EMILIA ROMAGNA TEATRO FONDAZIONE

What EMILIA ROMAGNA TEATRO FONDAZIONE does

Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione (ERT) is the public theater foundation of the Emilia-Romagna Region in Italy and one of the country's formally designated Teatro Nazionale institutions (Ministry of Culture designation, 2015). Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Modena, ERT operates a multi-venue theater network across five cities — Modena, Bologna, Cesena, Vignola, and Castelfranco Emilia — totaling nine performance halls after the 2023 opening of the Sala Grande at Teatro delle Passioni. Its core products are theatrical seasons (the 2026/27 'Opera Aperta' season includes 130 titles, 18 world premieres, 5 national premieres, 12 international productions, 28 new productions/coproductions, and 13 revivals), a catalog of over 200 produced works, and the Scuola internazionale di Alta Formazione Iolanda Gazzerro, which delivers free advanced professional training.

The foundation functions simultaneously as a production house, venue operator, and cultural promoter. Programming is delivered through direct venue channels (city-specific box offices and online ticketing) and through season subscriptions (Campagna Abbonamenti) launched annually in June. Distribution is extended via international touring (89 hospitality productions, 12 of them international, in 2026/27) and a coproduction ecosystem that includes Teatro dei Venti, Teatro Valdoca, Compagnia Arte e Salute, and Balletto Civile, plus European project networks. Under the general direction of Natalia Di Iorio and artistic direction of Elena Di Gioia, ERT also runs outreach to schools, social theater projects with correctional facilities, and accessibility-equipped venues.

The business model is a hybrid public-foundation model rather than a commercial one. Revenue is not publicly disclosed but is sourced from a mix of recurring public institutional funding (Ministry of Culture, Emilia-Romagna Region, municipalities — anchored by the 2015 Teatro Nazionale status), ticket sales and season subscriptions across the venue network, and coproduction/touring revenues from partner theaters and international networks. Marketing is conducted through a digital ecosystem centered on the corporate website and city-specific newsletters, complemented by press coverage, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), and earned media from award recognition (including multiple 2025 Premio Ubu wins).

Name

EMILIA ROMAGNA TEATRO FONDAZIONE

Legal name

Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione

Website

https://emiliaromagnateatro.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione is Italy's designated Teatro Nazionale for the Emilia-Romagna Region, operating nine theater halls across five cities and producing over 200 works since 1977, serving the general public, schools, and emerging artists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts

akta.pro primary industry

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC), Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN)

Keywords

• Live theater performances
• Theatrical productions
• Performing arts
• Professional theater training
• International coproductions

Headquarters

HQ city

Modena

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue is generated through the sale of tickets and season subscriptions (abbonamenti) across nine managed theater venues. Subscription campaigns are launched seasonally, with the 2026/27 campaign beginning June 18.
2. Public Institutional Funding: As a public foundation (Fondazione) and Teatro Stabile Pubblico of the Emilia-Romagna Region, ERT receives ongoing public funding. It was designated Teatro Nazionale by the Ministry of Culture in 2015, which anchors its public funding model.
3. Production and Co-production Services: ERT functions as a theater production center with over 200 theatrical works in its catalog. It generates coproduction revenue by collaborating with artists, national and international institutions, and participating in co-productions with prestige partners including Teatro delle Passioni and various international networks.
4. School and Training Fees: The Scuola internazionale di Alta Formazione Iolanda Gazzerro offers free professional training courses but may generate revenue through associated services, partnerships, or ancillary programming.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione (ERT) is a public theater foundation that produces, co-produces, and presents live theatrical performances across a network of nine managed venues in five cities in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It runs seasonal programming with approximately 130 titles per year, an international coproduction agenda, an online catalog of over 200 productions since 1977, and the Scuola internazionale di Alta Formazione Iolanda Gazzerro offering free advanced professional theater training.

Product overview

Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione (ERT) is the Public Stable Theater of the Emilia-Romagna Region, recognized as a National Theater by the Ministry of Culture since 2015. It operates as a theatrical production center that manages 9 performance spaces across 5 cities (Modena, Bologna, Cesena, Vignola, and Castelfranco Emilia), including Teatro Storchi, Teatro delle Passioni with its new Sala Grande (210 seats), Teatro Arena del Sole, Teatro delle Moline, Teatro Bonci, Teatro Fabbri, and Teatro Dadà. ERT functions as a unified platform of theater venues, production services, and educational programs (notably the Scuola Iolanda Gazzerro), offering theatrical seasons, international projects, and training. The institution produces and co-produces over 200 theatrical works and manages digital programs including digital playbills (libretti di sala).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Opera Aperta Season 2026/27 Annual theatrical season dedicated to Umberto Eco, featuring 130 titles including 18 world premieres, 5 national premieres, and 5 previews across nine venues in five cities in Emilia-Romagna.
• Teatro Storchi Main theater venue in Modena managed by ERT, part of the theatrical network hosting the 2026/27 season programming.
• Teatro delle Passioni Theater venue in Modena featuring the Sala Grande (210 seats on inclined wooden floor) with dedicated accessibility seating and magnetic induction hearing assistance, alongside the Sala Piccola.
• Teatro Arena del Sole Primary theater venue in Bologna, including the Sala Leo de Berardinis, managed by ERT.
• Teatro delle Moline Secondary theater venue in Bologna managed by ERT as part of the regional theater network.
• Teatro Bonci Theater venue in Cesena managed by ERT as part of the regional theater network.
• Teatro Ermanno Fabbri Theater venue in Vignola managed by ERT as part of the regional theater network.
• Teatro Dadà Theater venue in Castelfranco Emilia managed by ERT as part of the regional theater network.
• Scuola internazionale di Alta Formazione Iolanda Gazzerro International school offering free professional advanced training courses taught by master practitioners from Italian and international theater, for graduates of theater schools and academies with professional experience.
• Catalogo Produzioni e Coproduzioni ERT Comprehensive online catalog of over 200 theatrical productions and co-productions created by ERT since 1977, available for viewing and research.

