Now in its 11th edition, The International Competition in the framework of Teatri Riflessi is a contest for short performances, live works no longer than 15 minutes. Since its first edition in 2009, the competition has been promoting and encouraging a discussion on dramaturgy and contemporary performing languages connecting the stage to the representation of the territory and the territory to the contemporary scene.
Teatri Riflessi Festival 2026 is organised by the cultural association IterCulture APS, in collaboration with the Municipality of Zafferana Etnea, with the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Sicilian Region, and under the honorary patronage of the National Centre for Italian Contemporary Dramaturgy and the University of Messina. Teatri Riflessi Festival is part of the project Teatri Riflessi, supported by Fondo di Beneficenza ed opere di carattere sociale e culturale di Intesa Sanpaolo.
The image evoked by the theme, legacy, is that of a trace: a mark that remains, but also a seed that transforms and is passed on, a memory layered within bodies, landscapes, and relationships. The aim is to open spaces for reflection on the responsibilities we hold towards the future – cultural, ecological, political – questioning what we choose to leave behind and how every choice, whether artistic or social, can become an act of care.
Through an open call, 12 short performances of a maximum duration of 15 minutes will be selected.
The semi-finalists will perform on the evenings of Thursday 16 and Friday 17 July 2026 in Zafferana Etnea.
Each selected short performance will receive a fee ranging from €500 to €1,100 (VAT included), depending on the number of performers on stage, as well as a possible contribution towards travel expenses.
Panels of experts (the Programming and Scholars’ & Critics) will determine the finalists, who will perform again during the final on Sunday 19 July. The panels bring together a diverse range of Italian and international artistic directors, curators and programmers of festivals and theatres, journalists, critics, and scholars of the performing arts.
In addition to the competition prizes, the panel members and partners of the Teatri Riflessi Network will also have the opportunity to award special prizes in the form of artist residencies and touring opportunities within their festivals and programmes.
The call, published on 22 August 2025, will close on 1 November 2025 at 22:00 (CET).
Teatri Riflessi wants to enhance the short performance format per se: not as a reduction of a longer work nor as a starting point for a full-evening adaptation. The strength of the format lies in the artistic immediacy and urgency it conveys.
The framework of the competition connects, in a way, the ancient Greek theatre—devised as an outdoor competition for a vast audience—to the most provocative tendencies in happenings and performance art, which leverage the innate desire of the beholder to participate.
Ali ptice sanjajo o letenju? / Do Birds Dream of Flying? di Fabla Collective (Slovenia)
A volo d’angelo di Canzi / Cottini (Lombardia, Italia)
BLOCK di Zhang Yutong e Li Tuokun (Hong Kong, Cina)
Bunker di Rebecca Margolick (Canada)
DISCO 142 di Ferenc Fehér (Ungheria)
GOOD VIBES ONLY (beta test) di Francesca Santamaria (Puglia, Italia)
LeatherBetter di Andrea Givanovitch (Francia)
Part One di Anna Ozerskaia (Svezia)
Oru & Kreya di EYAS Dance Project (Spagna)
Speechless di Heung Won Lee (Corea del Sud | Lituania)
Tales to Disturb di Laura Daelemans (Belgio)
When the mouth died the other body parts were deciding which of them would bury it di Vasilii Berezin (Estonia | Francia)
Zhèngzhì bù Zhèngquè! (Politicamente Scorretto!) di Gianluca Iumiento (Sicilia, Italia)
Paolo Brancalion L’Arboreto – Teatro Dimora di Mondaino
Cristiana Camba FIND Festival (Cagliari)
Massimo Carosi Danza Urbana (Bologna)
Fiorenza D’Alessandro Associazione Culturale Canova22 (Roma)
Rita Di Leo Fond. Federico Cornoni, Canile Drammatico Festival (Parma)
Angela Fumarola Fond. Armunia, Festival Inequilibrio (Castiglioncello)
Miki Gorizia BIG Festival (Bari)
Christel Grillo Network Anticorpi XL, Cantieri Danza (Ravenna)
Iztok Kovač EN-KNAP e Španski Borci (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Atanas Maev Derida Dance Centre (Sofia, Bulgaria)
Roberto Manca Associazione Music & Movie (Sassari)
Stephan A. Shtereff Antistatic Festival (Sofia, Bulgaria)
Vladimir Angelov Dance ICONS (Washington DC, USA)
Corinne Bove Campadidanza (Napoli)
Giovanna Caggegi La Sicilia (Catania)
Piersandra Di Matteo Studiosa, dramaturg e curatrice
Greta Pieropan Dance dramaturg
Alessandro Pontremoli Università degli Studi di Torino
Daniele Rizzo Balletti Persinsala (Agrigento)
Albena Tagareva Critica teatrale (Sofia, Bulgaria)
Best Performance – Teatri Riflessi 11 | € 1,200
determined by the final ranking that adds together the weighted score given by the Programmers’ and Scholars’ & Critics’ Panels, the Jury of the Final, the Youth Jury and the Citizens’ Jury
Best Dramaturgy – Teatri Riflessi 11 | € 500
collectively determined by the Scholars’ & Critics’ Panel
Best Direction – Teatri Riflessi 11 | € 500
collectively determined by the Programmers’ Panel
Best Performer – Teatri Riflessi 11 | € 500
collectively determined by the Programmers’ Panel
Scholars’ and Critics’ Award – Teatri Riflessi 11 | € 500
collectively determined by the Scholars’ & Critics’ Panel
‘Valentina Nicosia’ Fund | budget of € 500
awarded on the collective decision of the Programmers’ and Scholars’ & Critics’ Panel
Fund for the Research ‘Sandra Bressan’| budget of € 1,500
awarded by the Citizens’ Juty to reinvite a company in Sicily and work for the community
Jouth Jury Award – Teatri Riflessi 11
awarded by the Youth Jury to one of the semifinalists
Special Mention of the Audience – Teatri Riflessi 11
determined by the audience during the final
Special Mention of the Companies – Teatri Riflessi 11
determined by all competing companies
Španski borci / En-Knap | Iztok Kovač
residenza e coproduzione per un nuovo lavoro a Inan Sven Du Swami e Mojca Špik
programmazione nel 2026 per:
“GOOD VIBES ONLY (beta test)”
“Speechless”
“Bunker”
Fondazione Armunia | Angela Fumarola
programmazione nella stagione 2026 del Festival Inequilibrio per:
“Speechless”
“A volo d’angelo”
Cortile Teatro Festival | Roberto Bonaventura
programmazione nella stagione 2025 di:
“Ali ptice sanjajo o letenju? / Do Birds Dream of Flying?”
