The festival - Venice Open Stage

Venice Open Stage’s guiding principles are the training in performing arts and the dissemination of theatrical culture. Its goal is to bringnew life to the cultural production of Venice , and to avoid its excessive ‘museification’ through a highly social event.

Bands For Hire

YOU DESERVE THE BEST BAND

To deliver unrivalled levels of entertainment to elevate events and create unforgettable experiences.

Since then, we have delivered live entertainment for the UK’s top venues, brands and event planners.

Live entertainment is about much more than simply a good performance. It’s about showmanship, connection with our guests and those moments of magic. This is the reason we’re so passionate about what we do; entertainment can truly transform an event.

We’re on a mission to inspire a culture of trust, positivity and innovation – from our team, to our acts, our partners and our clients.

01. Academies
02. Fermenti
03. Rassegna
04. Pistilli – Talks
05. TRAINING

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.

Fermenti

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.

Rassegna

With the section established after 2020, we continue to bring a selection of contemporary theater performances to Venice every summer, created by professionals in the performing arts, to provide our audience with moments of enjoyment and engagement.

Rassegna VOS hosts professional companies, ideally completing the journey that the festival showcases through Academies and Fermenti.

Pistilli - Talk

PISTILLI - Talks are informal gatherings centered around various themes related to the performing arts. They take place in the festival area during aperitif hour, where guests engage with participants in a relaxed and informal setting, suitable for freely discussing any topic.

Pistilli – Talks was born from the need for interdisciplinary dialogues free from barriers, where professionals from all sectors of theater drink something with our audience.

Training

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.

Story

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!

The voices on stage speak different languages, creating new combinations of colours and thoughts. They transcend borders and bring cultures together, and they forge lasting relationships that have Venice and Venice Open Stage as their driving force.