“Balcony Theatre”: windows and balconies become stages

Actors looking out of a window, musicians on a balcony, an audience walking through the streets of the historic center, looking up rather than sitting in front of a stage. This is "Teatro da Balcone," the format that is increasingly gaining traction in Sardinia and beyond. Stefano Ledda, artistic director of Teatro del Segno and creator of the project, explains.

"During a theater festival in Santu Lussurgiu, over ten years ago, we noticed that many people were staying away from the stage, lingering in the streets to enjoy the fresh air," Ledda explains. Instead of considering this a problem, Teatro del Segno turned it into an opportunity, moving the plays to the balconies of homes: "We were thus able to engage an ever-wider audience, transforming ourselves into the traveling show we are today. We even crossed the borders of Sardinia, arriving in Galatone, Puglia, in 2023, to showcase theater as a possibility and a beauty accessible to all."

The project is open to actors, dancers, musicians, singers, performers, and circus artists, not necessarily professionals, and brings together veterans with over thirty years of experience alongside young students. "A community is forming where there's a strong sense of togetherness and a passion for storytelling, learning, and sharing," emphasizes Ledda. Participants are asked to present a piece lasting between four and fifteen minutes, part of a traveling tour of the host town's most evocative locations. "The call for applications for the recently concluded festival in Sant'Antioco was met with a response beyond our expectations," explains Ledda. "Given the tight deadline, 23 applications arrived, from which I had to select only 15, with the aim of offering a varied program, including original plays, Pirandello's works, modern performances, and local offerings."

Born as a local experiment, "Teatro da Balcone" has won over audiences and local authorities, becoming a traveling event that, after the Palcoscenici d'Estate Festival - Sulkilandia in Sant'Antioco, will stop from August 7th to 16th in Santu Lussurgiu, with Percorsi teatrali, where it all began.