Description
The project to develop theater culture in Alessandria, implemented by the Municipality of Alessandria and the Fondazione Piemonte dal Vivo in collaboration with ASM Costruire Insieme and Alexala, reaches its fifth year with the 25-26 season. Building on growing public success, with a 24% increase in attendance over the past two years—particularly in the programs aimed at young people and families—the new Alessandria drama season reiterates and expands on its distinguishing features within the Piedmontese theater scene: - inclusion in a single program—uniform in quality and high-profile—of major productions, featuring renowned national and international performers and directors, and performances by local professional theater companies, which thus have the opportunity to present their productions in a prestigious and highly visible context. Local companies are also protagonists, together with schools, of the "Theatre Professions" project. The shows will be presented in the city's main private theaters: Teatro Alessandrino, San Francesco, and Ambra (which will also host the end-of-year productions for high school students to complete their education); - a program focused on both the great classics (supporting the high school curriculum), contemporary drama with references to current issues, and, starting this year, a multidisciplinary approach with the inclusion of dance theater; specific theater programming for children, diversified by age group from preschool to middle school ("Puck"), and for families ("Domeniche a Teatro"); - presentation and in-depth analysis of the shows, dissemination and training in theater culture and practice for all school levels, from nursery school to middle school; - constant attention to opening up new horizons, with the development of the prison theater training program launched in the 24-25 season, and the narrative theater program in daycare centers, which, after an initial pilot last school year, will continue this year organically within the "Theatre Professions" project. For these characteristics, the Alessandria theater season was recognized at the end of 2024 as a Good Practice by the European Territorial Cooperation Program URBACT—the only good practice dedicated to theater among the few (5 out of 116) related to culture; Following this recognition, the theater season is competing for a transfer network project (called "Theatre 4 all") which, if approved, will make Alessandria, as the lead partner, the point of reference for six European cities interested in testing the "Alessandria model" in their own territories. This model represents a path to developing theater as a tool for aggregation and inclusion, cultural and social growth of the community, and therefore as an opportunity to implement specific forms of urban resilience and regeneration. This represents an innovative approach for URBACT, a program typically focused on urban, environmental, and economic planning, etc. The underlying goal of the Alessandria theater project is to expand the audience, particularly among young people, to further develop the city's cultural life in a broad and inclusive manner, looking to the future. It also aims to raise awareness that theater, as its thousand-year history teaches, must be a shared heritage as a tool for reflection, cohesion, and community growth. This function is all the more important in light of the final phase of the impressive restoration, technological upgrade, and compliance process that will lead to the recovery and reopening of the Municipal Theater.