Pergola Theatre: all the shows not to be missed

All about the 2026 season

A season — the first under the artistic direction of Stefano Massini — that emphasizes the public and civic vocation of the Teatro della Toscana, reaffirming its fundamental role as a hub of participation, inspiration, reflection, and other gazes: different, new, and conscious. In light of this vision, here is the calendar of the new season: at the Teatro della Pergola in the heart of Florence, at the Teatro di Rifredi on the city’s edge, and at the Teatro Era in Pontedera, in the province of Pisa.

Teatro della Pergola

March 10 – 15, 2026
SALVO FICARRA, CAROLINA ROSI, NICOLA DI PINTO
I Won’t Pay You!

March 17 – 22, 2026
NERI MARCORÈ
Gaber. The World Hurts Me

“Gabr… mi fa male il mondo” will be staged from 17 to 22 March, featuring Neri Marcorè and directed by Giorgio Gallione, who returns to explore the repertoire of Giorgio Gaber and Sandro Luporini. The performance offers a sharp and ironic reflection on the changes in society and the individual, reworking the legacy of thinkers and artists such as Pasolini, Céline, Adorno, Calvino, Brecht, and others, transformed into songs and monologues that remain powerfully alive. On stage, four pianos create a kind of orchestral suite accompanying the narrative, evoking vital energy, ethical tension, and utopia—fundamental ingredients for keeping consciousness alert and one’s gaze fixed on the future.

March 24 – 29, 2026
FRANCO BRANCIAROLI
It’s Hard to Say How

A psychological drama in which a respectable man confronts the weight of a guilt committed “without knowing how,” putting identity, morality, and truth into crisis.

April 9 – 10, 2026
ARMANDO PUNZO / COMPAGNIA DELLA FORTEZZA
Cinderella

A theatrical and visionary retelling of the classic fairy tale, where the poetic language of the Compagnia della Fortezza explores desire for redemption, identity, and transformation.

April 12, 2026
FABRIZIO GIFUNI
The Hamletian Paradigm in the Last Lessons of Orazio Costa

A lecture-performance in which Gifuni evokes the thought and teaching of Costa, exploring through Hamlet the deeper meaning of the actor’s work and theatrical research.

April 16 – 18, 2026
OTTAVIA PICCOLO
Matteotti (Anatomy of a Fascism)

A civic performance that retraces the story of Giacomo Matteotti and examines the roots and mechanisms of the rise of Fascism in early twentieth-century Italy.

April 21 – 26, 2026
VALERIO BINASCO
Circle Mirror Transformation

A delicate and ironic comedy set in a theatre workshop, where five strangers engage in exercises and improvisations, revealing fragility, desires, and unexpected connections.

May 8 – 9, 2026
THOMAS OSTERMEIER
Changes

A contemporary performance exploring the emotional and social tensions of a modern family facing crises and personal transformations, showing how small changes can disrupt lives and relationships.

May 23 – 24, 2026
MILO RAU
The Seer

A contemporary drama intertwining politics, history, and introspection, where the figure of the “seer” becomes a lens to investigate uncomfortable truths, social conflicts, and collective responsibility.