Venerdì a Teatro

A festival to rediscover local theatre

Venerdì a Teatro is an amateur theatre festival held at the Cine Teatro Aurora in Sant'Agata di Militello, a coastal town in the province of Messina overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. The event is organized by the Nuovo Gruppo Artistico Santagatese, a local theatre association, with the patronage of the Municipality of Sant'Agata di Militello. The initiative is part of a broader project to revitalize the historic Aurora, which has returned to being a key reference point for the town's cultural life after years of activity.

Five Fridays of performance

The program consists of five events: four Fridays in November and a final evening in early December. Each night features a different Sicilian amateur company, exploring various genres and styles of popular theatre—from brilliant dialect comedies to classic plays by authors like Pirandello.

The 2025 edition featured companies from across the island, including the Odeon company from Catania, the Triscele section of Polis Kephaloidion from Cefalù, the Teatro, Arte e Cultura group from Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, Il Sipario from Patti, and, for the finale, the Nuovo Gruppo Artistico Santagatese performing Luigi Pirandello's La Giara.

The value of amateur theatre

The festival's core mission is to promote amateur theatre, a deeply rooted phenomenon in Sicilian tradition where local troupes preserve and pass down dialect repertoires and local humor. Venerdì a Teatro provides these groups with a high-quality stage and offers the public a chance to gather, week after week, for a staple of the autumn weekend.

A continuing tradition

Year after year, the festival has established itself as one of the most anticipated autumn events in Sant'Agata: the 2024/2025 season already hosted a cycle of five amateur performances, a sign of a now-consolidated cultural offering. The winning formula remains accessible, community-based theatre that blends entertainment, dialect identity, and social connection in one of the most iconic venues in Sant'Agata di Militello.

Sant'Agata di Militello and its theatre

Overlooking the Tyrrhenian coast of Messina at the foot of the Nebrodi mountains, Sant'Agata di Militello is a vibrant town that bridges the sea and the mountains. The Cine Teatro Aurora is the beating heart of its cultural life, alternating between film screenings and theatre seasons. With Venerdì a Teatro, the venue reaffirms its commitment to being a space open to the community and local troupes, in the spirit of the best Sicilian popular theatre tradition.