Discover the programme of the 40th edition of the Romaeuropa Festival
The 40th edition of the Romaeuropa Festival promises to be one of the most vibrant ever: 110 performances featuring 700 artists from around the world will bring REF2025 to life with a rich programme of music, theatre, dance, digital arts, and creations for children. Over two months of events will take place across 11 venues in the heart of Rome.
Under the direction of Fabrizio Grifasi, this milestone edition shapes an “open space” for dialogue between generations and artistic practices, a place of sharing and celebration, lightness and wonder, discovery of new languages, and appreciation of national and European cultural heritage.
INSPIRATION
Best Events in Rome this autumn
In the spirit of cultural dialogue between Italy and Spain, the 40th edition of the Romaeuropa Festival opens on September 4 with a performance by the prestigious Ballet Nacional de España. For the first time, the company collaborates with choreographer Marcos Morau to bring Afanador to the stage.
INTERNATIONAL SCENE
Among the major international companies featured at REF25 are the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company, presenting works by William Forsythe and Ioannis Mandafounis, and the Ballet National de Marseille with (LA)HORDE, showcasing a selection of groundbreaking pieces. The programme, in collaboration with Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, also includes Cassiel Gaube at Villa Medici, Qudus Onikeku with TERRAPOLIS, and a new creation by Christos Papadopoulos.
The European perspective expands globally: director Mohamed El Khatib returns with Finir en beauté, while his encounter with flamenco master Israel Galván gives life to the unique Israel & Mohamed. In collaboration with Short Theatre, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker is also back with A little bit of the moon, part of the focus on the Flemish scene, which also features BERLIN with True Copy, Kasper Vandenberghe with Mystica, and Miet Warlop with the powerful INHALE, DELIRIUM, EXHALE.
Among the new entries, Caroline Guiela Nguyen debuts with Valentina, a reflection on language and motherhood, while Milo Rau presents La Lettre, an ironic exploration of popular theatre. The programme also includes Moritz Ostruschnjak (Non + Ultras), Dovydas Strimaitis, and Louise Lecavalier with the solo Danses vagabondes.
Also featured is Thikra, a new production by Akram Khan with 14 female dancers and Saudi visual artist Manal AlDowayan. From contemporary Taiwan, the company U-Theatre blends percussion, dance, and martial arts in Sword of Wisdom, while Lia Rodrigues brings Borda from Rio de Janeiro, mixing urban and ancestral rituals. Finally, the BAMBU project, conceived by ALDES, shines a spotlight on two emerging choreographers from the African continent.
MUSIC
Twentieth-century legacy and innovation intertwine in the musical pathways of the Festival. After 15 years, New York avant-garde icon Laurie Anderson returns to REF to present the Italian premiere of the new version of Let X = X (2025) — a live performance blending storytelling, experimentation, and multimedia sound, with Anderson on stage alongside the band Sexmob.
Among the Festival’s historic presences, Alessandro Baricco returns with Novecento: Il duello, a project created with Alessio Bertallot and Stefano Bollani, featuring a unique dialogue between words and music, with the participation of Enrico Rava.
The programme’s focus on minimalism continues with Christophe Chassol, who, together with the Miroirs Étendus ensemble, merges the vision of Steve Reich with his own compositions, blending jazz and pop.
Electronic and acoustic music meet in the new works by Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda, featured in two different events: Ultratronics, an immersive audio-visual experience that challenges the boundaries between physical and virtual space; and Music for Strings, a live performance with the Ensemble Modern, translating Ikeda’s iconic electronic compositions into a new acoustic dimension — confirming him as one of the world’s most compelling sonic innovators.
THEATRE AND DANCE
The Romaeuropa Festival has always championed the most original and innovative voices on the national scene, where the writings and movements of new generations meet the great figures of Italy’s artistic landscape. The collaboration continues with La Fabbrica dell’Attore–Teatro Vascello and the company Fanny & Alexander, which, together with actress Federica Fracassi, brings to the stage L’Analfabeta, inspired by the book of the same name by Ágota Kristóf. Gabriele Paolocà, along with Claudia Marsicano and Fabio Antonelli, creates a caustic, irreverent musical to explore the tragic figure of Audrey, a young woman who reinvents herself as a survivor of the Bataclan attacks.
While the duo Ginevra Panzetti and Enrico Ticconi lead the Croatian company Studio Contemporary Dance for the first time in the geometric All’Arme, the cultural dialogue between Italy and Spain continues with the presence of KOR’SIA, presenting their new creation Simulacro for the first time in Rome, at Teatro Argentina.
Finally, in co-production with Fondazione Teatro di Roma, Teatro India hosts Buchettino — a performance created in 1995 by Societas (then Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio), which has since become a beloved cult show for children and families.
KIDS
Mattatoio will host Kids & Family, the section curated by Stefania Lo Giudice, which once again offers a rich programme of music, theatre, and contemporary circus dedicated to children. Spread across three weekends, the programme includes performances and free activities designed for young audiences and their families.
Highlights include two shows by the company La Petita Malumaluga, concerts by No Funny Stuff, La Rustica X Band, Frankie Back From Hollywood, and Fossick Project (featuring singer-songwriter Marta Del Grandi and Cecilia Valagussa), as well as fairy tales by Michelangelo Campanale and his company La Luna nel Letto, and a special show for toddlers by Man || Co.
Romaeuropa Festival 2025
From September 4 till November 16
Locations:
TEATRO DELL’OPERA, TEATRO ARGENTINA, AUDITORIUM PARCO DELLA MUSICA, MATTATOIO, TEATRO VASCELLO, AUDITORIUM CONCILIAZIONE, TEATRO BRANCACCIO, TEATRO INDIA, VILLA MEDICI, MAXXI, HACIENDA ROMA
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