Festival of Theatre

A theatre marathon in the heart of Fermo

The Festival of Theatre is the event that, every March 27th, brings together theatre enthusiasts and amateur companies from all over the area in Fermo, in the Marche region, to celebrate World Theatre Day. The event takes place at the prestigious Teatro dell'Aquila, the historic Italian-style theatre that dominates the centre of the Municipality of Fermo, the capital of the province of the same name.

The format is that of a true non-stop marathon: from 7:00 PM until midnight, shows follow one another without breaks, while the public is free to enter and leave at any time. No one pays for a ticket and no one receives payment: it is a festival born from passion and sharing, where theatre becomes a common good again.

Who takes the stage

On the stage in Fermo, amateur theatre companies, dance schools, and music groups from Fermo and many towns in the Province take turns: Pedaso, Amandola, Porto San Giorgio, Ortezzano, Monte Urano, Altidona, Montelparo, and others. The programme is deliberately diverse and brings together:

• plays in standard Italian and in the Fermo dialect;
• monologues and poetry readings;
• classical and contemporary dance;
• local folk music and dances.

This plurality of languages is the heart of the event: the Festival of Theatre does not award prizes and is not a competition, but a moment of meeting between different realities that share the same love for the stage.

A Fermo tradition

Conceived and coordinated by the TiAeFfe Association, led by Graziano Ferroni, the event is held under the patronage of the UILT (Italian Union of Free Theatre) and with the support of the Municipality of Fermo and the Fondazione Carifermo. Now almost twenty years old, it has become a reference point for amateur theatre in the Marche region and an opportunity to reaffirm, as the municipal administration reminds us, that culture is not a privilege but a right.

For those visiting Fermo during this period, the Festival of Theatre is also an authentic way to discover the city's cultural vitality and to step inside the Teatro dell'Aquila in an informal and popular atmosphere, far from the solemnity of the regular theatre season.