POLIS Teatro Festival takes place every year in May in Ravenna, Italy, under the artistic direction of ErosAntEros. Founded in 2018, it has firmly established itself within the local community and the international theatre scene, becoming a consolidated appointment in constant evolution, distinguished as one of the few theatre festivals in Italy that deeply investigates pressing contemporary topics, such as civil rights, gender issues, climate change, and the role of art in society.
The festival highlights each year a different geographical area (French Focus 2022, Balkan Focus 2023, German Focus 2024, Iberian Focus 2025, Nordic Focus 2026), programming more than 30 events in one week, including national premieres by the most interesting international contemporary theatre artists, European coproductions and collaborations, as well as young artists’ expressions and innovative performing arts projects. It also offers dedicated spaces for discussion among artists, scholars, and international programmers, drawing the attention of audiences from all over Europe. By combining the high level of artistic proposals with the care of the communicative aspects it has been rewarded by continuous audience increase (+350% compared to the first edition), with significant Under-30 participation (33,11%) and strong attention from the national and international press.
Since the choice of its name, POLIS aims to bring theatre closer to society. It promotes active citizenship through innovative educational and participatory projects (such as Suspended Tickets, Under-30 Tickets, University Workshops), engaging diverse communities—particularly young people and marginalized groups—to fight social exclusion. Central to these initiatives are multi-level collaborations with the University of Bologna, local high schools and social cooperatives, national networks (ItaliaFestival, In-Box, L’Italia dei Visionari).
POLIS Teatro Festival is a project by EROSANTEROS APS, supported by the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Municipality of Ravenna, alongside various foundations and private sponsors.