Donizetti Education
PRIMARY AND LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL

The cultural heritage constituted by the music of the past and of a great composer such as Gaetano Donizetti must be enhanced by continuing to dialogue with the present. A privileged place for this dialogue can only be the school, a fundamental junction between the past and the future.
Children and Young Students from First Cycle Schools are Always Welcome at Donizetti and beyond.
For Them this Year, a Participatory Opera Dedicated to Mad Love, a Reduction of Furioso all’Isola Di S. Domingo by our Manuel Renga, Titled, which is Already a Story, Il Furioso Gaetano Nell’Isola Di S. Domingo, Ovvero Le Mirabolanti Memorie D’Un Musicista Visionario and Participatory Shows with Puppets by Daniele Cortesi, Tano Di Lammermoor and Gaetano Gioppino E L’Elisir D’Amore.
A New Addition Will be the Little Mister Noise, a Concert-Game with Musical Forks for the Youngest, Including a School Workshop after the Show, to Avoid Revealing Anything before the Magic of the Concert.
And then the Instruments of the Orchestra Del Mare, Made by Inmates of the Opera Prison with Wood from Migrant Boats in the Mediterranean, Full of History and Emotions, Will Play for Us on November 29 at the Performance Open to Families of our Furioso at 3:30 PM at Donizetti (Singing Workshop at 2:30 PM).
There are also Workshops and Guided Tours, with Two New Proposals, one Dedicated to Love with Opera Al Bacio and one to Masks of the World and the Mask as an Expression of Self.
We Await all Teachers on October 18 for an Intensive Training Day Dedicated to all Projects, with Their Interventions as Well, to Share the Best Practices of the Wonderful Work They Do around Their Theater Experience.

Educational Projects for Kindergartens, Primary and Secondary Schools

Opera can represent a dual resource, being an opportunity for both knowledge in the most didactic sense of the term, and personal training and experience. Its didactic value, which makes it unique and unparalleled, is that it results from the interaction between different linguistic and communicative codes (musical, iconic, literary), thus lending itself to an interdisciplinary comparison with school teaching. The educational value, then, lies in its subject: opera stages human stories and events, and with them the joys, sorrows, achievements, and desires of man, told through the words and gestures of the opera’s protagonists.

From time to time, their emotions and thoughts are narrated, and in this sense, opera serves the emotional education of young people, now promoted in the school environment. This is the new direction that drives Donizetti Educational’s proposals: to highlight Donizetti’s figure as a Master of Emotions and enhance the intrinsic multidisciplinarity in the opera itself.

Donizetti Educational. Digital Experience

Educational project for Primary and Secondary Schools in Bergamo and Province.

Donizetti educational. Digital experience is the new digital initiative dedicated to Gaetano Donizetti and intended for the world of education. It will be for the first time free and entirely in digital format, to provide support and a concrete contribution in these difficult phases of the educational journey of the youngest.

Donizetti’s theater and music aim to be a resource for schools. The fundamental tools for an original and age-appropriate journey will thus be made available, to discover the new Donizetti Theatre which, as soon as possible, will reopen its doors to welcome the public: such a fundamental moment for the Foundation and the City must be prepared and shared with the youngest. A way to introduce students to the city theater, its history, innovations, and changes brought about by the restoration.

The course, from April 6, 2021 until the end of the school year, is differentiated according to school cycle and includes a three-part documentary video at the restored Donizetti Theater, combined with a package of educational activities that will provide a true educational experience to learn about Donizetti and the world of theater.

Meetings can be run independently by teachers with full digital support delivered through Gsuite_Classroom platform.

Each meeting includes:
– documentary video of the restored Donizetti Theatre;
– video comprehension quiz;
– in-depth material (Videos for elementary / .ppt for middle and high schools);
– an activity sheet based on listening to songs and sound tracks.

Themes:
1) The theater (when it was born, where it is located, how it’s made, its parts…)
2) The home of opera (What is opera, the artists, the libretto…)
3) Gaetano and his trusted companions (Who is Gaetano, Donizetti in Bergamo, the operas…)

Donizetti ON
For high school students, through their teachers, a 50% discount coupon for the visit can be activated at the end of the course.

