Biennale College Teatro 2026

The international call for applications for the Biennale College Teatro – Theatre Criticism under 30, which is an integral part of the 2026 artistic project, invites emerging critics to experience other performing arts throughout the Festival programme and to question how we view contemporary theatre and society.

In what ways can criticism be used to describe the world we live in, both on and off stage? How does engagement with theatre and the world alter our perspective? How do different visions, cultures and experiences, even those from far-flung places, engage in dialogue? Artists continue to ask these questions through their work and their journeys.

Although criticism inhabits the same space as theatre, it was born elsewhere. It traverses different worlds and remains a specialist in otherness. Perhaps, it truly lives only if it is always experimenting with something other than what it has already experienced.

These ideas have taken shape in the form of a project involving the setting up of a team of young theatre critics. The aim is to analyse and provide critical reviews of every performance and event on the programme at the 54th International Theatre Festival.

Project duration
The project will run from 6 to 21 June 2026.

You can apply for:
· the entire course: from June 6 to June 21
· half the course: from June 6 to June 13 (1st period) from June 14 to June 21 (2nd period). Assignment to one of the two groups will be determined automatically by the College administration office.

Participation in the project requires attendance for the entire duration of the chosen course.

The call for applications is open to adults (+18) / under 30 (up to a maximum of six per period) who are interested in pursuing a career in theatre criticism. A good knowledge of Italian and English is required, as is willingness to work collectively.

Those wishing to participate must not be over 30 years of age on the closing date of the call for applications: 10 May 2026.

Selection will be made at the sole discretion of the Artistic Director of the Theatre Department of la Biennale di Venezia, Willem Dafoe, in agreement with the project mentors.

The outcome of the selection process will be communicated by e-mail to all candidates by the second half of May 2026.

Led by Roberta Ferraresi with Massimo Milella, the project will run for the entire duration of the 54th International Theatre Festival in two one-week sessions. It will bring together an editorial team to engage in individual and collective experimentation with alternative perspectives, methods and forms of criticism based on the activities of the Biennale Teatro.

The daily programme includes: exercises in analysis and critical writing on the festival's performances, considering the underlying contexts, cultures and processes; observation and documentation of the research, creation and training processes; in-depth analysis and discussion of the themes, works and artists involved; viewing performances, participating in meetings and attending all scheduled events.

The project results may be published on the Biennale website, and a logbook may be created, composed of materials developed during the 2026 edition of the Festival.

All activities will be held in Italian.

The costs incurred for participation (travel, food, accommodation) will be borne by the participants.

Selected participants will be required to pay a registration fee of € 80 (including VAT) non-refundable, payable by credit card only after they have been notified of their acceptance and in any case no later than the indicated date.

Those selected will attend the performances of the artists invited to the 2026 Biennale Teatro.

La Biennale di Venezia will provide participants with a local public transport pass valid for the duration of their chosen itinerary.

The required documents – which must be sent in Italian and English by 10 May 2026 using the registration form – consists of:

· A CV (Curriculum Vitae)
· An article review, preferably unpublished, on a theatrical performance or event (maximum 3,000 characters including spaces; the number of characters refers to the Italian version).
· A personal essay in which the candidate describes an object that they consider to be particularly representative of critical activity (max. 1,500 characters – the number of characters refers to the Italian version).

Registration form

Incomplete applications will be automatically excluded.

college-teatro@labiennale.org

La Biennale di Venezia reserves the right in any case to modify, cancel or interrupt the initiative described above, in that the announcement or the selection does not constitute a binding contract for the same, nor do they entail the right to the reimbursement of any expense other than those specified above.

The integral acceptance of the conditions of the Biennale College Teatro call makes the application eligible.