CON#tatto
The evening contemporary drama festival at Teatro Le Maschere in Rome
About CON#tatto
A festival that puts the present at the center
CON#tatto is the evening contemporary drama series at Teatro Le Maschere, a historic venue in the Trastevere district of Rome, the capital of the Lazio Region. The title plays on the hashtag symbol, which the curators describe as the intersection—the threshold where two worlds meet: on one side, the recognized masters of Italian theater, and on the other, companies and authors under 35. This friction creates a program of nine shows concentrated in just over a month, all starting at 8:00 PM.
The team behind it: Centro Culturale Talia
The festival is promoted by the Centro Culturale Talia, which has been enlivening the Roman scene for over thirty years with a clear vocation: theater that speaks to people, educates, moves, and builds community. Recognized by the Ministry of Culture as a Theater of Innovation for new generations, Talia has chosen in recent years to complement its historic mission with an evening program dedicated to contemporary drama, young companies, and emerging languages. The project is supported by Roma Capitale and originated from a public call for private venues with fewer than 100 seats, focusing on research and experimentation in live performance. The artistic direction is entrusted to Carla Marchini and Massimo Vulcano.
Themes of the program
This is not just a simple generational label. The selected shows explore key themes that the curators clearly identify and that recur throughout the program:
- power and its seduction;
- individual and collective identity;
- emotional fragility and digital drift;
- myth put to the test of contemporaneity;
- the body as a social battlefield;
- migration and inequality;
- memory as a responsibility.
Alongside new dramaturgy, there is room for reinterpretations: stories by Edgar Allan Poe, a text by Dacia Maraini, and the myth of Scylla and Charybdis. Here, theater does not illustrate the present: it questions it.
A small venue, a close relationship
Teatro Le Maschere has fewer than 100 seats, and this is a deliberate choice rather than a limitation. The proximity between actors and spectators is part of the experience: no distance, no reassuring fourth wall. This is also why access is free but limited, with mandatory reservations required until all seats are filled. Those who arrive without a reservation risk being turned away.
Why it's worth it
In a city like Rome, where theatrical offerings are vast and often concentrated in large venues, CON#tatto occupies a precious space: that of experimental theater accessible to everyone. Shows marked as under 35 are often the early works of authors and directors who will be seen elsewhere in the following years, while productions by historic companies—Compagnia Orsini, Compagnia Mauri Sturno, Effimera teatro, Seven Cults—guarantee a solid professional standard. For those visiting the capital in spring, it is also a different way to experience Trastevere: not just the evening of alleys and taverns, but an hour and a half of contemporary theater just a stone's throw from the Tiber.
CON#tatto — edition 2026
Nine shows, five weeks
The 2026 evening festival at Teatro Le Maschere took place from May 12 to June 13, 2026, with nine titles scheduled in double performances over two consecutive evenings, always at 8:00 PM. The common thread is contemporaneity: not as a slogan, but as the theater's ability to interpret the present through stories, reinterpretations, revitalized classics, and new dramaturgy.
A bridge between masters and under 35s
Five out of nine shows were marked as under 35, in line with the festival's declared vocation: to build a scenic and cultural bridge between recognized masters of theater and young artists. The involved productions—Compagnia Orsini, Compagnia Mauri Sturno, Effimera teatro, Seven Cults, and the Teatro Le Maschere's own production—ensured a variety of styles, from author monologues to literary adaptations.
Free access
As with the entire evening series supported by Roma Capitale, admission was free and limited, reserved for those who booked in advance. The reduced capacity of the Trastevere venue made booking the only realistic way to secure a seat.
Programme CON#tatto 2026
May 2026
- May 12-13, 8:00 PM — Sete, by Walter Prete, with Giorgio Sales, directed by Lorenzo Parrotto. Produced by Compagnia Orsini.
- May 15-16, 8:00 PM — Sistema Nervoso (under 35), by and with Leonardo Capuano, assistant director and dramaturgy Paola Corsi. Produced by Compagnia Orsini.
- May 19-20, 8:00 PM — Venditori di Anime, by Alberto Bassetti, with Bruno Governale, Maddalena Rizzi, and Alessandro Scafati. Produced by Seven Cults.
- May 22-23, 8:00 PM — Uomini o Caporali, by and with Francesco Stella, directed by Nicola Pistoia. Produced by Teatro Le Maschere.
- May 26-27, 8:00 PM — Ossitocina (under 35), written and directed by Elena Stauffer, with Maria Anolfo and Francesco Providenti. Produced by Compagnia Mauri Sturno.
- May 29-30, 8:00 PM — Anna, based on the story Anna e il Moro by Dacia Maraini, directed and performed by Viola Graziosi. Produced by Effimera teatro srl.
June 2026
- June 4-5, 8:00 PM — Ossessioni (under 35), based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe, with Paolo Cutroni and Erika Russo, adaptation, translation, and direction by Giuseppe Convertini, sets and costumes by Maria Antonia Pagliara. Produced by Teatro Le Maschere.
- June 9-10, 8:00 PM — Dick Pic. Quando il corpo diventa schermo (under 35), by Andrea Lucchetta and Anna Bisciari, with Anna Bisciari, directed by Andrea Lucchetta. Produced by Compagnia Mauri Sturno.
- June 12-13, 8:00 PM — Mostre. Scilla e Cariddi (under 35), with Beatrice Ceccherini and Maria Chiara Pellitteri, artistic direction by Sebastiano Spada. Produced by Effimera teatro srl.
Highlights CON#tatto 2026
- Nine performances with double shows, from May 12 to June 13, 2026.
- Five under 35 titles: Sistema Nervoso, Ossitocina, Ossessioni, Dick Pic, and Mostre - Scilla e Cariddi.
- Anna, an adaptation of the story by Dacia Maraini, directed and performed by Viola Graziosi.
- Ossessioni, a rewrite of stories by Edgar Allan Poe.
- Free admission: an experimental festival accessible to all, in the heart of Trastevere.
Prices CON#tatto 2026
Practical information — CON#tatto
Location
Teatro Le Maschere, Via Aurelio Saliceti 1/3, 00153 Rome (Trastevere district).
How to get there
- Tram: lines 3 and 8, stop in the Trastevere/Viale Trastevere area.
- Bus: line H.
- Train: Roma Trastevere station, then tram 8.
- Car: not recommended; the area is a limited traffic zone and parking is very difficult.
Tickets and reservations
Free admission with limited seating, subject to availability. Reservations are mandatory by calling +39 06 58330817 or emailing [email protected], Monday to Friday from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM.
Schedule
All performances start at 8:00 PM. It is recommended to arrive at least fifteen minutes early.
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Where does it take place — CON#tatto
Teatro Le Maschere
Via Aurelio Saliceti 1/3, 00153 Roma