Direction Under 30

A festival that puts young people at the center of the stage

Direction Under 30 is the first Italian project entirely dedicated to supporting the under-30 theatre scene. Promoted by the Teatro Sociale di Gualtieri, in the Municipality of Gualtieri in the province of Reggio Emilia (Emilia-Romagna), in collaboration with the Fondazione I Teatri di Reggio Emilia, the festival takes place every summer in the evocative setting of the 19th-century theatre of Palazzo Bentivoglio, overlooking the scenic Piazza Bentivoglio.

"Theatrical mutual aid"

Since its inception in 2014, Direction Under 30 has been based on a precise idea of mutual aid among young people: overturning the traditional hierarchies of the performing arts world by entrusting artistic direction and award assignments not to established professionals, but to their peers. The work of young companies is thus evaluated by under-30 juries, in a spirit of generational reciprocity and peer dialogue.

How the competition works

The process is divided into several phases over a few months:

• Artistic Direction: in spring, a group of under-30s participates in a series of training sessions between Reggio Emilia and Gualtieri.
• National Call for Entries: companies and artists with an average age under 31 can submit recent productions, previews, or debuts, with no entry fee.
• Selection of Finalists: in June, the artistic direction collectively chooses the six finalist performances.
• The Festival: in July, over three days, the six performances are staged at the Teatro Sociale, two per day, in front of the audience.

Awards

At the end of the festival, the under-30 juries assign the awards. The Jury Prize includes a net sum of €4,000 for the winning company to support its production activities and growth. The performance awarded by critics finds a place in the program of Festival Aperto, the review organized by Fondazione I Teatri di Reggio Emilia, ensuring emerging artists valuable visibility on the national circuit.

A growing network

Direction Under 30 is an integral part of Terreni Fertili Festival, the umbrella of reviews by the Teatro Sociale di Gualtieri, and since 2017 it has been the cornerstone of the national network Risonanze Network, dedicated to promoting young artists and involving the under-30 audience in artistic direction in various Italian cities. An event that makes Gualtieri, a small village in the Bassa reggiana along the Po River, a summer capital of the new theatre scene.