The proposal is for all primary and secondary schools in Bergamo and Province. Each registered contact teacher can register their class group for the digital visit experience by filling out the form below. To access the activity Donizetti Educational. Digital Experience :

– registration through the form;
– activation of an educational account;
– access to Classroom.

OPERAS AND PERFORMANCES

PRIMARY AND LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Participatory Opera
the Furious Gaetano on the Island of St. Domingo
or the Wondrous Memories of a Visionary Musician

Participatory Opera, Reduced and Adapted for Compulsory Schools, Based on Il Furioso nell’Isola Di S. Domingo by G. Donizetti.
Adaptation and Direction by Manuel Renga
Musical Dramaturgy by Alberto Zanardi
in Collaboration with Mariagrazia Mercaldo
DESCRIPTION
Maestro Gaetano Donizetti, Aged and Struck by Madness, is in a Care Home in a Small French Village; an Italian Servant Named Sancio Has been Assigned to His Care. He Hardly Deals with Music Anymore, Lives Alone, Isolated, and Has a Dull Gaze. When He Finds some Strength, He Shuts Himself in His Room and Reads, Writes, Talks to Himself… No one Knows how to Help Him Anymore! One Spring Day, Sancio Takes Advantage of the Door Left Open by the Maestro and Listens: Donizetti Talks about His Works, His Stories, His Music… And while He Does, for a Moment, His Eyes Shine Again. Then an Idea Forms in Sancio’s Mind: why not Recover a Work by the Maestro, Written Long Ago, and Try to Bring Him Back to His Former Vitality with it? Il Furioso Nell’Isola Di S.Domingo is just What He Needs.
Listening to the Overture, as if by Magic, Everything Comes Back to Him, and Reality, Memory, and Fantasy Mix. Two Actors and Five Singers Will Tell this Bizarre, Adventurous, Dangerous, and Fun Story.
a Story that Talks about the Dangers of Being Alone, how Love and Friendship Can Heal any Wound, about Welcome and Fantasy.
the Maestro Will Realize, in the End, that Only with the Help of Sancio, Now Considered His Faithful Squire and Friend, Can He Remember the End of the Story and Perhaps Change it!
“in the Realm of Fantasy, Sancio, Everything is Possible!”
TEACHER TRAINING DAY
October 18, 2025 | from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Free Training Course Conducted by the Director and the Educational Office, During which the Opera and Activities that Will Make Students the Protagonists of the Show Will be Presented to all Teachers (not Only those of Musical Subjects), through Sung Pieces, Costumes, and Objects Built in Class.
FAMILY PERFORMANCE Saturday, November 29 at 4:00 PM (Workshop at 2:30 PM) at Teatro Donizetti (for Info See Opera Family Section)
  • PLACE: Donizetti Theater
  • DATES:
    Primary schools:     November 26, 2025 – 9:30 AM // November 27, 2025 – 9:30 AM // November 28, 2025 – 11:00 AM
    Lower secondary schools: November 26, 2025 – 11:30 AM // November 27, 2025 – 11:30 AM // November 28, 2025 – 9:00 AM
  • TEACHER TRAINING: October 19, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Donizetti Theater
  • SHOW LENGTH: 1 hour
  • COST: € 11 including ticket and educational materials

KINDERGARTEN AND PRIMARY SCHOOLS (1st AND 2nd GRADES)

