Italian and international partners: Ente Nazionale Sordi (ENS) – Sezione di Macerata; Museo Statale Tattile Omero di Ancona; Unione Italiana Ciechi e Ipovedenti (UICI) – Sezione di Macerata; Municipality of Macerata; University of Macerata; University of Pittsburgh, USA.
What is an inclusive festival? Expanding and diversifying Opera audience through accessibility: we have been leading the way since 2009. The average audience is now around 400 participants, from all over Italy and Europe, aged between 5 and 85. The InclusivOpera project, coordinated by Prof. Elena Di Giovanni since its onset, is aimed at people with sensory and cognitive impairments, with a special focus on young people. All opera performances are audio described for blind or partially sighted people, with Italian and English pre-recorded introductory descriptions also available online. We also provide fully guided multisensory tours, sign-language-interpreted tours, personal hearing assistant, live surtitles in Italian and English for all opera performances.
InclusivOpera is also part of “Marche for all. Percorsi di Arte e Spettacolo per un turismo culturale accessibile” project carried out by the Municipality of Jesi, in collaboration with Pergolesi Spontini Foundation, Arena Sferisterio Association and Fondazione Rete Lirica delle Marche, with the support of Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri – Ministro per le Disabilità and the co-financing of the Marche region.
InclusivOpera at the Macerata Opera Festival 2025
June 6, 5:00 PM
Associazione Piombini-Sensini Onlus
Workshop: “Falstaff. Gli allegri giocattoli di Windsor”
June 7, 5:00 PM
Workshop: “Falstaff. Gli allegri giocattoli di Windsor”
Musei Civici at Palazzo Buonaccorsi
Inclusive workshop for blind and visually impaired, deaf and hard of hearing children and young people aged 6 to 15.
June 13, 8:45 PM
Falstaff. Gli allegri giocattoli di Windsor
Arena Sferisterio
Opera performance with surtitles and audio description for children and young people with sensory and intellectual disabilities and vulnerable young people.
July 11, 9:30 AM & July 28, 4:00 PM
Backstage Tour with Piombini Sensini Onlus
Arena Sferisterio
A hands-on visit to the stage and behind the scenes for vulnerable young people, discovering theatre professions.
July 21, 11:00 AM
Music and Singing Workshop – La Vedova Allegra
Presso Cooperativa Sociale Di Bolina
An inclusive musical experience for people with intellectual disabilities in collaboration with Cooperativa Sociale Di Bolina.
Accessible Performances and Multisensory Tours at the Arena Sferisterio
July 25
RIGOLETTO, G. Verdi
Arena Sferisterio
6:00 pm – multisensory tour focusing on stage setup for deaf people and people with intellectual disabilities, with Italian Sign Language interpreter, in collaboration with Ente Nazionale Sordi.
9:00 pm – performance with surtitles.
July 27
LA VEDOVA ALLEGRA, F. Lehar
Arena Sferisterio
6:00 pm – workshop for blind and visually impaired people, exploring Verdi’s music, instruments, and voices, in partnership with Unione Italiana Ciechi (Macerata).
9:00 pm – performance with surtitles.
August 1
MACBETH, G. Verdi
Arena Sferisterio
6:00 pm – Workshop for blind and visually impaired people, exploring Verdi’s music, instruments, and voices, in partnership with Unione Italiana Ciechi (Macerata).
9:00 pm – performance with audio description.
August 2
LA VEDOVA ALLEGRA, F. Lehar
Arena Sferisterio
6:00 pm – multisensory tour focused on the stage design of this new production, for blind and visually impaired people.
9:00 pm – performance with audio description.
August 3
RIGOLETTO, G. Verdi
Arena Sferisterio
6:00 pm – multisensory tour exploring costumes, makeup, and character design, for blind and visually impaired people.
9:00 pm – performance with audio description.
August 5, 4:30 PM
Creative Workshop
Arena Sferisterio
Inclusive music and singing workshop for people with intellectual disabilities, in collaboration with Cooperativa Sociale Di Bolina.
August 7
MACBETH, G. Verdi
Arena Sferisterio
6:00 pm – multisensory tour for deaf people and people with intellectual disabilities, exploring direction and behind-the-scenes elements, with Italian Sign Language interpreter.
9:00 pm – performance with audio description.
All workshops and tours (for a maximum of 35 people) are free of charge.
Tickets for the shows are available at a reduced rate.
For more information: inclusivopera@sferisterio.it
