Contaminazioni Festival

A festival born from the students

Contaminazioni is the festival of free artistic expression conceived, directed, and produced by students of the Silvio d'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Arts, Italy's oldest public theater school. Every year, for one week, the spaces of La Pelanda, inside the Mattatoio complex in Rome, transform into an open workshop where students of acting, directing, and dramaturgy present entirely self-managed projects: original scripts, studies on great literary works, and experiments that blend theatrical and cinematic languages through music and movement.

Where: the Mattatoio in Rome, at Testaccio

The festival takes place in the heart of the Testaccio district, in the Municipality of Rome, capital of the Lazio Region. The former slaughterhouse, a masterpiece of 19th-century industrial archaeology now converted into a hub for artistic research and production, is one of the most iconic places in contemporary Rome: brick pavilions, metal trusses, and vast raw spaces that lend themselves perfectly to experimental programming. The venue for the performances is Piazza Orazio Giustiniani 4, just a few steps from the Monte dei Cocci and the most authentic side of Testaccio, known for its local markets and historic trattorias.

A multidisciplinary program

The program alternates multiple performances per day, from afternoon to evening: monologues, choral shows, interactive theatrical games, reinterpretations of classics, dance performances, and screenings. The approach is deliberately "contaminated"—hence the name—and the concise duration of individual works allows the audience to attend two or three shows in the same evening, moving from one space of the complex to another.

• World premieres and original texts written by student playwrights
• Studies on works of great European theatrical literature
• Projects that intertwine theater, video, and cinema
• Works built on the body, movement, and music
• Participatory formats that directly involve the spectators

Who promotes the festival

Contaminazioni is promoted by the Department of Culture of Rome Capital and the Azienda Speciale Palaexpo, in collaboration with the Fondazione Mattatoio di Roma - Città delle Arti, and produced by the Silvio d'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Arts. It is part of a broader series dedicated to the Academy's permanent presence at the Mattatoio, which brings essays, diploma shows, and special projects to the stage throughout the year.

Why it's worth attending

For theater lovers, Contaminazioni is a rare opportunity: you get to see actors and directors at work, in professional conditions, who will be the protagonists of Italian stages and screens within a few years. The quality of the work is already high, the expressive freedom is much greater than in a standard season, and admission is free. It is also a different way to visit Rome: not the city of monuments, but the one of reinvented neighborhoods, where a former slaughterhouse becomes one of the capital's most vibrant cultural laboratories.

The audience and the atmosphere

The vibe is informal and youthful, with an audience made up of students, industry professionals, curious locals, and regular theatergoers. Between shows, people linger in the courtyards of the Mattatoio, where conversations about the work just seen continue freely: it is an integral part of the festival experience.