Participatory Concert
Little Mr. Noise

Written, Drawn, and Composed by Enrico Gabrielli
Played and Noised by Sebastiano De Gennaro
Narrated and Played by Marcello Corti
Costumes by Francesco Tagliarini
Historical-biographical Consultancy by Clelia Epis
DESCRIPTION
a Musical Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Story about a Sound Character Looking for Home.
Little Mister Noise is a Curious Fluff Ball with Little Legs and Arms, who Doesn’t Know where He Came from: He Wants to Find His Home! Through Silent Deserts, Stormy Seas, Cultivated Fields, and Chaotic Cities, He’ll Meet Characters like Two Rodents, Geoffrey the Lawnmower Robot, Camels, Seagulls, Bicycles, Coconut Vendors, Prepared Pianos, and more. Will He Find His Home? He’ll Need the Help of the Children Present to Find the Right Way: through Choices, Challenges, and Riddles, the Audience in the Room Will Decide His Path.
Little Mister Noise is not just the First Concert-Game, but a Search for Self, a Small Graphic Coming-Of-Age Novel through the World of Sound, without any Discrimination between Music and Noise. Little Mister Noise is a Great Opportunity to Reflect on What Music is. The Audience Must Listen to the Musicians’ Music, but the Musicians Must Follow the Audience’s Directions. Among a Vibraphone, a Xylophone, Drums, Cymbals, Pianos, a Trombone or Euphonium, a Trumpet and, Indeed, Patafix, Screws, Bolts, and a Mysterious Contraption, the Fourth Wall is Definitely Broken!
AROUND THE SHOW
to Best Participate in the Concert, each Child should Prepare a Small Paper Arrow, for which a Template Will be Provided. After Viewing the Show, a Music Workshop Will be Held in the Classroom.
FAMILY PERFORMANCE Saturday, November 22 at 3:00 PM Workshop and 4:00 PM Show at Teatro Donizetti (for Info See Opera Family Section)
  • LOCATION: Ridotto Gavazzeni – Teatro Donizetti
  • DATES: April 13, 2026 | 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM
  • DURATION: 60 minutes
  • COST: €11 including ticket, educational materials, and classroom workshop

KINDERGARTEN AND PRIMARY SCHOOLS (1st and 2nd Grades)

Participatory Show with Puppets, Soprano, and Actor
Tano Di Lammermoor

A project by Manuel Renga and Simone Dini Gandini
Dramaturgy by Simone Dini Gandini
Directed by Manuel Renga
With Daniele Cortesi and his puppets
And with Leonardo Moroni, Roberto Dibitonto, Francesca Longa
Musical supervision by Alberto Zanardi
DESCRIPTION
Little Tano (a Very Young Gaetano Donizetti) is 7 Years Old and Has a Stormy Character. An Argument with His Parents is just around the Corner: this Time the Cause of the Anger is His Refusal to Eat Spinach and His Demand to Eat Only Cake. So What Happens? He’s Sent to Bed without Dinner.
Nothing New so Far in the Donizetti Household, but What Happens in Tano’s Bedroom?
the Young Musician Vents all His Anger on His Toys: He Puts on His Father’s Jacket, Draws a Mustache on Himself, and Starts Giving Orders Left and Right. He Forces Beautiful Lucia (a Beautiful Puppet) to Marry the Evil Lord Bucklaw (a Puppet with a Wicked Grin), Forces the Colonel (a Highly Decorated Scottish Puppet) to Guard Lammermoor Castle, and Finally Winds up His Musician Doll, Forcing it to Play Continuously.
but the Toys Have a Secret: They are Alive! Until Today, the Rule of Rules Had Never been Violated; it States that No Toy Can be Seen Alive by Human Children.
after a Series of Adventures and Vexations, the Rule is Broken, and Gaetano Finds Himself Talking, Reasoning, and Discussing with His Toys: Together with Them, He Will Go through a Journey of Growth that Will Lead Him to Understand that Obligations and Deceptions are Never a Good Idea and that Everyone Has Rights but also Duties.
so while He Eats His Spinach (not without Difficulty), He Will Allow Lucia to Meet and Marry Her Sweetheart Edgardo. Who Knows if, Struck by the Magical Events of that Night, Tano Will Decide to Dedicate Himself to Music and Write a Beautiful Opera Dedicated to Lucia Di Lammermoor.
CLASSROOM WORKSHOP
the Young Audience Participates in a Workshop at School in Preparation for the Opera to Learn the Choruses.
  • LOCATION: Ridotto Gavazzeni – Teatro Donizetti
  • DATE: April 14, 2026 | 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM
  • DURATION: 50 minutes
  • COST: €11 including classroom workshop, ticket, and educational materials

KINDERGARTEN AND PRIMARY SCHOOLS (1st and 2nd Grades)

Participatory Show with Puppets and Tenor
Gaetano, Gioppino and the Elixir of Love

