THEThe debut moment has arrived: Willem Dafoeveteran of the stage and the screen, begins as director of the Theater of the Venice Biennale. The title of the event, which will take place from 31 May to 15 June? Theater is body – Body is poetry (iThe theater is body, the body is poetry).
«I am referring to the poetic value of the theater, which is not the simple staging of literary texts: Like poetry, formulates questions; Literature, on the other hand, tries to give answers. But the center remains the body, the words are filtered through the body »had anticipated a I woman Telling his lesser known side, that of performers. “This new role gives me the opportunity to create a program that allows me to share my passion, especially in an era when most of our experience is virtual”.
“I didn’t shop”
Willem Dafoe and Simonetta Solder (Courtesy The Venice Biennale – Photo Andrea Avezzù).
“I decided not to” go shopping “in search of what is in fashion or we are talking about,” he added. “I wanted a non -cold selection, which really expressed my experience.” So here is the works of people with whom he has already worked on the bill (the Wooster Groupin which it was formed, Evangelia rantou, Romeo Castellucci And Richard Foreman); people who admired (Thomas Ostemeier, Milo Rau And Bob Holman); people who inspired him (Thomas Richards and theOdin Theatret).
«But there are also talents recently encountered as Davide Iodiceof which I saw the Pinocchio In Naples, moving from the first to the last moment. We will then present the collective Independent industrythe clown Gardi HuttertheIstanbul Historical Turkish Music Ensemble and the musician Daniela Pes“.
Willem Dafoe & Simonetta Solder
Fans calm down: Willem Dafoe will not remain (alone) behind the scenes. On 6 and 7 June appointment at the tense of the mezzanines, at the Arsenale, for No title (An experience), a performative experiment Which represents a homage to Richard Foreman, who passed away in January. The playwright, poet and director, pioneer of the US artistic and intellectual artistic and intellectual is also the author of the surreal show of the Wooster Group which inaugurates the Biennale: Symphony of Ratsdirected by Elizabeth Lecompte (2025 gold lion) and Kate Valk. On stage will accompany him Simonetta Soldereclectic Italian actress who passes from the avant -garde theater in English to series as Red bracelets And Battle studyand together they will read a written text by Foreman on 640 postcards that he kept in a tin box. The translator is also the top level: Matilde Vignaactress and author already winner of three Ubu prizes.
The shows
The Wooster Group in “Symphony for Rats” (photo Keetja Allerd).
Among the unmissable of the Biennale Teatro Carnet: Potato eatersa creation site-specific Of Romeo Castellucci Absolutely on the island of the old lazzaretto; Changes by Maja Zade directed by Thomas Ostemeier (“Comedy on the difficulty of changing the world and on the effort necessary not to get lost while trying”); The new work of Milo Rau, The Seer (History of a war photographer, protagonist Ursina Lardi, 2025 silver lion).
There is also room for the celebration of an important anniversary: in 1975 Luca Ronconi directed a biennial theater that entered history. Entitled it Utopiainvolving revolutionary figures of the scenes: the Living Theater, Odin Teatret, Open Theater, Théâtre du Soleil, Meredith Monk, Jerzy Grotowski. To the director, who died ten years ago, he is dedicated A day of study, Biennale Ronconi Venice. And there will be some protagonists of that memorable edition: Eugenio Barba and Julia Varley ofOdin Teatret they will bring their latest work, The clouds of Hamlet; Thomas Richardsfor over thirty years with the Grotowski Workcenterwill present in the first European with its multicultural company Inanna (from the name of a divinity of Summera mythology).
Emerging in the spotlight
Jörg Hartmann and Anna Schudt in “Changes” (Photo Arno Declair).
Also mark the absolute first of Mountains. The Greek choreographer and director Evangelia rantouwith his company Garage21, wonders about nodal issues. “Performance arises from a very personal investigation: how do identity, memory, the passage of time and transformation imprint in the body? How do we be modeled by our past, how do we get it in turn? ” explains.
Oedipus monologue And Great Apes of the West Coast of the Pluridisciplinary artist Afro-Belga Princess Bangura; Call Me Paris German Yana Eva Thönnes; The (a) Double, performance-adaptation of Impersonator by Fëdor Dostoevsky of the Californian Anthony Nikolchevartistic co-director of the Losangelino artistic collective The Useless Room; Golem_e mud is the world of marialo brusa, Winner of the Call Regia 2024-2025 of the College Teatro Biennale.
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