SEGNI NEW GENERATIONS FESTIVAL 2026

Founded in 2006, SEGNI New Generations Festival is an international performing arts festival dedicated to children, teenagers, young adults and the communities surrounding them. For 21 years, it has transformed the historic city of Mantova into a meeting place for artistic experimentation, participation and international cultural exchange, bringing together theatre, dance, contemporary performance, visual arts, workshops and interdisciplinary practices. The 2026 edition marks a new chapter in the festival's development, introducing a transgenerational approach to artistic direction and programming. Artistic Directors Cristina Cazzola and Monica Colella work in dialogue with young Gen Z contributors, exploring new forms of shared cultural responsibility and artistic decision-making. This evolution is reflected in the festival programme, organised around two complementary perspectives. The first offers performances for young audiences from 12 months onwards, with age recommendations designed as starting points rather than boundaries. The second, "SEGNI from Another Perspective", opens the programme to teenagers, adults, cultural professionals and intergenerational audiences through performances, discussions, participatory experiences, teacher training and youth-led cultural initiatives. The 2026 programme combines Italian and international artistic productions with experimental formats, workshops, public-space activities and professional encounters. Its symbolic animal, the Cow, represents interconnected ecosystems, relationships, balance and transformation, inviting audiences to reflect on how individuals and communities depend on one another. SEGNI is both an artistic festival and a platform for international cooperation and professional development.

From 19 to 22 November, dedicated professional activities bring together artists, festival directors, programmers and cultural organisations to exchange practices, discover new work and develop collaborations. Through Chain Reaction (Reazione a Catena), supported by the Italian Ministry of Culture's Boarding Pass programme, SEGNI facilitates international networking and the circulation of Italian performing arts for young audiences. Its Grand Tour format connects international professionals with festivals, artists, companies and production contexts across Italy. The festival also coordinates ForesTEEN, a Creative Europe cooperation project developing transgenerational dialogue, youth participation and shared programming across European festivals. Through its TEEN community, young people engage in artistic selection, cultural debate, international exchanges and the co-creation of events. As part of the wider ASSITEJ International ecosystem, SEGNI connects local artistic communities with international networks, encouraging mobility, emerging talent development and sustainable cooperation. The festival's distinctive strength lies in combining artistic quality, community engagement and international networking. Its 2026 edition explores how different generations can share cultural spaces, influence artistic choices and develop new forms of collective creation, positioning SEGNI as a place where artistic production, social relationships and European cooperation continuously enrich one another.