Dramaturgy, Texts, and Puppets by Daniele Cortesi
with Daniele Cortesi and His Puppets
Tenor Kevin Amaglio
Accordion Player Gino Zambelli
Lyrics by Felice Romani
Music by Gaetano Donizetti
DESCRIPTION
Daniele Cortesi’s Show Attempts to Explain, with Freedom and Imagination, how Gaetano Donizetti might Have been Inspired to Compose the Elixir of Love, and Ventures the not Impossible Friendship between the Composer Gaetano Donizetti and the Character of Gioppino Zuccalunga, both from Bergamo and both Born at the End of the 18th Century. The Story Takes Place in Bergamo, in Places Dear to its Citizens: the Enchanting Piazza Vecchia and the Beautiful Theater that, many Years Later, Was Dedicated to the Bergamo Musician. Commenting on the Scenes Live, the most Famous Arias from the Elixir, Played Live and Sung by a Tenor, Provide an Evocative Accompaniment. A Truly Choral Comedy, in which the Characters of Gaetano Donizetti and His Future Wife Virginia Play, Respectively, the Roles of Nemorino and Adina, the Protagonists of the Comic Melodrama the Elixir of Love. Gaetano Donizetti, a Young and Very Shy Composer, Falls in Love with the Beautiful Virginia who, like Him, Adores Music. His Friend Gioppino Encourages the Composer to Declare Himself, Perhaps by Dedicating a Sweet Serenade to the Girl, but…
CLASSROOM WORKSHOP
the Young Audience Participates in a Workshop at School in Preparation for the Opera to Learn the Choruses.
  • LOCATION: Ridotto Gavazzeni – Teatro Donizetti
  • DATE: April 15, 2026 – 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM
  • DURATION: 60 minutes
  • COST: € 11 including classroom workshop, ticket, and educational materials

VISITS AND WORKSHOPS

PRIMARY AND LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOLS

November 29: Happy birthday Gaetano!

To Celebrate Gaetano Donizetti’s 228th Birthday, the Donizetti Theater Foundation Organizes many Activities to Bring Boys and Girls Closer to the Artistic and Human Figure of our Great Bergamo Composer.
those who Visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and Donizetti’s Tomb Can Leave a Birthday Message for Gaetano.
  • VISIT TO THE BIRTHPLACE OF GAETANO DONIZETTI
Guided Tour of Gaetano Donizetti’s Birthplace by Reservation.
  • L‘MUSICAL ELEVATION IN THE BASILICA OF SAINT MARY MAJOR
An Official Celebration that, as Every Year, Dedicates an Institutional Moment to the Man who Has Carried the Name of Bergamo all over the World, Thanks to His Eternal and Universal Music. The Conservatory Ensemble Will Play a Dedicated Program and High School Students Will Read Their Letters to Gaetano.

VISIT TO GAETANO DONIZETTI’S BIRTHPLACE

  • LOCATION: Gaetano Donizetti’s Birthplace
  • DATES: November 29, 2025 | 1st shift: 9:00 AM // 2nd shift: 10:00 AM // 3rd shift: 11:00 AM // 4th shift: 12:00 PM
  • DURATION: 45 minutes
  • COST: €100 per class (one class per shift)

MUSICAL ELEVATION IN THE BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE

  • LOCATION: Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
  • DATES: November 29, 2025 | 11:15 AM
  • DURATION: 60 minutes
  • COST: free of charge

KINDERGARTEN, PRIMARY, AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS

Interactive Visit and Music Workshop
Let Me Introduce You to Gaetano

Visit Curated by Clelia Epis or Maria Teresa Galati
Music Workshop Curated by Alessandra Giolo or Mariagrazia Mercaldo
DESCRIPTION
Drawing Inspiration from Gaetano’s Life, the Places, and Habits of the Young Musician, Participants Immerse Themselves in a First-Hand Musical, Historical, Visual, Vocal, and Physical Experience.
“Let Me Introduce You to Gaetano” is a Project that Connects the Discovery of Donizetti’s Città Alta and the Places where He Grew up with a Musical and Vocal Workshop. It’s a Dual Journey to Discover Gaetano as a Master of Emotions.
the Interactive Visit to the Birthplace and the Teatro Sociale, Opened Exclusively, Comes Alive with Narrative Moments about both the Composer and the World of Opera. It’s a True Journey Made Possible Thanks to the Urban Layout of Città Alta, which is Still Identical to that of Gaetano’s Time.
Starting with Vocal and Physical Tuning, the Workshop Leads Participants to Sing and Stage Short Pieces from Famous Operas by Gaetano Donizetti. The Proposals are Structured to Accommodate Children of Different Age Groups from Kindergarten to Primary and Lower Secondary School.
The experience includes access to Casa Natale and Teatro Sociale based on space availability and at the discretion of the Donizetti Theatre Foundation.
  • LOCATION: Gaetano Donizetti’s Birthplace and Teatro Sociale (subject to space availability)
  • DATES: from January to May 2026 | from 9:15 AM to 12:15 PM
  • DURATION: 3 hours
  • COST: €100 per group/class (up to 2 groups/classes at a time)

