Fabulart - Theatre Festival

Fabulart, when theatre returns to the heart of the town

Fabulart is the municipal theatre festival of Sant'Arpino, a small town in the province of Caserta, Campania, located in the heart of the Atellana area just a few kilometres from Aversa and Naples. Born as a neighbourhood initiative, the event has grown edition after edition to become one of the most anticipated cultural appointments of the Sant'Arpino summer: four evenings that transform the town's historic spaces into an open-air stage, featuring local amateur companies.

The festival is promoted by the Municipal Administration led by Mayor Ernesto Di Mattia and is curated directly by the Department of Culture, headed by Giovanni Maisto, who personally oversees the artistic direction together with local volunteers and associations.

The Palazzo Ducale courtyard, an open-air stage

Since 2026, the heart of Fabulart has been the courtyard of Palazzo Ducale, in Piazza Macrì: a historic courtyard that, for a few evenings, fills with chairs, lights, and an audience. It is a setting that completely changes the relationship between actors and spectators, as the distance is minimal and the performance arrives directly, without filters. Previous editions were held in other city spaces, including the courtyard of the «Cinquegrana» school complex: the move to the ducal courtyard was seen by the organisers as a coming-of-age for the festival.

Amateur theatre, dialect, and Atellana identity

The distinctive feature of Fabulart is the firm choice of amateur theatre. Local companies such as Junior Comic, 'O Raggio 'e Sole, and the Nuova Compagnia da Cortile «G. Plazza» take the stage, groups that unite actors of different generations and perform mainly brilliant comedies in the Neapolitan language. Councillor Maisto defined this choice as the «philosophy of the alley and the courtyard», that is, theatre «that is born among the people and returns to the people».

Mayor Di Mattia, on the other hand, emphasised the deep bond between the Atellana area and the performing arts: treading those boards, he said, means «awakening an ancestral memory». A reference that is not accidental in a territory that claims a very long theatrical tradition and finds in Fabulart a contemporary and popular form of that vocation.

From the June weekend to the Patronal Feast

The now-consolidated formula includes an intense weekend at the end of June with three consecutive shows, followed by a final appointment in July included in the patronal celebrations dedicated to Saint Elpidius the Bishop, the patron saint of Sant'Arpino. On that occasion, the festival changes register and presents the «Tragedy of Saint Elpidius», a solemn performance that combines faith, history, and theatre, taking place in Piazza Salvo d'Acquisto before a very large audience.

A success built without large budgets

Reaching the fourth edition was by no means a given for an event that started from the bottom. The organisational machine relies on the synergy between municipal institutions, the passion of amateur companies, and the work of volunteers: a demonstration, according to the organisers, that «beauty does not need large budgets if it is supported by big hearts». The evenings of the fourth edition were sold out, with a participation that confirmed Fabulart as a moment of cohesion for the entire community.

What to expect from a Fabulart evening

• Performances by local amateur companies, mostly in the Neapolitan language
• An intergenerational audience, very engaged and close to the stage
• A historic outdoor setting, the Palazzo Ducale courtyard in Piazza Macrì
• A final appointment in July linked to the Patronal Feast of Saint Elpidius
• A simple and welcoming town atmosphere, without spectacular superstructures

For those visiting the Caserta hinterland in summer, Fabulart is a rare opportunity to see up close how popular Neapolitan theatre continues to live outside the major circuits, kept alive by those who do it for passion. The organisers have already announced that the festival will continue in the following years, with the ambition to grow even further.