Dance ICONS | Mr Vladimir Angelov
menzione assegnata a Bunker per la coreografia promettente
TR Mood | Rosanna La Malfa
borsa di sostegno “Premio gentilezza”
a Speechless
Will there be a cachet?
Each selected short performance will receive a cachet between €500 and €1,100 (VAT included) and an additional reimbursement of up to €250 (depending on the funds available for 2026, the Country of origin of the company, the number of participants involved, and the absence of travel subsidies). The majority of prizes are monetary. The cachet, reimbursement, and potential prizes will be transferred after the festival if participants comply with all the articles and deadlines in the call.
Do I have to pay to submit my proposal?
No. Only if selected, you will need to send a deposit (after the selection) that will be refunded after the festival.
What if my piece is longer than 15 minutes?
Your piece should not exceed 15 minutes. However, as the work is performed live, a certain flexibility is allowed, but it will not be possible to stay on stage longer than 20 minutes (within that time lapse the performance must be presented, prepared, set up, performed, removed, and people eventually thanked).
Where do I find the digital form?
The link is in the call, see Art. 5. Please, read the call in all its parts before submitting the form.
What shall I upload where a dramaturgy/script is asked?
If the piece has a script, attach that, otherwise, upload a text detailing the dramaturgical research behind the dance or performance work.
I don’t have a video recording of the performance. Do I need one?
We need a recording of the entire performance to assess your application. Excerpts or trailers are not sufficient, and in case you send a read-through try to be as specific and detailed as possible in writing your director’s notes.
My work contains spoken parts in a foreign language. Can I still apply?
Yes. If needed, you can perform at Teatri Riflessi using overtitles. Our team will take care of translating and adapting them in Italian.
Can I submit more than one performance?
Yes, fill out a form for each performance.
What if I change something in the work I perform at the festival, compared to the materials I submitted?
No major changes are allowed. Only if previously communicated and authorised, minor changes will be tolerated. Changes in cast members need to be thoroughly assessed.
Who will evaluate the competing performances?
Artistic directors of Italian theatres and festivals, critics and journalists from all over Italy and abroad. Many are members of the Network of Teatri Riflessi or the Anticorpi XL Network. The complete list will be published in June 2026.
In the last two years, some of the organisations present were:
Antistatic Festival (Sofia, Bulgaria), BIG Festival (Bari), Canile Drammatico Festival (Parma), COORPI – Coordinamento Danza Piemonte (Torino), Dance ICONS (Washington DC, USA), Danza Urbana (Bologna), Dancescreen in the land (Rome), Derida Dance Centre (Sofia, Bulgaria), Festival Ammutinamenti (Ravenna), Fondazione Claudia Lombardi per il teatro (Lugano, Switzerland), Festival Inequilibrio (Castiglioncello), FIND Festival (Cagliari), Fondazione Sipario Toscana (Cascina), Fondazione Toscana Spettacolo (Florence), Interplay Festival Internazionale di Danza e Performing Art (Turin), L’Arboreto – Teatro Dimora di Mondaino, Španski Borci (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Teatro Pubblico Pugliese (Bari), Toplocentrala Centre for Contemporary Arts (Sofia, Bulgaria).
Can I skip the rehearsals?
No, rehearsals are essential. The days of rehearsals will be communicated during the selection.
When do I need to be in Zafferana?
As you will be rehearsing either on the 14th or on the 15th of July, you need to be in Zafferana from the day we schedule your rehearsals until the end of the evening on Sunday, 19 July.
Will I have spare time?
Yes, rehearsals take place in the afternoon, so do all other activities. The only event in the morning is the networking and feedback roundtable on Sunday 19 July.
Need more details?
In addition to contacting the Competition Coordinator, you can join the Zoom calls organized on 18 September 2025:
At 18:00 (CET) – in ITALIAN
Meeting ID: 815 8363 3719
Passcode: Y14xab
Link: https://us05web.zoom.us/j/81583633719?pwd=ggIjGSRGi0gbPXu7To95GhSwwhbcXt.1
At 19:00 (CET) – in ENGLISH
Meeting ID: 817 7177 1757
Passcode: fERv2P
Link: https://us05web.zoom.us/j/81771771757?pwd=nxWnCtNAROXQaqdvXvfLgsjk2IXaLU.1
For inquiries, WRITE to
teatri.riflessi.festival@gmail.com
or CALL/TEXT Robertavenera Gambino on Whatsapp
+39 0958996470
Teatri Riflessi has received the EFFE Label, Europe’s quality stamp for remarkable arts festivals showing their engagement in the field of the arts, community involvement and international openness.
EFFE is an initiative of the European Association of Festivals supported by the European Commission and Parliament.
