What is an inclusive festival? At the Macerata Opera Festival, this question has found a concrete answer since 2009 through InclusivOpera, one of the most innovative and internationally recognised projects in the field of cultural accessibility. Coordinated by Elena Di Giovanni, Professor at the University of Macerata, with the support of Marco Luchetti, the project makes opera accessible to people of all ages with sensory and cognitive disabilities, with a particular focus on younger audiences.

Alongside the artistic programme, InclusivOpera offers a wide range of services and activities, including inclusive workshops, audio descriptions, audio introductions in Italian and English, multisensory experiences (including activities in Italian Sign Language – LIS), assisted listening services, accessible videos, and Italian and English surtitles for all Festival performances.

Over the years, the project has engaged hundreds of participants from across Italy and abroad, becoming a model for both research and education. InclusivOpera has inspired university projects, academic publications, and new accessibility initiatives in theatres across Italy and Europe. Presented in cities such as New York, London, Melbourne and Rotterdam, InclusivOpera continues to demonstrate how opera can become a truly open, shared and participatory cultural experience.

All activities are carried out in collaboration with the Italian National Association for the Deaf (ENS), the Omero State Tactile Museum of Ancona, the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired (UICI), the University of Macerata, and the University of Pittsburgh (USA).

“Rigoletto. The Mystery of Theatre” Workshop

In collaboration with Associazione Piombini-Sensini Onlus

“Rigoletto. The Mystery of Theatre” Workshop

Musei Civici di Palazzo Buonaccorsi / Ex Asilo Ricci

An inclusive workshop open to blind and visually impaired, deaf and hard-of-hearing children and young people aged 6 to 15.

Rigoletto. The Mystery of Theatre

Arena Sferisterio

Performance with surtitles and audio description for children and young people from UICI, ENS, ANFFAS and Piombini Sensini.

Stage and backstage visit introducing participants to the professions involved in live performance, together with young people from Associazione Piombini-Sensini Onlus.

Arena Sferisterio

Music and singing workshop dedicated to the operas featured in the Festival programme, in collaboration with the staff of Cooperativa Sociale Di Bolina.

Location: Cooperativa Sociale Di Bolina

The Barber of Seville by G. Rossini

Arena Sferisterio

6:00 PM – Multisensory experience for blind and visually impaired participants, focusing on the opera’s set design and stage assembly, guided together with members of the Macerata branch of UICI.

9:00 PM – Performance with surtitles./p>

Il trovatore by G. Verdi

Arena Sferisterio

6:00 PM – Multisensory experience for deaf participants, with Italian Sign Language interpretation, led together with young members of ENS. Participants will explore the music of the opera in collaboration with the Giovanni Bellini Lyric Choir and the Marche Philharmonic Orchestra.

9:00 PM – Performance with surtitles.

Nabucco by G. Verdi

Arena Sferisterio

6:00 PM – Multisensory experience for deaf participants, with Italian Sign Language interpretation, focusing on costumes and backstage areas.

9:00 PM – Performance with audio description./p>

Il trovatore by G. Verdi

Arena Sferisterio

6:00 PM – Meeting for blind and visually impaired participants dedicated to Verdi and his music, exploring instruments and voices together with members of UICI, in collaboration with the Giovanni Bellini Lyric Choir and the Marche Philharmonic Orchestra.

9:00 PM – Performance with audio description.

Nabucco by G. Verdi

Arena Sferisterio

6:00 PM – Multisensory experience for blind and visually impaired participants focusing on backstage activities, make-up, wigs, and character creation, guided together with members of UICI.

9:00 PM – Performance with audio description.

The Barber of Seville by G. Rossini

Arena Sferisterio

6:00 PM – Multisensory experience for deaf participants, with Italian Sign Language interpretation, exploring sets, stage spaces and the assembly of a theatrical production.

9:00 PM – Performance with surtitles.

Arena Sferisterio

5:00 PM – Creative workshop with music and singing, in collaboration with Cooperativa Sociale Di Bolina.

Arena Sferisterio

Creative workshop with music and singing

In collaboration with Cooperativa Sociale Di Bolina

Carmina Burana by C. Orff

Arena Sferisterio

6:00 PM – Meeting for blind and visually impaired participants dedicated to music, with opportunities to discover instruments and voices together with members of UICI.

9:00 PM – Performance with surtitles.

All activities and multisensory experiences (maximum 35 participants per event) are free of charge.

Tickets for performances are available at a reduced rate.

For further information:
inclusivopera@sferisterio.it