XXII EDITION – FESTIVAL OPERA PRIMA 2026

Festival Opera Prima is a contemporary theatre and performing arts festival now reaching its XXII edition. On the one hand, the Festival preserves, as suggested by its name and history, an open gaze towards what is moving anew, far from the spotlight, within the young European scene; on the other hand, since its rebirth in 2018, it has also established itself as a bridge between generations.

The Festival’s task has remained, first and foremost, that of offering visibility to worthy young realities still little known. Through an open call, which received no fewer than 736 (!) applications from all over the world, we selected the works of Abrami/Vitali/Coccia, Barbone/Marra, Caldarano/Pivotti and Dora Macripò. These artists present works that are very different from one another, each effectively reflecting on problematic aspects of our civic life. Also among the young artists are the Palestinian Husam Abed, who has lived in exile in Prague for many years and returns this year with a meditation on war; Luca Salata of Compagnia Samovar with a small yet precious performance staged inside a caravan for only seven spectators per performance; and Daniela Vitale, who debuts here with the performance that Teatro del Lemming hosted in residency at Teatro Studio during its research phase last year. Teatro del Lemming itself, a historic company of the city, presents at the Festival two of its historical works performed by a group of young students, while the Festival also continues its support of the Rovigo-based group Momec, present here with a new production.

Ensuring an intergenerational dialogue with other important historical realities, the Festival also features: Motus with a new work, “Frankenstein, History of Hate”; the national premiere of “D’ORO” by the duo Gianluca Misiti/Roberto Latini; the group Qui e Ora with “Ora felice”; and Swiss-American choreographer Joshua Monten, returning to the Festival with the national premiere of “Yes/No”.

As always, the Festival proposes itself as a space for encounters which, starting from the performances, seeks to invite reflection on the world and the present time. It does so also through a series of morning meetings, with a critical workshop guided by Michele Pascarella, open to everyone and especially to a group of high school students from the city; and with a Prefestival that gathers the participating artists in direct dialogue. Within the Prefestival, this year we also wished to host presentations of books that, beginning from the aesthetic dimension, come to question our present condition. Guests will therefore include philosophers Andrea Tagliapietra, with a book questioning the role of the spectator and the reader, interpreting them as two opposing paradigms of existence, and Giacomo Fronzi with an important publication on “Performance”, alongside artist Antonello Cassinotti, who dedicated a study to the iconic figure of Antonin Artaud.

At the end of the performances, every evening will then be animated by an Afterfestival rich in young musical presences from the local territory. Closing the Festival, as always, will be a concert. This year, in memory of the ten years since the death of Keith Emerson, one of the greatest keyboard players in rock music, we host a concert by French pianist Thierry Eliez and his trio, reinterpreting the principal compositions of the English composer in a concert entitled “Emerson Enigma”.

Opera Prima thus continues to believe that the task of a Festival is to create spaces for reflection and sharing, in which it is possible to offer one’s community innovative aesthetic experiences, far from easy habits, but always unexpected, surprising and necessary.