Antonio Latella appointed director of Biennale Teatro 2017-2020

Antonio Latella, a European actor, director, and playwright, has been named director of the Theater Department of the Biennale di Venezia for the 2017-2020 term. Biennale President Paolo Baratta praised Latella's international standing and his commitment to discovering and nurturing new talent, a key focus of the Biennale. Latella, based in Berlin since 2004, has previously participated in the Biennale multiple times: in 2004 with the premiere of Pasolini's Bestia da stile, in 2007 with Pericle from Shakespeare performed by students of Franco Quadri's École des Maîtres, in 2014 as a master for Biennale College – Teatro, and in 2015 with the trilogy A. H., Caro George, and MA. Known for unsettling conventional audiences, Latella has staged works by Pasolini, Fassbinder, and Genet, and has reimagined classics such as Eduardo De Filippo's Natale in casa Cupiello and Carlo Goldoni's Arlecchino servitore di due padroni. In his statement, Latella expressed his intention to build on the legacy of outgoing director Àlex Rigola, focusing on discovering talent that may not yet have wide resonance but is developing new theatrical languages, blending tradition and innovation through exchange with established masters.