INVENTARIA – The Off-Theater Festival

INVENTARIA, the off-theater festival in the heart of Rome

INVENTARIA – The Off-Theater Festival is one of the most vibrant events dedicated to the Italian independent scene. Every year, between May and June, the festival transforms several theaters in Rome (Lazio) into an open-air laboratory of contemporary theater, staging emerging plays, national premieres, and projects selected from hundreds of applications from across the peninsula.

A project by Compagnia DoveComeQuando

The event is conceived and organized by Compagnia DoveComeQuando, under the artistic direction of Pietro Dattola, assisted by Flavia Germana de Lipsis for the demo section. Born as a self-funded and sustainable festival, INVENTARIA has established itself over the years as one of the most anticipated showcases of the Roman "off" theater scene: a space where young and experimental companies can engage with both the public and industry professionals.

How the festival works

The heart of the event is the competition: a jury and a network of partners select a limited number of shows to compete, alongside several demos—studies and works still in development. The typical format features about seven competing shows (plus one out of competition) and six demos, spread over several evenings across various stages in the city.

• National and Roman premieres: many titles debut right here at INVENTARIA.
• New languages: monologues, social theater, comedy, performance poetry, live music, and puppet theater.
• Companies from all over Italy: selections are made annually from hundreds of proposals.

Prizes and opportunities for companies

What makes INVENTARIA more than just a showcase is its prize system: thanks to a network of dozens of partners across numerous Italian regions, winning shows receive additional performances in other theaters and artistic residency days. It is a mechanism designed to provide continuity and circulation for the work of emerging artists, who are often excluded from major institutional circuits.

Theaters and atmosphere

The festival takes place in multiple theaters throughout Rome, involving historic venues and independent spaces scattered from the city center to its various neighborhoods, from Trastevere to the banks of the Tiber. This distributed format invites spectators to move between stages, discovering the theatrical geography of the capital. The shows, usually held in the evening, create an intimate and informal atmosphere where the proximity between actors and the audience is an integral part of the experience.

Why attend

For those who love experimental theater, INVENTARIA is an unmissable date on the Roman calendar: an opportunity to preview authors and companies that often go on to establish themselves on the national scene in the following years. For the city of Rome, it also represents a precious cultural stronghold, capable of keeping the off-scene alive and concretely supporting the generational turnover of Italian theater.