PLAYGROUND

A hub for new theatrical writing

PLAYGROUND is a project supporting emerging contemporary drama that brings Rome, in the heart of Lazio, to life from July to December. Conceived by the PAV association and promoted by the Municipality of Rome through the Department of Culture, PLAYGROUND is not just a simple season of shows, but a true permanent laboratory: a space where writing for the stage is nurtured, tested, and shared with the public through residencies, creative workshops, and meetings.

The legacy of Fabulamundi

The festival was born in continuity with the scouting and promotion work for authors of the international theatrical scene that PAV has been carrying out since 2012 with Fabulamundi Playwriting Europe, of which PLAYGROUND represents the natural continuation. Winner of the Creative Europe 2023-2027 grant, the project relies on an international network that includes, in addition to PAV, La Mousson d'été (France), the Ariel Youth Theatre (Romania), the Heartefact Foundation (Serbia), Euradia, and the Roman company lacasadargilla.

A widespread cultural geography across the city

The distinctive feature of PLAYGROUND is its polycentric nature: events span some of the main cultural venues in Rome, creating bridges between theaters, universities, libraries, and independent spaces. Involved venues include:

• Teatro India, on Lungotevere Vittorio Gassman;
• the Nuovo Teatro Ateneo of Sapienza University of Rome;
• the Teatro Argentina and the Teatro Basilica;
• the Tullio De Mauro Library and the Ex Vetrerie Sciarra spaces.

This dispersion within the urban fabric is not a logistical detail: it is a deliberate choice to bring new drama to where students, readers, citizens, and spectators live, outside of the usual circuits.

How a writing workshop works

At the heart of PLAYGROUND are the workshops and residencies: open and experimental work phases where a text still in progress is explored scenically, allowing writing, direction, and performers to engage without the pressure of a finished product. Alongside this laboratory core, the festival offers workshops for young authors under 30, meetings on cultural policies with the Sapienza Master's program, and moments of discussion on contemporary drama hosted in libraries.

An international outlook, Roman roots

Thanks to the European network, each edition connects authors and masters of the stage from different countries with emerging Italian voices. An experience that makes Rome a crossroads of new European theatrical writing and restores to the capital a role as a cultural workshop, not just a showcase. Admission to all events is free, confirming the project's public and participatory vocation.