OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS AND THEATRE COMPANIES at SEGNI FESTIVAL 2026

SAVE THE DATE: 13 December 2025

In 2026, Segni New Generations Festival returns to Mantua for its 21st edition! We look forward to receiving your proposals. SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION HERE. 

The International Festival of Theatre and Performing Arts for New Generations, art, shows and new languages with plenty of space to exchange and share skills from all over the world.

After celebrating its first twenty years, SEGNI Festival is starting a new chapter in its history. The 21st edition marks a moment of change and transformation: the festival is adapting to the new economic situation, the passing of time and the natural generational shift, renewing its identity as a festival dedicated to young people and new generations.

The staff – completely renewed since the first edition – together with the artistic direction has initiated a profound reflection on the transformations necessary to shape the future of SEGNI. This reflection has given rise to the present call, conceived as an invitation to dialogue between the artistic direction, artists, companies and projects that wish to contribute to the programme of the festival’s new format.

The 21st edition will be built through a co-curated approach between generations, with increasing space for dialogue between artistic genres, different professionals in the sector and transgenerational audiences, which have always represented the festival’s vibrant community.

In a city that does not have traditional theatre spaces but rather art venues and architecture rich in meaning, SEGNI chooses to push even further towards site-specificity: imagining and creating content capable of interacting with spaces and transforming them, generating accessible, intimate and engaging experiences. A theatre that breaks down the barriers of the auditorium while passing through it, and that knows how to build emotional bonds and new cultural behaviours in the younger generations.

This call is therefore an invitation to propose works and processes that can inhabit change, explore its signs and contribute to the metamorphosis of the festival. We are looking for projects rooted in space and at the same time capable of entering the national and international market, ready to travel and speak to different audiences.

Cristina Cazzola and Monica Colella

There are several opportunities for everyone to participate and co-create SEGNI 2026 with us. Apply and share your ideas!

• Submit a show
• Hold a PASTA MADRE Masterclass
• Bring your Teen group to the Festival

We look forward to receiving your proposals. See you soon!

Types of projects we are looking for

• Italian and international artists, companies and professional collectives.
• Theatre, performance, visual arts, installations and multidisciplinary projects.
• Site-specific works or works that can be adapted to non-theatrical spaces.
• Works designed for a transgenerational audience, even if the project was created in dialogue with an audience of a specific age.
• Projects that can position themselves as generative and innovative ideas for the national or international market.
• Projects with the characteristics described above, even those already in circulation but adaptable to a site-specific approach.

Imagine where your project could come to life among our unconventional/hybrid spaces, theatres and halls, monumental and monumental places.

APPLICATION MATERIALS

What we need to start discussing and better understanding your project.

Projects will be selected by the artistic directors Cazzola and Colella in consultation with the group of teen curators, who will also act as moderators during the festival in discussions between artists, operators and the public.

The artistic direction will evaluate proposals based on the following criteria:

– consistency between the project and the identified location;
– generative potential with respect to the transformation of the festival, the public, operators and the market;
– technical feasibility in relation to the equipment and resources available.

We look forward to receiving your proposals. SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION HERE.