KINDERGARTEN, PRIMARY, AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS

Guided Tour
Let Me Introduce You to Donizetti

Tour Led by Clelia Epis or Maria Teresa Galati
DESCRIPTION
for over Two Centuries, the Teatro Donizetti Has been not just a Venue for Performances or a Building in Bergamo Bassa, but Part of the City’s Identity, a Space of Collective History. A Story to be Told and to Feel Part of. “Let Me Introduce You to Donizetti” is a Journey through the History and Spaces of the Renovated Teatro Donizetti, as Well as the Diverse World of Theater Itself. The Tour Includes Access to the Historical Foyer, the Theater Hall, the Ridotto Gavazzeni, the Boxes, and the Noble Rooms. In the Background is the Figure of Gaetano Donizetti and the Events that Led to Naming the City’s most Important Theater after Him. The History of the Theater Intertwines with the many Stories of those behind the Scenes or on Stage: Singers, Orchestra Members, Stagehands, Electricians, Hairdressers, Tailors, and many Others. The Tour Stimulates not Only the Ability to Listen but also to Observe, with a Particular Focus on the Beauty of the Decorations and Environments. Space is Reserved for Illustrating the Recent Restoration and some of the most Significant Innovations: Useful Information to Convey the Idea of the Theater as Something Alive and Continuously Updating. It is, therefore, a Place not Only to Attend Performances and Concerts as Spectators but a Space for Relationships and Encounters, as it Has Always been from the Boxes to the Ridotto. It is a Spatial Journey, but not Only that; it Can Touch Emotions Because the Theater Itself is Emotion.
  • LOCATION: Teatro Donizetti
  • DATES: from January to May 2026 | between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM
  • DURATION: 80 minutes
  • COST: €100 per group/class (up to 2 groups/classes at a time)

PRIMARY AND LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Iconographic Workshop and Interactive Visit
Here’s Lucia

Iconographic Workshop Led by Clelia Epis
Visit Led by Maria Teresa Galati
DESCRIPTION
the Foundation’s Iconographic Archive Opens up to Educational Projects.
The one on Lucia Di Lammermoor is Particularly Extensive and of High Quality… In Short, Lucia is Special Here!
The Extensive Collection of Iconographic Material Allows for the Reconstruction of the Visual World Linked to Such an Iconic Performance, through Iconographic Comparisons and other In-Depth Analyses.
A Visit to the Theater Spaces Related to Lucia Di Lammermoor and the Great Protagonists who Have Performed it is Planned, along with an Interactive Workshop.
During the Workshop, Original Materials Will be Shown: a Real plus for Young People and Audiences Now Accustomed Only to Digital Reproduction.
It Will Certainly be Exciting to Come into Contact with Unique Pieces to be Appreciated in Their Dimensions, the Specificity of the Materials, and the History They Carry, Marked by Time.
  • ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WORKSHOP
After a brief presentation of the opera, during the workshop participants (in gaming form) are invited to reconstruct the plot of Lucia di Lammermoor and recognize its characters through the use of archival images. This is followed by a reworking part through the choice of key words and the production of an original commentary on the large book dedicated to collecting Le voci di Lucia.
  • SECONDARY SCHOOL LABORATORY
After a brief presentation of the opera, during the workshop participants (in the form of timed gaming ) are invited to reconstruct the plot (through sketches and scene photos) of Lucia di Lammermoor and recognize the characters through the use of archival images. Gaming continues with questions about the character’s kinship, ties, family, role. Also interesting is the exercise on the stagings that have given life to Lucia di Lammermoor over time; through them the children will be stimulated to notice how over the decades sets, staging, acting have changed. This is followed by a reworking part through the choice of key words and the production of an original commentary on the large book dedicated to collecting The Voices of Lucia.
  • PLACE: Donizetti Theater
  • DURATION: 3 hours
  • DATE: from January to May 2025 | from 9:15 AM to 12:15 PM
  • COST: € 100 per group/class (up to 2 groups/classes at a time)

