Amateur Theatre Festival — City of Taranto Award
The Ionian amateur theatre showcase at the Teatro Comunale Fusco
About City of Taranto Award
Taranto's amateur theatre festival
The Amateur Theatre Festival — City of Taranto Award is the winter highlight where the Ionian city celebrates its vibrant grassroots theatre scene. Hosted at the Teatro Comunale Fusco in the heart of Taranto (Puglia), it is promoted by FITA Puglia (Italian Federation of Amateur Theatre) in collaboration with the Municipality of Taranto, Department of Educational Services, Youth Policies, and Entertainment.
Two competitions, one shared passion
The event consists of two parallel showcases running simultaneously from January to May:
- City of Taranto Award — reserved for amateur companies based in Taranto performing in Italian. This is the main section, dedicated to both contemporary and classical prose theatre.
- Alfredo Majorano Award — dedicated to Taranto dialect theatre, paying homage to the scholar and demologist who collected and promoted the city's folk traditions. This section preserves the language, irony, and idioms of the Ionian vernacular.
Competitive performances and juries
Each edition features a series of competitive shows, evaluated by a technical jury and audience votes. At the end of the festival, awards are presented to the most compelling companies, actors, and directors during a highly anticipated closing ceremony.
A heritage of the Ionian city
More than just a competition, the festival serves as a cultural hub: it provides a platform for the numerous amateur companies that animate Taranto's neighborhoods year-round, offers the public an accessible and high-quality program, and preserves a vital piece of Puglia's linguistic identity through its dialect section. The Teatro Fusco, a historic municipal venue, thus becomes the home of theatre made by the people of Taranto, for the people of Taranto.
City of Taranto Award — edition 2026
In 2026, the Amateur Theatre Festival of Taranto presented two parallel showcases at the Teatro Comunale Fusco: the 5th City of Taranto Award for Italian-language theatre and the 6th Alfredo Majorano Award for dialect theatre. Six competitive shows in the language section, four in the dialect section, with doors opening at 8:30 PM and the curtain rising at 9:00 PM. A program that confirmed the vitality of the Ionian city's amateur companies.
Programme City of Taranto Award 2026
City of Taranto Award — Italian-language theatre (6 shows)
- Thursday, January 15 — "Voci nella notte" Company — Il nome in tavola (written by Pio Segni, directed by Federico Passariello jr)
- Friday, February 6 — "La cricca" Company — Farà giorno (by Rosa A. Menduni and Roberto De Giorgi)
- Friday, February 27 — "Nuda Veritas" Company — Yerma (by Federico García Lorca)
- Thursday, April 30 — "Spazio teatro" Company — Venditori di anime (by Umberto Bassetti)
- Friday, May 15 — Mimmo Fornaro Workshop — Come acqua di mare (by Mimmo Fornaro)
- Friday, May 22 — "I Viandanti Sognatori" Company — Il marito di mio figlio (by Daniele Falleri)
Alfredo Majorano Award — dialect theatre (4 shows)
- Friday, January 30 — Mimmo Fornaro Workshop — Frate e sore affeziunate, c'ù nipote penziunate!
- Friday, March 13 — "La rotaia" Company — Un marito di troppo
- Friday, April 10 — "I viandanti sognatori" Company — L'oro di Taranto
- Friday, April 17 — "L'erba cattiva" Company — A casa cu' le cuorne
All performances at the Teatro Comunale Fusco, doors open at 8:30 PM, curtain at 9:00 PM.
Highlights City of Taranto Award 2026
The festival debuted with Il nome in tavola by the Voci nella notte Company (January 15) and concluded the City of Taranto Award on May 22 with Il marito di mio figlio by the Viandanti Sognatori. In the dialect section, L'oro di Taranto, dedicated to the city's identity, was a standout.
Prices City of Taranto Award 2026
Practical information — City of Taranto Award
Location
Teatro Comunale Fusco, Taranto (Province of Taranto, Puglia). The theatre is located in the city centre, within easy walking distance of the Old Town and the Borgo.
Schedule
Doors open at 8:30 PM, curtain rises at 9:00 PM.
Tickets
Paid admission: 12.50 euros for the stalls and 8 euros for the gallery. Tickets are available at the theatre box office on performance evenings.
Information
Organized by FITA Puglia ([email protected]) and the Municipality of Taranto.
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Where does it take place — City of Taranto Award
Teatro Comunale Fusco
Via Nicola Giovinazzi, 74122 Taranto