Cultural and natural resources
There are about 200 theatres in Emilia-Romagna, many of which are genuine architectural treasures. Theatres of historical importance, they are committed to ensuring prestige seasons and are often to be found in city centre locations, bearing witness to the keen popular interest in the performing arts which goes back centuries. Emilia-Romagna has always enjoyed a rich and varied performing arts calendar, featuring classical drama but also youth theatre and avant-garde, experimental theatre. In Emilia-Romagna there are three permanent theatre bodies whose brief covers producing and distributing performances, professional training and publishing: they are Emilia-Romagna Theatre, Arena del Sole - Nuova Scena - Teatro Stabile in Bologna and Teatro Due Foundation.
Emilia-Romagna Theatre, set up in 1977 as the drama wing of ATER ¿ the Theatre Association of Emilia-Romagna (which itself became a foundation in 2001), is currently the Emilia-Romagna region’s permanent public theatre, its founder associates being the Region itself, Modena City and Provincial Councils and Cesena City Council. In all these years, Emilia Romagna Teatro has put on countless productions, many of which many have been awarded the nation’s most prestigious prizes. These productions have been recognized for their contribution in the area of so called “director’s theatre”.
In 1991, after having been headquartered at the Storchi Theatre in Modena, Emilia-Romagna Theatre acquired full independent status. In June of the same year the activities of ERT and Drama Teatri were merged, creating the only Centre for Theatre Research recognized by the Ministry for the Emilia-Romagna Region, and giving rise to the Region’s Permanent Theatre Company, which specializes in avant-garde idioms. The Arena del Sole-Teatro Nuova Scena - Teatro Stabile in Bologna, located in the heart of the city, in the recently restored theatre of the same name, has a rich drama programme, open to important dance and music proposals. It carries out training courses and is heavily committed to publishing, with its periodical “Arena del Sole” and the series “LibriArena”, which contains texts of in-house and guest productions. The Theatre is also a founder member of the European Theatre Convention, which brings together production bodies and for which it has promoted and manages the Communications Centre.
The Teatro Due Foundation, which combines “Il Teatro Stabile di Parma”, Parma City Council, the Fondazione Monte di Parma and “I Teatri” of Reggio Emilia, is unique in the Italian theatre scene by virtue of its capability for innovation, research, experimentation, ongoing projects and support for Italian and European dramatic works. In over thirty years it has injected life into young people´s theatre, leading to an increase in the number of spectators. It has also led to the Teatro Festival Parma-Meeting europeo dell´attore, an annual European and international theatre event which has taken place since 1983, continuing the tradition of the Parma University Festival. The Foundation also has resident musical groups, Nextime Ensemble and Europa Galante.
There are multitudes of other festivals and events running throughout the year in Emilia-Romagna. Mention should be made of the Santarcangelo Theatre Festival, devoted to experimental theatre.
CHILDREN'S THEATRE
One of the most noteworthy innovations on the Italian theatre scene is children’s and young people’s theatre, which has found in Emilia-Romagna a particularly fertile soil in which to take root. There are no fewer than five permanent ensembles which have made it possible for new cooperative ventures to get underway such as the spread of theatre groups throughout the region, the creation of audiences and the implementation of drama courses in schools. The ensembles are: Accademia Perduta-Romagna Teatri from Forlì, La Baracca-Teatro Testoni Ragazzi from Bologna, Il Teatro delle Briciole from Parma, Gioco Vita from Piacenza and Teatro Evento from Vignola. There is no shortage of puppet theatre companies, many already celebrated internationally: Otello Sarzi’s Setaccio in Reggio Emilia, Romano Danielli’s Compagnia del Pavaglione and the Teatro Bolognese in Bologna, Erio Maletti’s Burattini balneari and the Teatro di Figura Centre in Cervia, Romagna, which organizes the summer festival “Arrivano dal Mare!” All of Emilia-Romagna´s theatre projects are listed on the Internet and are identified by the Cartellone (Playbill) sign. They are presented through a vast, articulated system of information on the performing arts set up by the Region´s cultural services in cooperation with ATER.
ERT - Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione
Via Ganaceto, 129
41100 Modena
Tel. 059.2136011
Fax 059.2453321
www.emiliaromagnateatro.com
info@emiliaromagnateatro.com
Arena del Sole - Nuova Scena Teatro Stabile di Bologna
Via S. Giuseppe, 8
40121 Bologna
Tel; 051.2910911
Fax 051.2395588
www.arenadelsole.it
info@arenadelsole.it
Fondazione Teatro Due
Via Basetti, 12/A
43100 Parma
Tel. 0521.208088
Fax 0521.231232
www.teatrodue.org
info@teatrodue.org
infofestival@teatrostabileparma.com
Cartellone - lo Spettacolo dell’Emilia-Romagna
www.cartellone.emr.it
cultura@regione.emilia-romagna.it
