre is a legend of Polish street theatre.
Founded in 1977 by graduates of the Jagiellonian University, it has created shows without words from the very beginning, where body, movement, emotion, music and image play the leading roles.
Today their performances can be seen in South Korea, Mexico, Brazil, Norway, Spain, Russia, Iran — everywhere people need a reminder that true art knows no borders or language.
A Polish theatre that speaks about what is deepest within us—without uttering a word.
That is why it captivates the world.
“Peregrinus” – a pilgrimage of the modern human
In Warsaw, KTO Theatre presented a piece inspired by their worldwide hit:
“Peregrinus” — the journey of a human being from birth to death in today’s reality.
👉 Learn more about the performance “Peregrinus” →
This story shows:
- A person enters the world free and full of dreams.
- But is quickly placed into frameworks: school, work, mortgage, routine.
- Day after day passes in mechanical gestures: getting up, commuting, meetings, deadlines.
- Life becomes a race — yet a race to nowhere.
And then a question echoes:
“Will student clubs be founded on Mars?”
Wherever we might go — even to other planets — will we keep repeating the same mistakes?
Will we preserve the ability to create communities, dreams, an authentic life?
Symbolism that speaks to the heart
🧠 Giant head-masks
The actors moved about in enormous masks — each face identical, expressionless.
What did they symbolise?
- Lost individuality in a world of mass-produced identities.
- The social uniform that suppresses uniqueness.
- Loneliness in a crowd.
👔 Changing outfits
Every day a new suit, a new role, a new mask — yet the same absence of a true “self”.
- Clothing becomes the costume of everyday life.
- Life turns into a performance with no depth.
🔁 Repetitive movements
Precise, mechanical, endlessly repeated.
- The schematic nature of life.
- The loss of purpose and meaning.
The magic that mesmerised the audience
The spectators — from students to professors, from young activists to veterans of the student movement —
fell silent.
No conversations, no phones.
Only eyes fixed on the actors.
A silence full of awe.
A silence full of reflection.
A silence full of emotion.
This performance needed no translation.
Every viewer found in it a personal question — and a personal answer.
Why was it so important?
Because in those brief moments:
- We felt that life is more than repeating daily rituals.
- We remembered that community matters.
- We understood that dreams have no limits — not even interplanetary ones.
And that Polish theatre — bold, visionary, sensitive — can still captivate the entire world.
Summary: a light for future generations
KTO Theatre reminded us that students change the world not through speeches but through the courage of imagination.
And that although times change,
dreams of freedom, community and authenticity never grow old.
Even if student clubs are ever founded on Mars —
their spirit will be the same as today:
free, rebellious, creative.
See more – feel the atmosphere of the performance!
Because in those brief moments:
- We felt that life is more than repeating daily rituals.
- We remembered that community matters.
- We understood that dreams have no limits — not even interplanetary ones.
And that Polish theatre — bold, visionary, sensitive — can still captivate the entire world.
Some emotions cannot be put into words.
That is why we have prepared a short glimpse of this extraordinary evening — fragments of KTO Theatre’s performance that stopped time and moved hearts.
🎬 Watch our clip and feel the magic of “Peregrinus”!
🔗 View it on our social media:
- Instagram → @ruchstudencki
- Facebook → @ruchstudencki
- TikTok → @ruchstudencki
- YouTube → @ruchstudencki
✨ If you feel the same emotions, share your opinion in a comment or pass the video on!
Art lives when we share it.
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On our profiles you will find:
- coverage of the 75-year Student Movement Gala,
- behind-the-scenes preparations,
- snippets of concerts, speeches and artistic emotions.
Join us — let’s build a community of art and memory!
🌟 #RuchStudencki75lat #TeatrKTO #Peregrinus #CelebrateFreedom