XXI EDITION

XXI EDITION

Opera Prima reaches its twenty-first edition with a programme rich in international artists and original works. In contrast to today’s tendency to erase differences and support only what is considered “fashionable”, Festival Opera Prima seeks, in keeping with its history, to welcome and promote the multiplicity of trends and forms of research emerging within the young Italian and international performing arts scene.

Even today, there is a vibrant theatrical undercurrent struggling to emerge. Opera Prima therefore aims to offer audiences a glimpse of a new generation of theatre-makers engaging with the present and the future through innovative artistic languages, while placing human relationships once again at the heart of the theatrical experience.

The social and political landscape around us grows more threatening every day and seems increasingly intent on turning us against one another. Opera Prima, by contrast, seeks to become a space of encounter between audiences and artists from different backgrounds and countries: from Palestine to Iraq, from Russia to the United States, as well as Italy, Sweden and France. It is founded on the belief that theatre can be the place where we discover that the unfamiliar, the foreigner, is always our fellow human being.

Almost all of this year’s Opera Prima programme was selected through an open call that received no fewer than 824 applications from around the world.

The programme includes Argentine choreographer Amalia Salle with a work on Alzheimer’s disease and the passing of generations; the Iraqi-Swedish group ibodies with a visionary, ritualistic and enigmatic performance; the two young American artists of Mignolo Dance with an urban dance work that is also a hymn to sisterhood; the Czech-Palestinian company Dafa Puppet Theatre with a performance created together with the audience around a table, exploring exile and family bonds; and Russian dancer Anna Ozerskaia with a one-to-one performance.

Several young Italian artists will also take part: Alot Teatro with an ensemble work that returns us to song within a profound ritual dimension; Annalisa Limardi and the duo Corsucci/Bernardi, both presenting works centred on the abuse of women; Giulia Scotti, who addresses family secrets and human vulnerability; and Momec, with an installation for one spectator at a time that is also an invitation to take a stand and rebel.

Two long-established companies will also be present: Teatro del Lemming and Bologna-based Teatri di Vita, both premiering works focused on war and conflict.

As every year, the programme will conclude with a concert, this time entrusted to Francesca Guccione, a composer, violinist and researcher studying the life and musical work of Jóhann Jóhannsson at the Venezze Conservatory in Rovigo.

The Festival will also feature many other small yet valuable events: a Prefestival and a critical workshop, offering opportunities to meet the artists and reflect on their work; an acting workshop; and an Afterfestival, once again organised in collaboration with Pub Hops and featuring a rich selection of young musicians from the local area.

They wrote about this edition:

FESTIVAL OPERA PRIMA XXI: il prestigioso evento dedicato alla sperimentazione delle arti sceniche apre la selezione di spettacoli per la prossima edizione (Rovigoinfocittà)

Torna ilFestival Opera Prima vetrina della nuova scena internazionale (Rovigoinfocittà)

Festival Opera Prima XXI: In scena il giovane teatro di oggi e il teatro che si affaccia sul domani (Rovigoinfocittà)

Opera Prima 2025: a Rovigo il teatro interroga il presente (klpteatro - Vincenzo Sardelli)

Zaia "Il Festival Opera Prima è una fucina di talenti per il teatro" (il nordest quotidiano)

gli appuntamenti di giovedì al Festival Opera Prima (Rovigoinfocittà)

Opera Prima, via agli spettacoli ( la voce di Rovigo)

Opera Prima arriva al weekend: artisti da tutto il mondo porteranno la loro arte a Rovigo (Rovigoinfocittà)

Corpi, miti e dissolvenze: la giornata del 14 giugno al Festival Opera Prima (PAC - Leonardo Delfanti)

Corsucci e Bernardi mettono in scena "MINE - HAHA", indagine visiva e politica su corpo e sguardo (KLPteatro - Vincenzo Sardelli)

Guardarsi guardare. l'intervallo tra ciò che appare e ciò che resta a Opera Prima 2025 (PAC - Leonardo Delfanti)