PRIMARY AND LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Musical and Iconographic Workshop
Opera Al Bacio – Matters of the Heart

Iconographic Workshop Curated by Clelia Epis
Musical Workshop Curated by Alessandra Giolo
DESCRIPTION
a Journey through the World of Love via the Music of Gaetano Donizetti.
Love is the Great Protagonist of Operas, and in those of Gaetano Donizetti, it Takes a Thousand Forms: Tender, Sincere, Passionate, Sometimes Unconventional. The Romantic Composer, who Lived in the 19th Century, Tells True Stories, Far from the Arranged Marriages of His Time. Even in His Life, Donizetti Experienced Authentic Love with Virginia Vasselli, whose Loss Profoundly Marked His Existence.
Why Talk about Love?
Because Love Has Always Accompanied Us: for Mom and Dad, for Family, for Friends, for the Passions that Ignite our Hearts. It’s a Universal Language that Unites Young and Old.
how Will We Discover it?
through Two Engaging Workshops:
🎶 Musical and Vocal Workshop – the Workshop Offers an Immersion into the Atmospheres of Donizetti’s Operas to Explore, through Music and Singing, Themes Related to Love Such as Alliances, Sacrifices, and Support. Participants Will Sing Reworked Arias from the Opera Chiara E Serafina, Using Psychophonetic Vocalizations and Body Movements to Activate the Body as an Expressive Instrument. The Vocal Work Will Focus on the Chest Area, to Awaken the Emotional Frequencies of the Heart.
🎨 Iconographic Workshop – the Workshop Explores the Importance of Physical Expressiveness in Opera Theater, Combining Voice and Music with Bodily Interpretation. Through Photographs and Historical Materials from the Archive of the Donizetti Theater Foundation, Participants Will Discover how Theater, from the 19th Century to Today, Tells Emotions and Stories through Gestures, Faces, and Movements, Offering a Visual and Historical Reading of Scenic Changes over Time. A Sensory and Creative Experience to Live Opera from within, among Emotions, History, and Beauty.
Schools of the First Cycle Will Address the Events of the Opera Chiara E Serafina.
  • LOCATION: Historic Rooms of the Donizetti Theater
  • DATES: from October 2025 to May 2026 | from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
  • DURATION: 2 hours and 30 minutes
  • COST: €120 per group/class (2 groups/classes at a time)

PRIMARY AND LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Vocal Music and Artistic Manual Workshop
Unknown Universes – Nearby Emotions, Distant Traditions

Vocal Musical Workshop Curated by Alessandra Giolo
Manual Artistic Workshop Curated by Alberto Allegretti
DESCRIPTION
Taking Inspiration from the Opera Il Furioso nell’Isola Di S. Domingo, a Semi-Serious Opera by Gaetano Donizetti, with Libretto by Jacopo Ferretti, We Will Delve into some Important and Current Educational Themes: the Theme of the Unknown and Emotional Education.
how Will We Do it?
through Two Engaging Workshops:
🎶 Musical and Vocal Workshop – the Opera Il Furioso nell’Isola Di S. Domingo, Written in 1832, Deals Primarily with a Man’s Feelings. In Fact, the Protagonist is Cardenio who Shows His Fragility and Pain. The Theme Encourages Us to Talk about Emotional Education, Self-Legitimizing to Feel and Express One’s Feelings while Respecting Others, and Suggests the Theme of the Unknown and the Different. In this Session, We Will Address these Important Topics with the Delicacy, Depth, and Care that Voice and Singing Allow Us to Do. Through Psychophonetic Vocalizations, Vocal and Bodily Gestures, and Songs Selected from the Opera Itself, We Will Discover the Unknown within Us. We Will Explore Parts of the Body that Vibrate more than Others, Activate New Resonators, and Discover Unknown and New Vibrating Parts.
🎨 Artistic Manual Workshop – from the Perspective of the Manual Workshop, the Theme of the Unknown is also a Protagonist, in this Case Suggested by the Exotic Setting of the Story. The “Unknown” Now Becomes that Collection of Customs and Traditions Belonging to Distant Cultures Different from Ours, where Often Facial Makeup Assumes an Identity Character. Even before Having a Purely Aesthetic Value, Facial Makeup Has Always Had an Important Symbolic Value among Indigenous Populations, and not Only. Religious Ceremonies, Propitiatory Rites, Festivities, Folk Dances, War Rituals: Every Occasion Required a Precise Pictorial Decoration of One’s Face through Specific Shapes and Colors. Foremost is the Importance of Painting One’s Face as a Sign of Belonging to a Tribe.
The Workshop Offers the Opportunity to Experiment with Facial Makeup, Transferred for Technical Necessity and Convenience onto a Paper Mask, as a True Distinctive Element and Sign of Belonging to a Community, a Tribe Indeed. The Mask, an Element Clearly Belonging to the World of Theater and Storytelling, Becomes a Tool for Participation in Collective Life.
  • LOCATION: Historic Rooms of the Donizetti Theater
  • DATES: from October 2025 to May 2026 | from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
  • DURATION: 2 and a half hours
  • COST: €120 per group/class (2 groups/classes at a time)

