The Theater of Naples – National Theater includes several theatres: the Mercadante in Piazza Municipio, Naples; the Ridotto (so called due to its small size) located in the same building as the Mercadante and the San Ferdinando in Piazza Eduardo de Filippo, Naples.
The National Theater – Teatro di Napoli has as founding members the Municipality of Naples, the Campania Region and the Metropolitan City of Naples with the contribution of the Ministry of Culture.
The Theater of Naples – National Theater is characterized by the cultural excellence of the performances proposed, both classical and contemporary theatre.
The title of the new theater season is: Changing your gaze. A title with a highly evocative value.
Present at the presentation, introduced by Sergio Marra, were Luciano Cannito President of the Theater of Naples – National Theatre, Roberto Andò Director of the Theater of Naples – National Theater and Mimmo Basso Operations Director of the Theater of Naples – National Theater and the Mayor of Naples Professor Gaetano Manfredi.
President Luciano Cannito declared that the Theater of Naples – National Theater is becoming a point of reference for all Italian theatres, for the quality of the offer, for the quality of management and for the impact of the shows with the public. Last year the Teatro di Napoli recorded 92,000 attendances and the San Ferdinando had an increase of 125%, announced the President. The President also defined the Theater of Naples as a cultural hospital that shares stories.
The Mayor of Naples Gaetano Manfredi congratulated the Teatro di Napoli team for the great success of the last theater season, with an offering of great quality and a very high level. The Mayor then pointed out that the city of Naples is a city that loves theater, that goes to the theater and that loves beautiful theater and the quality of shows and therefore deserves high-level programming like that of the Theater of Naples – National Theatre.
Director Roberto Andò expressed his enthusiasm for the role he holds and for the trust placed in him. Then he moved on to an examination of the role of theater in the current era. The theatre, according to Andò, in the period of disorientation and confusion that we are experiencing, represents a compass that orients the spectator in a non-linear way, sometimes disorientating him, disrupting what he had in mind. In this sense, the theatre, again according to Andò, is configured as a fundamental experience that moves along the track of “changing one’s gaze”.
The Operations Director Mimmo Basso instead focused on the national and international collaborations of the Theater of Naples and above all on the important collaborations in the area and the precious collaboration with Gallerie d’Italia.
Numerous directors and actors were present in the audience including: Ruggero Cappucio who spoke about Giacomo Casanova in the show “Casanova dell’infinita fuga” written and directed by him which will be staged from 12 to 23 March 2025 at the Mercadante Theatre; Benedetto Casillo who spoke about the shows “The man with the flower in his mouth” by Luigi Pirandello and “Fiori di stage” Viviani, Totalmente, Moscato which he will perform from 8 to 18 May 2025 at the San Ferdinando Theater and Geppy Gleijeses who spoke of “Fu Mattia Pascal” by Luigi Pirandello adapted by him and Marco Tullio Giordana as well as interpreted by himself, which will be on stage from 28 January to 2 February 2025 at the Teatro Mercadante.
The program of the Theater of Naples – National Theater includes 41 shows in season, 22 productions and co-productions, 2 international projects, 3 “under 35” productions linked to the Leo de Berardinis Award, 4 themed event evenings, 1 contemporary dance show, 7 special projects created in collaboration with the territory, for a total of 17 “national premieres” debuts.
To find out about the programming of the three theatres, Mercadante, Ridotto and San Ferdinando www.teatrodinapoli.it
Sara Buccaro