Quantifiable outcome

• ERT's productions have won multiple 2025 Ubu Prizes including Best Show (A Place of Safety), Best Sound/Music (Nel blu), and Special Prize to Teatro dei Venti for the Siege Trilogy.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Scuola internazionale di Alta Formazione Iolanda GazzerrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Scuola di Teatro Iolanda Gazzerro operates as ERT's internal advanced training division, offering free professional training courses taught by leading masters from Italian and international theater. The school is central to ERT's mission of nurturing emerging talent and integrating them into the professional theater workforce.
• European Projects and International NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerERT participates actively in European projects and international networks, collaborating with prestigious institutions on cross-border theatrical initiatives. This network enables co-production of international works and touring of ERT productions abroad.
• Local Schools and Educational InstitutionsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerERT collaborates extensively with schools of every level (scuole di ogni ordine e grado) as part of its cultural and educational outreach mission, developing projects for students and integrating educational programming into its seasonal offerings.
• Regional and National Public InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs a public foundation (Fondazione) and Teatro Stabile Pubblico of the Emilia-Romagna Region, ERT operates in continuous partnership with regional and national public institutions, including the Ministry of Culture, the Emilia-Romagna regional government, and municipal administrations in its five cities of operation.
• Teatro dei VentimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerERT coproduces with Teatro dei Venti, including the award-winning Trilogia dell'Assedio (Edipo re, Sette contro Tebe, Antigone), developed with inmates at Modena and Castelfranco Emilia correctional facilities, which won the 2025 Ubu Prize Special Prize.
• Teatro ValdocamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerERT coproduces with Teatro Valdoca, a reference point for contemporary Italian theater with over forty years of activity. Production Bestemmia was in the 2025/26 catalog.
• Compagnia Arte e SalutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerERT maintains an ongoing coproduction and collaboration relationship with Arte e Salute, founded in 2000 in partnership with the Mental Health Department of the local health authority, focusing on theatrical works involving mental health patients and professional performers.
• Balletto CivilemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerERT collaborates extensively with Balletto Civile, a dance company coproducing multiple works including Giocasta, Don Giovanni, Nothing (Re Lear), Karnival, and others in the production catalog.
• Casa Circondariale di Modena and Casa di Reclusione di Castelfranco EmiliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerERT conducts social theater projects with inmates at the Modena and Castelfranco Emilia correctional facilities, producing the award-winning Trilogia dell'Assedio (Ubu Prize 2025 Special Prize).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Teatro Stabile di Napoli - Teatro Nazionale: Public theater foundation and Teatro Nazionale serving the Campania region with a season-driven production and venue operation model. Comparable in designation, public funding structure, and Italian regional theater scale.
• Centro Teatrale Bresciano: Lombardy-based public theater producing and presenting contemporary theater with comparable multi-venue and regional programming approach. Closely matched as a mid-sized Italian public theater operator.
• Piccolo Teatro di Milano - Teatro d'Europa: Historic Milan-based Teatro Nazionale and Teatro d'Europa with multiple venues (Teatro Grassi, Teatro Studio Melato, Teatro Strehler). Comparable in scale, multi-venue structure, and international coproduction orientation; the gold-standard Italian public theater peer.
• Fondazione Teatro della Toscana: Public regional theater foundation operating venues in Florence and other Tuscan cities under a comparable Fondazione structure. Directly comparable as a multi-city regional Italian theater foundation with producing and presenting activities.
• Teatro Stabile di Catania: Sicilian regional Teatro Stabile with analogous public foundation structure and season programming. Comparable in public mandate, Fondazione governance, and Italian regional theater context.
• Teatro Stabile di Torino - Teatro Nazionale: Public theater foundation and Teatro Nazionale in Piedmont, operating multiple venues in Turin with a comparable season programming, production, and coproduction model. Most direct Italian public-theater peer to ERT given parallel national-theater designation.

Regional players

• Fondazione I Teatri di Reggio Emilia: Public theater foundation in neighboring Reggio Emilia within Emilia-Romagna, operating multiple venues. Highly comparable as a regional public theater operator in the same Italian region as ERT, though smaller in scale.

Broad incumbents

• La Biennale di Venezia: Public cultural institution running Venice's Biennale Teatro (international theater festival) and broader performing arts programming. Comparable in public funding structure and international orientation, though significantly larger and more festival-focused.
• Fondazione Teatro La Fenice: Venice's premier opera house, larger and opera-focused, but operates as a Fondazione under similar public-private governance and Ministry of Culture oversight. Comparable institutional structure though broader/more commercial scope than ERT.
• Fondazione Teatro di Roma: Rome's public theater foundation operating Teatro Argentina and other venues. Comparable Fondazione model and public-mandate structure, though operating in a larger and more competitive market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/emiliaromagnateatro
• Facebookfacebook.com/ErtFondazione
• Instagraminstagram.com/emiliaromagnateatro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emilia-romagna-teatro-fondazione

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EMILIA ROMAGNA TEATRO FONDAZIONE