Short Theatre celebrates its 20th edition from September 5 to 14
Rome’s annual Short Theatre, the international festival dedicated to contemporary and performing arts, returns this September for its 20th edition with a series of evocative events, including concerts, DJ sets, dance and theatre performances, workshops, and installations, presented by artists from all over the world.
You’re in for 10 days of programming with over 35 companies and artistic projects that blend art, critical thinking, and politics, featuring more than 70 events.
The heart of the festival remains the Mattatoio – Pelanda in Testaccio, joined by other key venues such as the Palazzo dei Congressi, Teatro Vittoria, and Teatro India, the birthplace of the festival 20 years ago.
THE PROGRAM
The 2025 edition of Short Theatre presents a bold and multifaceted programme that bridges generations, geographies, and artistic disciplines. Experimental formats like Ambienti – immersive live “cinematic sets” – and Leopardo, a nomadic space curated by a variety of artists, will transform the festival’s venues into spaces of constant creation and exchange.
The programme features major national premieres, such as A Little Bit of the Moon by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Rabih Mroué, U. (Un canto) by Alessandro Sciarroni, and new works by artists like Clara Delorme, Dewey Dell, Alexia Sarantopoulou, and Silvia Rampelli. Ritual, vulnerability, resistance, and memory emerge as recurring themes in works from around the world. Highlights include the subversive urban performance Darkness Pic Nic by DOM-, the powerful We Came to Dance by Ali Asghar Dashti & Nasim Ahmadpour on censorship in Iran, and They Shoot Horses, a poignant video-installation by Phil Collins, curated in collaboration with NERO Editions.
Short Theatre 2025 also embraces musical experimentation with daily live sets and DJ performances by artists from Rome’s vibrant scene as part of the Salon series. A new collaboration with No Name Radio (RaiPlay Sound) will bring emerging voices to the stage, such as Ethan, and document the festival through a special podcast. The closing night will feature electrifying live performances by Swiss-based artist Rebecca Solari and the afrofuturist collective Fulu Miziki, who turn recycled materials into powerful sonic and visual experiences.
INSPIRATION
Best Events in September in Rome
These are just some of the projects in a vast and articulated program that shapes this edition of Short Theatre. For more details on Short Theatre’s list of artists and performers and what is unfolding when, check their website or click here.
September 5 – 14
Locations:
Mattatoio di Roma, Piazza Orazio Giustiniani, 4
Teatro India, Lungotevere Vittorio Gassmann, 1
Teatro Vittoria, Piazza Santa Maria Liberatrice, 10
Palazzo dei Congressi, Piazza John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1
