"Itaca Colonia Creativa" Stagione 2026/27. Il debutto il 24 ottobre

A multifunctional space located in Pomigliano d’Arco, a culturally vibrant city and the birthplace and setting of international events such as Pomigliano Jazz and the Independent Literature Festival (FLiP). This is Itaca Colonia Creativa, “the home of all the nobodies,” founded three years ago by writer and screenwriter Francesco Spiedo and actor, playwright and director Simone Somma.

Music, dance, acting and writing—including remote classes with two London-based groups—are the educational activities offered to people of all ages. They take place at the venue in the city centre, which houses a recording studio, a dance hall and a 50-seat theatre. The theatre hosts a season featuring contemporary issues and reworked classics, viewed through the lens of contemporary playwriting, for an audience that is largely young and directly involved in choosing part of the programme.

“It is a formula that has enabled us to create a direct dialogue with the audience, especially with young people, who show us a great appetite for the classics,” say the artistic directors as they present the 2026/27 season.

Twelve performances will be staged on Saturdays and Sundays by companies from all over Italy.

The season opens on 24 and 25 October with an in-house production: *The Pelican* by August Strindberg, an early twentieth-century chamber drama that anticipates the crisis of family relationships, adapted and directed by Simone Somma and Sara Esposito.

A story of trans coming-of-age is at the heart of *My Aunt Daniela, Known as Dada, Wore 25-Centimetre Platform Heels to Go Dancing at Night*, written and performed by Riccardo Iellen (7 and 8 November).

Based on the volume *Ten Ancient Fairy Tales in the Manner of G.B. Basile*, *Ce steva tre vvote*—“Once upon a time,” in an archaic dialect—with Federica Aiello and Maurizio Murano, is Manlio Santanelli’s bedtime story in an ancient language, presented on 21 and 22 November.

*In Case of an Explosion… Don’t Come Looking for Me* (5 and 6 December) is a dark comedy about the relationship between two sisters, set during the years of political protest, featuring Elisa De Paolis, Vanessa Littera and Alisia Pizzonia.

Politics and democracy take centre stage at Christmas with *President!*, a satire written and directed by the artistic directors, scheduled for 25, 26 and 27 December.

The new year begins on 9 and 10 January with Henrik Ibsen’s *A Doll’s House*, in a production featuring Chiara Di Bernardo and Franco Nappi, directed by Daria D’Amore.

Waking up without any memories and the presence of a mysterious figure are the ingredients of *Lo Spiedo*, a play about artificial intelligence (24 and 25 January) by Matteo Ronconi, featuring Greta Bertani and Luigi Savinelli.

A waiting room and a perfect victim: this is how *The Enemy Beside Me* by Niko Mucci begins. It will be staged on 6 and 7 February, with Nello Provenzano, in a production receiving organisational support from Teatro Area Nord. Costumes are by Federica Del Gaudio (winner of the 2025/26 Ubu Award); set design is by Tonino Di Ronza and the Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli; music is by Luca Toller; and the assistant director is Mario Autore.

The search undertaken by a young couple to become “perfect” parents is the theme of *The Last Famous Words* by Riccardo Gueci and Francesca Sirtori (Sunday, 7 March).

On 20 and 21 March, it will be the turn of *It Is So (If You Think So)* by Luigi Pirandello, presented by Adriano Fiorillo’s Oberon Teatro. Then, on 3 and 4 April, *Cronus’s Mocking Cry* will be staged—a reflection on the father-daughter relationship by Mirko Angelo Castaldo, Chiara Cappelli and Teresa Flor Castellani.

The season closes on 17 and 18 April with *A Ridiculous Man*, written and performed by Aurelio de Matteìs: the confessions of a man who reveals all the masks he is forced to wear in order to survive.

**Itaca Colonia Creativa**
Via G. Carducci 7 (80038), Pomigliano d’Arco (NA)
Contact: info@itacacoloniacreativa.it | 081 17610467 | 333 3495863
Web: www.itacacoloniacreativa.it/