POLIS Teatro Festival was born in 2018. Since then it has been able to become known by the community of Ravenna and the international theatre scene, becoming a consolidated appointment but in constant evolution, with the merit of being one of the few theatre festivals on the Italian territory that investigate fundamental and present issues such as civil rights,
Since the choice of its name, POLIS wants to bring the theatre closer to society, programming and producing performances engaged in the themes and courageous in the languages, promoting active citizenship through innovative educational and participatory projects, involving different layers of the city, starting from young people and the most disadvantaged people, fighting social marginality.
In May, every year, POLIS fills the main cultural venues of Ravenna, promoting innovative projects and productions, favouring the interaction with spectators of different ages, social and cultural backgrounds, pursuing the idea that theater, in order to be popular, should not lower its language but, on the contrary, must bring art among people. POLIS gives space in primis to the artists and their research on the different languages of our contemporary, but also to artists from different generations who have in common a theatrical research that never stops testing and asking questions about the present. From 2022 the festival opens to the European scene with a special focus on contemporary French dramaturgy, raising the festival to the attention of the national press and audience. In 2023 POLIS relaunched with a Balkan Focus that solidified its identity as an international theater festival; in 2024 with a focus on contemporary theater from the German-speaking area and in 2025 with an Iberian Focus. In 2026, it is the turn of a Nordic Focus dedicated to the Baltic and Scandinavian countries.
POLIS Teatro Festival is a project by EROSANTEROS APS, supported by Italian Ministry of Culture, Emilia-Romagna Region, Municipality of Ravenna, several foundations and private sponsors.