COMPAGNIA POPOLARE DEL TEATRO POVERO DI MONTICCHIELLO
The Teatro Povero di Monticchiello is a community cooperative founded in the 1960s as a social and cultural project, centered on an innovative theatrical form, the autodramma, which it pioneered. Through theater, the Monticchiello community has addressed economic and social crises, including depopulation following the end of the sharecropping system.
Today, the cooperative remains active in theater and cultural events, including performances, festivals, workshops, conferences, and exhibitions. It also manages essential community services, such as a cultural center, a tourist office, a theater museum, and a library. Additionally, it runs restaurants, bike rentals, tourist accommodations, and basic healthcare support.
This integrated network sustains the local economy, strengthens social cohesion, and promotes cultural heritage, making Monticchiello a model of community-driven cultural and economic development.
Since 1967, the Teatro Povero di Monticchiello’s core activity has been the autodramma, an annual play entirely created and performed by the local community. Themes are chosen in public assemblies, developed into a script, and collectively refined. Residents manage every aspect of the production, which is staged each summer.
The autodramma has brought economic and social benefits, enabling further community initiatives, including:
– Punto Digitale Facile, a center offering digital skills training and access to public services. – Free winter performances, written by locals to foster social interaction.
– Cultural seasons, featuring conferences, concerts, exhibitions, and book presentations.
– Theater workshops for adults, engaging surrounding communities.
– Essential services, addressing gaps in transport, healthcare, and public utilities.
COM-ACT 