Welcome

WELCOME TO THE
ENGLISH
THEATRE
OF ROME

SERVING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMMUNITY IN ROME SINCE 1996

The English Theatre of Rome, a division of Ford Entertainment, is dedicated to spring-boarding artists in the Eternal City by producing full seasons of theatrical work in English.

From October to June, our repertory spans five categories: a classical piece, a contemporary play, a world premiere, the work of a featured female writer, and a bilingual production. Each season is curated to introduce a new author to Roman audiences, revitalize a classic, and amplify the voice of a female playwright.

For more than a quarter century, our company has served as a vital platform for directors, playwrights, performers, designers, and technicians from across the globe to showcase their talents to international audiences in the heart of Rome.

Up Next

UP NEXT : SPOON RIVER

The English Theatre of Rome is thrilled to announce the first show of our 2024 - 2025 season: SPOON RIVER. Edgar Lee Masters' stirring 1915 poem cycle is transformed into a powerful theatrical experience, as the deceased citizens of a small American town rise from their graves and reveal the hidden truths of their interweaving lives. Newly adapted and directed by frequent ETR collaborator Irina Tsoutsos, SPOON RIVER reveals the trauma, turmoil, and triumphs, as well as small joys and sorrows of this unassuming community. But secret desperations and unlooked-for beauty draws the living and the dead together.

This world premiere production is the most recent expression of our ongoing partnership with John Cabot University, and is presented as a part of their campus-wide, interdisciplinary Italy Reads Program. It features an ensemble cast of international performers.

SPOON RIVER will be presented from February 25 - March 10, 2024 at John Cabot University's Aula Magna Regina hall at its Guarini campus in Rome, Via della Lungara 233, 00165 Roma.

General Admission (walk-up) €17.00

General Admission (online) €15.00

Students and Seniors €12.00

Group Rates (12+) €10.00

To learn more about John Cabot University's Italy Reads Program, click on the image.

FEATURING

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Alberto Albertini

Alexandra Anthony

Nicoletta Brunelli

Kate Carr

Bill Guion

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Koosha Jalilian

Maxie Le Devehat

Roberto Ferrara

Agnese Troccoli

Merel Van Dijk

Tickets will go on sale soon!

Prod History

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Over the course of more than 25 years, ETR has staged hundreds of pieces in a wide variety of genres and styles. Some highlights include:

the celebrated Roman premiere of Sara Ruhl's "Eurydice" (2023) helmed by American guest director Carl Granieri, a trio of blockbuster hits, the all-female "Macbeth" (2022), "Richard III" (2018), and "Hamlet" (2016), all directed by Douglas Dean; "The Great Gatsby" (2012) co-directed by Ford, Saragnese, and Zimmelman; the standing-room only production of Harold Pinter's "The Birthday Party" (2009) directed by Gaby Ford; British deaf comedian Steve Day's Italian premiere, with simultaneous Italian sign translation as a fundraiser for the Robert Wirth foundation (2005, 2007); the world premiere of "The Moths" (2008); the award winning "Ophelia" (2006), devised and directed by Dustin Wills; a sold out and extended presentation of Donald Margolies' "Dinner With Friends" (2004) directed by Harriet Power; the world premiere of "Freudian Slips and Other Underwear" (2003) by Alexia Murray and Nick Nicolosi, directed by Dyanne White, which was remounted in Italian at Teatro Colosseo and for the third year running at Teatro dei Servi; David Ives’ "Universal Language" (2000), our first bilingual production, for the prestigious Cremona Theatre Festival which honored then-emerging director Aureliano Tristan Amadei; and a collaboration with Imogen Kusch whose "Marathon" (1999) by Eduardo Erba won her the Edinburgh Fringe Festival’s "Scotsman’s Award" (1999).

Notable awards and recognitions include: the Outstanding Cultural Contribution Award from the American International Club in Rome (2005); the 50/50 Applause Award from The International Centre for Women in 2013, 2014, and 2016 for our continued commitment to producing the work of female playwrights; the Federation of Women's Associations Overseas selection of founder Gaby Ford for the Outstanding Women Abroad Award honoring her visionary work in creating and leading ETR (2007); and the International Women's Leadership Association honoring Ford and the English Theatre of Rome for Women of Outstanding Leadership (2015).

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ARCILIUTO

Since 2004, ETR has had its home base at Teatro Arciliuto, located inside Palazzo Chiovenda, an ancient sixteenth-century residence in Piazza di Montevecchio. Built in the early 16th century by merging pre-existing structures based on a project by Baldassarre Peruzzi, a disciple of Raphael, the building rests on the ancient structures of a 2nd century Roman villa, the remains of which are still visible in the performance space.

Today, the building serves as an evocative, subterranean music and theatre venue. The intimacy of its 70-seat, three-quarter thrust configuration brings actors and audiences together in thrilling and complex ways. To learn more about Arciliuto, click on the image.