Mertcan Semerci moved to Poland and joined Studio Matejka in 2016, where he co-created the performance Angry Man. In Defence of Anger and participated in workshops under Matej Matejka’s direction. During this period, he also collaborated with international ensembles, including Alkemisterna in Gothenburg (Suffering: On Our Perception of Pain) and Theatre CHOREA (2.0.4.5. Metaphysical Miniopera).
Since 2018, Mertcan has been a key member of Teatr ZAR at the Grotowski Institute. He has performed in productions such as Medeas: On Getting Across, Anhelli: The Howl, and Back to Beckett. In 2019, he joined Teatr ZAR’s expeditions to Corsica and Sardinia, studying traditional songs and integrating this material into his artistic work.
He also collaborated with Aleksandra Kugacz-Semerci and Jarosław Fret on the performance Nobody Meets Nobody, directed by Fret. Mertcan appeared in the 2024 production Life in This House Is Over, directed by Samantha Shay, developed in partnership with Source Material, Teatr ZAR, and Pina Bausch Zentrum. The performance, which premiered at the Grotowski Institute, explored the interplay of ritual, voice, and physical dramaturgy.
Alongside his performance work, he is a theatre pedagogue at the Grotowski Institute and has led movement- and physical theatre–focused workshops in Spain, Hungary, Turkey, and Italy.
His artistic practice also includes polyphonic singing, with experience in Corsican, Sardinian, and Georgian traditions. He has participated in research expeditions in Spain focused on flamenco, as well as in Corsica and Georgia, researching traditional vocal practices. As a theatre pedagogue at the Grotowski Institute, Mertcan leads workshops that connect movement, voice, and acting through physical training, martial arts practices, and traditional polyphonic singing.