Ripana Theatre Review

The prose season of Ripatransone

The Ripana Theatre Review is the winter theatre season of the Luigi Mercantini Theatre in Ripatransone, a charming hilltop village in the province of Ascoli Piceno, in the Marche region. The event is promoted by AMAT (Marche Association for Theatre Activities) together with the Municipality of Ripatransone, as part of the Ripatransone Community Hub (RCH) project, designed to strengthen the cultural life and cohesion of the local community.

A trio of free performances

The review features a short but carefully curated programme running from December to February, with three evenings of free admission starting at 9 PM. The programme blends different genres: commedia dell'arte and great classics, singer-songwriter music and poetry, lecture-performances and contemporary storytelling. This formula allows the audience of the Piceno area to encounter nationally renowned performers in an intimate and cozy setting.

The 2025/2026 programme

• Sunday, December 14, 2025, 9 PM — La Mandragola. Facetissima commedia dell'arte, by Stivalaccio Teatro, a free adaptation of Niccolò Machiavelli's play, with Pierdomenico Simone, directed by Michele Mori.
• Thursday, January 22, 2026, 9 PM — Mentre rubavo la vita (While I Was Stealing Life), with Monica Guerritore and Giovanni Nuti, a poetic and musical tribute to Alda Merini, with lyrics from Alda Merini's songs and music by Giovanni Nuti, directed by Mimma Nocelli.
• Sunday, February 22, 2026, 9 PM — Se Giasone fosse rimasto single (If Jason Had Stayed Single), by and with Cesare Catà, a lecture-performance on the Argonauts' journey that blends philosophy, storytelling, and stand-up comedy.

The Luigi Mercantini Theatre

The heart of the review is the historic Luigi Mercantini Theatre, a jewel of 19th-century theatre architecture overlooking Piazza XX Settembre, in the centre of Ripatransone. With its Italian-style hall and ordered boxes, it offers a highly charming setting, capable of enhancing both prose and musical recitals. The hall has about 150 seats, which is why booking is always recommended: in recent editions, several evenings have sold out.

Community culture in Piceno

More than just a season of performances, the Ripana Theatre Review is a piece of the cultural regeneration project for Ripatransone. As part of the Ripatransone Community Hub initiatives, it helps make the theatre a meeting place for the inhabitants of the village and neighbouring towns, in a territory—the Piceno and Marche region—always rich in historic theatres and vibrant theatrical tradition.