PRIMARY AND LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Free Puzzle Path
the Investigative Owl

Musical Vocal Workshop by Clelia Epis
Artistic Manual Workshop by Alessandra Giolo
DESCRIPTION
Donizetti Can be Known all Year round. the Investigative Owl, Part Treasure Hunt, Part Outdoor Escape Room, is an Activity in the Upper Town Aimed at Discovering Donizetti’s Places, Uncovering Four Key Words to Create a New Story to Set to Music.
The activity can be carried out completely independently at the discretion of teachers or even families.
More information
  • LOCATION: Birthplace of Gaetano Donizetti and Upper Town
  • DATES: from October 2025 to May 2026
  • DURATION: 1 to 2 hours
  • COST: free every day of the week played independently or €100 per group/class with a guide

TEACHERS

Teacher Training
Donizetti Education Teachers’ Day 2025|2026

Project carried out in collaboration with Territorial School Office

DESCRIPTION
after Last Year’s Great Participation, the Fondazione Teatro Donizetti is Promoting a Free Intensive Training Day (8 Hours), Open to all Teachers, with Common Sessions and Specific Activities for each School Level.
Objective: to Provide Tools and Content to Familiarize Teachers with Opera and the Figure of Gaetano Donizetti, with Useful Suggestions for Classroom Teaching.
Participation Will be Completely Free, and Printed and Digital Educational Materials Will be Provided.
Attendance at the Training Does not Require Mandatory Registration of Classes for the Shows and Educational Projects of the Teatro Donizetti Foundation. It Aims to be an Opportunity for Study and In-Depth Learning for Teachers, Regardless of the Actual Impact on Classes. This Decision Stems from the Desire to Involve Teachers Primarily as Privileged Interlocutors and Bearers of Culture to New Generations, in Accordance with the Guidelines of the Foundation’s Statute.
  • LOCATION: “M. Tremaglia” Music Hall and Historic Rooms – Teatro Donizetti
  • DATE: October 18, 2025 | from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
  • DURATION: full day
  • COST: free of charge
PLANNING

Opera Tomorrow

Opera Domani is AsLiCo ‘s Italian platform that promotes passion for opera in young audiences. The Donizetti Theatre Foundation hosts annual performances for the musical and opera education of children and young people, fun educational paths between school and theater.

SHOW

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL

Acquaprofonda is a contemporary opera with original music by Giovanni Sollima to a libretto by Giancarlo De Cataldo, which the Teatro Sociale di Como – AsLiCo commissioned, in co-production with the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. This opera for children and young people in primary and secondary schools addresses the highly topical issue of water pollution.

A beach, a humble cottage, a massive factory: the everyday life of our paladin Serena, her father, the Guardian, and Master Buu, the factory owner, is disrupted by the arrival of a giant sea creature. Thanks to the help of the Old Sailor, Serena will be able to convince her father to act correctly, and will help the whale get rid of the much plastic in its belly, remitting to Master Buu the polluting waste from his business.

Watch the trailer for the show

  • PLACE: Social Theater
  • DATES: April 3 and 4 – 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. (4 performances)
  • COST:
    – € 12 (€ 7 booklet + € 5 show ticket)
    – € 15 (€ 7 booklet + € 5 show ticket + € 3 extra meeting with singer).
  • MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION

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