Willem Dafoe's Biennale Teatro 2025 draws 13,000+ visitors

The 2025 Biennale Teatro in Venice, directed by Willem Dafoe, closed with over 13,000 attendees. The program explored continuity between history and the present, focusing on vision, research, representation, and the body. Key productions included Milo Rau's "Die Seherin" starring Ursina Lardi, which won her the Silver Lion for lifetime achievement; Romeo Castellucci's "Mangiatori di patate" at the Lazzaretto Vecchio; Thomas Richards' "The Inanna Project"; and Princess Bangura's "Great Apes of the West Coast." In her acceptance speech, Lardi warned against far-right and moderate right-wing governments dismantling culture, stating "theatre is a political fact."