The 54th International Theatre Festival will run from 7-21 June 2026, directed by Willem Dafoe. The programme will feature daily events with the most important protagonists ot the contemporary theatrical scene, along with the productions made in the context of the Biennale College Teatro, the training project aimed at young artists.

Willem Dafoe began his artistic career at age 19 when he joined Theatre X (1975-1977), one of the first experimental theatre groups in the US. In Europe, where he lived in 1976, he was at the legendary Mickery Theatre in Amsterdam, the heart of alternative international theatre. In 1977 in New York he co-founded The Wooster Group with which he performed for over twenty years until 2003.