A conference held at the Casa Internazionale delle Donne in Rome on November 19, 2025, spotlighted the intersection of theater and combating gender-based violence, culminating in the upcoming performances of “Mercoledì delle Ceneri” at the Teatro Tor Bella Monaca on November 25 and 26.
The initiative, titled “Rosso Sipario: il teatro contro la violenza di genere,” is a collaborative effort involving Fondazione Una Nessuna Centomila, C.C.O. – Crisi Come Opportunità ETS, Associazione di Promozione Sociale Tor Più Bella, and U.S.S.M. – Ufficio di Servizio Sociale per i Minorenni di Roma. Valentina Esposito, director of Fort Apache Cinema Teatro and writer/director of “Mercoledì delle Ceneri,” described the project as a “revolution copernicana,” particularly given her background working for 25 years in male sections of prisons.
Esposito emphasized the importance of giving voice to women who have been silenced. The performances at Teatro Tor Bella Monaca will be preceded by free, open-to-the-public meetings from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, focusing on educational initiatives to counter gender violence. Two performances of “Mercoledì delle Ceneri” are scheduled for 8:00 PM on both November 25th and 26th.
Separate initiatives also utilize theatrical performances to address violence against women and related issues. In Cassano Magnago, a performance of Eduardo de Filippo’s “Ditegli sempre di sì” by the company “I figli di Anna” on October 18, 2024, aimed to raise funds for the “Un pozzo per la vita” mission in Africa, which supports projects focused on healthcare, professional training, and agriculture. Attendees received a vademecum on gender violence authored by Stefania Passiu, president of Futura.
The use of theater as a tool for recognizing and discussing violence against women extends to younger audiences. The M.a.s.c. Organization has employed theatrical productions, such as “Cambiamo camicia,” to encourage dialogue and reporting of domestic violence, with some audience members subsequently contacting the organization to share their own experiences. M.a.s.c. Is currently reworking a play titled “Secondo atto,” allowing the audience to collaboratively rewrite the endings of stories involving victims of violence, except in cases of fatal outcomes.
Stefania Passiu, an attorney and legal consultant for the Associazione SiCura, which focuses on gender violence and family mediation, participated in a conference addressing the cultural problem of gender-based violence. She was joined by Sabrina Ditaranto, a Deputy Public Prosecutor at the Juvenile Court of Milan, and Valentina Grassi, a representative of Amnesty International (Group 296 Varese).
Further educational events connected to “Rosso Sipario” are scheduled for November 16-17, including an in-depth discussion with the cast and director Valentina Esposito regarding the creation of “Mercoledì delle Ceneri,” and a session on “Teatro e musica come strumento di educazione ai sentimenti e alle relazioni. Teorie e pratiche dagli istituti penali per minorenni.”
