Press Release
Kicking off at Teatro Verdi in Padua, Teatro Stabile del Veneto’s first European Project, which will produce an international coproduction focused on the psychological well-being and Shakespearean theatre.
TSV’s internationalization path includes Coproductions with major European Theatres and Cooperation Projects for social inclusion.
Padua, January 28, 2025 – What does Shakespeare have to do with Mental Health? How can theatre have a positive impact on psychological well-being, especially in young people? A team of theatre and mental health experts - brought together by Teatro Stabile del Veneto (Italy), Marin Sorescu National Theater of Craiova (Romania), Fringe Ensemble of Bonn (Germany) and Fitzcarraldo Foundation of Turin (Italy), in collaboration with the Department of General Psychology of Università degli Studi di Padova (Italy) - will seek answers to these questions as part of the European Project STORM - Shakespearean Theatre for Outlasting Resilience in Mental Health. Funded within the Creative Europe Program, the project was presented at Teatro Verdi in Padua during the first meeting between the partners.
Over the next two years, a team composed by director Frank Heuel, Venetian playwright Marta Dalla Via, two actors, a Shakespearean theatre’s researcher and a psychologist specializing in youth issues, will involve at least 90 young people (age 18 to 25) of different nationalities in three workshops conducted in Italy, Romania, and Germany. The final goal is to create an international coproduction focused on Mental Health and inspired by Shakespeare's works, said production will debut in Summer 2026 and then tour Europe. The Project aims to break down stereotypes related to Mental Health, equip artists with tools and knowledge to work on these issues, and actively engage young people to develop artistic skills and find creative ways to manage emotions and face difficult situations.
ETC – European Theatre Convention, joining an international network
In 2025, Teatro Stabile del Veneto, which has recently joined the major network of ETC – European Theatre Convention, will also be protagonist of a second European Project, confirming its increasing attention to themes such as social inclusion and its growing commitment to an international dimension made possible through cooperation projects and the production of shows in collaboration with prestigious Theatres and Companies in Europe. In January, a TSV’s delegation flew to Novi Sad in Serbia to start the work on UAD – Universal Art Design Project, which goal is to involve a group of emerging young artists, including artists with disabilities or from marginalized backgrounds, in training periods and artistic residencies between Italy, Serbia, and Poland, this Project will produce an International Festival in 2026, held in Padua. This project will apply the principle of Universal Design to performing arts in order to make theatre into a shared and accessible experience for everyone, allowing anyone, regardless of their culture, language, ability, or experience, to participate without barriers.
The European activity has also been made possible by the collaboration of Teatro Stabile del Veneto with the Veneto Region’s Brussels Office, which directly endorses TSV’s activities.
From Rijeka to Dublin, International Coproductions
After the successful experiment of Titizé – A Venetian Dream, which entertained over 14,000 spectators from around the world at Teatro Goldoni in Venice in the summer of 2024 with the Swiss-Canadian company Compagnia Finzi Pasca, the internationalization path will continue for the next three years with new collaborations: on February 1st, the world premiere of Carlo Goldoni's The Wise Wife, directed by Giorgio Sangati, will debut at Ivan de Zajc Theatre in Rijeka (Croatia), a coproduction with Italian Drama - Croatian National Theater of Rijeka. From February 10th, in Padua, within the Maddalene Factory Festival, Test Your Writing will kick off, a series of mise en espace of three contemporary international playwrights' texts curated by three local directors. Finally, after a European tour that includes a month-long stay in Paris, Titizé will return to Venice for the summer of 2025 with 45 performances from July 9 to September 21. In 2026, in connection with Milan-Cortina Olympic Ceremonies, TSV is working alongside the Veneto Region for a coproduction with the National Theatre of Dublin.
The internationalization path also involves ATCG – Carlo Goldoni Theatre Academy, which is increasingly opening up to international exchange initiatives thanks to its participation in mobility programs such as Erasmus +, particularly the Still Connected - Theatre Education via Digital Skill Project. In recent weeks, the third-year class of the ATCG - Carlo Goldoni Theatre Academy were guests of Academy for Theatre and Digitality in Dortmund, the research and development area of the Dortmund Theatre, to enhance their knowledge of new tools and technologies useful for theatre production.

