CATANIA OFF FRINGE FESTIVAL first EDITION

From September 18th to October 2nd, a Festival of Fringe Theatre and the Performing Arts. 


After its first edition dedicated to the Isola district, its second edition "F.I.L." Festival distributed throughout the districts of Milan, and its third edition centered around Fabbrica del Vapore, The 4th  Milano Off Fringe Festival continues to broaden its horizons by encompassing the entire city of Milan and enriching its international relationships. The 4th addition is also broadeing the Italian Fringe circuit thanks to the co-production of the 1st CATANIA OFF FRINGE FESTIVAL, a new Fringe Festival in Sicily from October 16th to 30th in partnership with the association La Memoria del Teatro- Palco Off.

CONCEPT OF THE 4TH MILANO OFF FRINGE FESTIVAL

The third edition of MILAN OFF FRINGE FESTIVAL in 2019 celebrated the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, lifting of from the earth in the company of artists, philosophers and dreamers in the hope of affirming the freedom of thought and the beauty of inconsistency, both key parts to the regeneration of art and ideas.

We left convinced we would return in 2020, but the pandemic has blocked us in space. For two years we wandered in the void of the earth's artistic orbit, only able to send signals from the web.

Suspended in the void, we observed the lights out of the theaters; dark, isolated and empty spaces.

At a certain point theater lights flashed back on, and watching from above we recognized our runway. We released ourselves from our orbiting spacecrafts, opened our parachutes and hitched a ride on a hot air balloon or blimp, finally landing for the 4th edition of the MILANO OFF FRINGE FESTIVAL 2022.

We return from this long journey with a stronger desire than ever to bring together the lights of theaters and cultural spaces scattered throughout the boroughs of Milan into a single unit. We need to share and increase once again our ultimate goal: rasing the G.D.H (Gross Domestic Happiness).

From September 18th to October 2nd, 2022, we will share the 4 sections of the festival together— TESTIMONIAL IN, OFF FRINGE, VILLAGE OFF and OFF DELL’OFF—  in order to listen to and compare the explosions of emotions and life stories nurtured by our artists throughout their 2 years of isolation. Then, through our FOCUS panels, we will discuss together the important and numeroous themes brought up through the festival performances, chosen based on the feelings of our artists and the the desire to understand, learn and observe each other.

Thanks to the creation of the FRINGE "OFF" Network (and interwoven network of theater professionals and operators), we will meet with our many prestigious national and international partners, who will support productions participating in MI OFF 22 through awards and opportunities in the Fringe circuit. 

Many people will work together in order to bring together theatrical and performance spaces into a single form: national and international theater companies and operators, off-off artists, staff, journalists, technicians, philosophers, politicians, merchants, volunteers and anyone else who chooses to participate in enlarge the splendid shape of MI OFF 22.

But all this means nothing without the applause of the public; the only real and visceral catalyst which can make the whole machine move, sending artists back into the orbit of creation and reciting new feelings taking shape,  only truly meaningful if they have means to be shared. Because alone we are just a point in nothingness.

- Renato Lombardo
                                                                                                                                                                              

MILANO OFF IS:

• A Fringe Festival within an international network;
• A theater and performing arts festival, creating a platform for independent professional productions to showcase their work with the ultimate goal of broadening the national and international art scene
• A network of “off" theaters, or non-commercial venues, spread throughout the districts of Milan;
• A bridge between individual performance structures and their surrounding neighborhood (through conventions established with the Mioff Card);
• The creation of a new, young audience interested in non-traditional, international independent artists;
• The development of indipendent association initiatives through theater;
• The development of cultural growth through production themes, including femicide, the mafia, the current labor market, human rights, immigration policy, etc;
• An affirmation of the cultural identity of Milan, mapping out live artistic spaces between the historic center and outer neighborhoods in order to create a diffusion of tourism throughout the city deemed "Off" Milano (such as off Brodway);
• A commitment to an economic and commercial impact within participating districts;
• An artistic and cultural project aimed at marketing the region on a national and international scale.

MI OFF 22 IS DIVIDED INTO 4 SECTIONS:

*MILANO IN -  A splendid opening presentation in a prestigious and emblematic space of Milanese culture, with performances by nationally and internationally renowned artists.

* MILANO OFF FRINGE - Companies from all over Italy and abroad will perform professional productions spanning a vast array of various artistic genres, alternating in each of the performance spaces of the Festival.

*VILLAGE OFF - The heart and center of the Festival: a meeting point between artists, operators, and the public; a place for exhibitions, meetings, and Focus panels; and much more...

*OFF-OFF MILANO - events distributed in participating MI OFF 22 locations in the initiative throughout the city of Milan. A real journey through the archipelago of "islands" of theater and culture.