Tolfama – International Festival of Improvised Arts

The Tolfama – International Festival of Improvised Arts is an artistic-cultural event born in 2011 in Italy, organized by the National Academy of Theater Improvisation "Vicolo Cechov" of Civitavecchia (a city in the province of Rome), known in the territory both for the numerous courses and for the production of theatrical improvisation shows in synergy with the Municipality of Tolfa. The Festival is open to all schools and improvisational theatre companies present in Italy and Europe and involves improvisation teachers from all over the world.

The event has now established itself as one of the most important Italian improvisation festivals, specialising in particular in Site Specific Theater, that is, in the creation of improvised performances specially designed to be performed using the most evocative and architectural/archaeological places of interest in the country, studied and selected by the teachers.

The Festival immediately registered a remarkable and constant growth, both in terms of the presence of active participants (improvisers) and in terms of participation and involvement of the local and provincial public: it records an annual average of 120/130 participating improvisers, who for 3 days invade the streets of the historic centre of Tolfa, stay in the accommodation facilities and taste the typical dishes in the numerous restaurants of the hilltop town.

The city of Tolfa immediately proved to be the ideal location to host Tolfama: thanks to the excellent synergy established between the organizers, the municipal administration and numerous other associations and companies in the area (Italian-Norwegian Study Center, Associazione Artiamo, Giuseppe Verdi Music School, Civic Museum of Tolfa, Chirone Association, Convent of the Capuchins and all the B & Bs), it was possible to make Tolfa a real, natural, open-air theatre, in which the evocative beauty of the streets, the squares and alleys of the city act as an engine for the artistic and scenic action.

The Tolfama Festival, having been born and raised in Tolfa, has specific objectives not only towards the Art of Improvisational Theatre but also towards the country:

• Enhance, rediscover and promote the town's artistic, historical and architectural heritage through the creation of site-specific theatrical improvisation performances;

• Promote the Art of Theater Improvisation by taking a cue from the social, cultural and architectural context of the country, enhancing its most characteristic and traditional aspects;

• Offer a contribution to the development of local businesses through the art of improvisation;

• Involving new audiences (with an annual audience development plan) of both citizens and residents and visitors of Tolfa and the district, through a non-traditional, original and highly interactive festival with the public;

  Offer a stimulus and a cultural contribution to the territory, through an event that involves a national and international network of professionals in the field of theatrical improvisation.