Festival
Venice Open Stage’s guiding principles are the training in performing arts and the dissemination of theatrical culture. Its goal is to bring new life to the cultural production of Venice and to avoid its excessive ‘museification’ through a highly social event.
01. Drama Academies
02. OFF Section
03. Kilometrozero
04. Workshops
05. Craftsmanship
DRAMA ACADEMIES
On VOS’s stage local and international drama academies can meet and bring together different ways of teaching and perceiving the performing arts around the world.
Throughout the years, San Sebastiano’s square has hosted schools coming from Denmark, Greece, Iran, Lithuania, Malaysia, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Spain, Romania, and Turkey.
OFF SECTION
The formative aspect finds its natural continuation in the space we dedicate to recently formed professional companies, selected for the OFF section of the festival through a call for proposals.
At the core of this project, there are contemporary theatre, research and experimentation with new dramaturgical, performative and staging languages, together with the awareness of shaping a living, dynamic and constantly evolving art.
KILOMETROZERO
Stepping out of the lecture halls was our first act of love for Venice and its territory. Year after year, we have been building a festival which is increasingly connected with the world and with the different branches of contemporary theatre. This requires keeping an eye on what is happening around us.
The Kilometrozero section hosts local companies and gives them the opportunity to bring their work to San Sebastiano, so that our audience can enjoy performances by local artists.
WORKSHOPS
We organize workshops in partnership with various international and national drama academies, with the institutions that support the festival, and as part of external projects that, over the years, have built a special relationship with Venice Open Stage.
The selection of participants for the various workshops takes place through a call for proposals.
CRAFTSMANSHIP
The educational vocation of the festival also concerns the professions that makes theatre possible.
Students in stage design, stagecraft, stage architecture, organization, and communication, find at VOS the opportunity to apply their knowledge outside the lecture halls and to learn from the day-to-day challenges of a live event that hosts over two hundred people every night, as well as companies with the most diverse technical needs.
Storia
Gigi Dall’Aglio, while he was a lecturer at Iuav, University of Venice, first felt the need to share the final performances of his workshops in mise-en-scène with the rest of the city. He chose the picturesque area of Campazzo San Sebastiano, where he began the tradition of Venice Open Stage. In 2013, the square hosted the first edition of Venice Open Stage – International theatre festival of universities and drama academies.
Today, Venice Open Stage – Rising theatre festival is one of the main performing arts events of the Venetian summer. It creates connections between drama students and professionals coming from all over Europe and beyond. The festival is organised by Cantieri Teatrali Veneziani, together with the Municipality of Venice, and in collaboration with the bachelor’s degree in stagecraft, stage design and stage architecture at the Venice Academy of Fine Arts.
Beyond Theatre
MUSIC
Opening night concerts and pre-show music
POETRY
Closely linked to performance, poetry find its natural place on VOS’s stage
STAND-UP COMEDY
One of the most fascinating evolutions of the classical monologue
PERFORMANCE
Contemporary dance and audio-visual installations and performances
VISUAL ARTS
Turning a Venetian square into a festival area: setting the scene
SOCIAL LIFE
Organic wines, cocktails, beer and chicchetti: VOS is a part of Venice!
