Every summer since 1956, the year the first edition debuted, the Plautus Festival has brought the art of theater to the city of Sarsina. The picturesque Arena Plautina hosts wonderful performances that focus on the repertoire of ancient drama and classical theater. For several years now, the Festival has also involved the historic center; in fact, some performances are staged in Piazzetta Lucio Pisone, which, for the occasion, is transformed into an open-air theater, offering spectators the chance to visit the historic center and learn about Sarsina’s ancient history.
In 2026, the Plautus Festival will celebrate its 66th edition, featuring 14 performances, five of which will take place in Piazzetta Lucio Pisone: sixty-six years of stories, emotions, universal passions, and profound reflections on the human spirit.
The voices and colors of the masterpieces of Greek and Roman drama, alongside contemporary works, will once again resonate on the stage of the Arena Plautina and in the streets of the Civitas Vetustissima, thanks to the generosity of exceptional directors and performers. Immortal works by Sophocles, Plautus, and Molière will be juxtaposed with characters from the Commedia dell’Arte and contemporary theater.
These will not be mere reenactments of myths and historical figures, but mirrors that invite us to reflect on the complexity of the world in which we often find ourselves disoriented and adrift.
All performances, both at the Arena Plautina and at Piazzetta Lucio Pisone, will begin at 9:15 p.m..
Tickets for the performances at Piazzetta Lucio Pisone will cost €5.00 and can only be purchased on-site on the evening of the event.
⇒ Find out the full program of Plautus Festival 2026
When: Sunday, July 5
Where: Piazzetta Lucio Pisone
Written and performed by Maurizio Micheli.
A bittersweet comedy that portrays an ordinary man caught in an absurd, Kafkaesque wait at a government office, reflecting on life, waiting, hopes, and the meaning of existence.
When: Wednesday, July 8
Where: Piazzetta Lucio Pisone
By Alessandro Baricco, directed and performed by Manuele Morgese.
Considered a classic of Italian theater, presented in a free, dynamic, and creative adaptation—much like jazz does with musical notes. Music by Ennio Morricone, originally composed for Tornatore’s film, reinterpreted and performed by the NY Jazz Band.
When: Friday, July 10
Where: Piazzetta Lucio Pisone
By Reverie Teatro.
A performance of light, shadows, and metamorphosis that explores the universal archetypes of three Andersen fairy tales: Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, and Hansel and Gretel.
When: Saturday, July 11 – National Premiere
Where: Piazzetta Lucio Pisone
A collection of visual and auditory stories performed by the graduating class of the EIMCD – École Internationale de Mime Corporel Dramatique in Paris, directed by Natalie Stadelmann and Ivan Bacciocchi.
When: Tuesday, July 14
Where: Arena Plautina
An extraordinary musical journey through the melodies that have shaped the history of cinema. Known as “the Trumpet of Italian Cinema,” Salza boasts a monumental career with over 400 recorded soundtracks, 250 of which were the result of his twenty-year collaboration with Morricone, which began in 1984. His artistic career includes collaborations with giants of film music such as Nicola Piovani, Riz Ortolani, Franco Piersanti, and Armando Trovajoli.
When: Friday, July 17
Where: Arena Plautina
The Synergie Arte Teatro company brings to the stage the most dynamic comedy of Goldoni’s trilogy. Five actors portray eleven characters who, through quick costume changes and Commedia dell’Arte techniques, recount the preparations of two families for their vacation. The show offers an ironic critique of hypocrisy, the obsession with appearances, and the desire to live beyond one’s means.
When: Wednesday, July 22
Where: Piazzetta Lucio Pisone
Written and performed by Enrico Bonavera, this is a paradoxical and lighthearted account of Enrico Bonavera’s journey—now playing the role of Arlecchino at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan—“versus” the mask itself.
When: Tuesday, July 28
Where: Piazzetta Lucio Pisone
A play by Giuseppe Dipasquale, inspired by Homer’s *Odyssey*, starring Viola Graziosi and David Coco.
“Penelope vs. Ulysses” is not just the story of a homecoming, but an intimate exploration of trust, memory, and the unbreakable strength of a love tested by time and distance.
When: Thursday, July 30 – National Premiere
Where: Arena Plautina
Based on Tito Maccio by Plautus, adapted and directed by Michele Pagliaroni.
When: Tuesday, August 4
Where: Arena Plautina
By Molière, directed by Carlo Emilio Lerici, and starring Edoardo Siravo.
It is a brilliant satire on hypochondria and 17th-century medicine, centered on the protagonist Argante, who is obsessed with illness and surrounded by quack doctors interested only in his money.
When: Sunday, August 9 – National Premiere
Where: Arena Plautina
Original story and direction by Marco Zoppello, produced by StivalaccioTeatro.
A show staged in a brand-new version, full of misunderstandings, mistaken identities, duels, songs, and improvisation.
When: Tuesday, August 11
Where: Arena Plautina
By Titus Maccius Plautus, directed and adapted by Vincenzo Zingaro.
This comedy stands out from Plautus’s other works due to its thematic and structural complexity, representing a more mature and experimental piece within Plautus’s body of work.
When: Thursday, August 13
Where: Arena Plautina
By Sophocles, directed by Lia Tanzi, starring Giuseppe and Micol Pambieri.
A modern reinterpretation of Sophocles’ tragedy of the same name, the play reimagines the conflict between divine law and the law of the state within a contemporary context of endless wars, portraying Antigone as a figure who stands in opposition to the logic of power in a devastated world.
When: Tuesday, August 18 – National Premiere
Where: Arena Plautina
By Ghiannis Ritsos, directed by and starring Elisabetta Pozzi.
Ritsos’s *Phaedra* represents one of the most profound and original reworkings of the classical myth. While in Euripides or Seneca the drama was dominated by the conflict between gods, honor, and fate, in Ritsos’s version the tragedy becomes psychological, sensual, and deeply human.