Fribourg – From April 1 to 15, Switzerland will host the third edition of "Books on Stage", a festival promoting Italian language and culture through theater. The event will feature nine prose performances and a special event on April 4 in Fribourg: Samia, choreographed by the award-winning Adriano Bolognino.

This year, the festival expands its reach across six Swiss cantons: Fribourg, Basel-Landschaft, Bern, St. Gallen, Schwyz, and Zurich. Under the artistic direction of Italian director Paolo Bignamini and organized by the Teatro de Gli Incamminati, the festival is designed in collaboration with Italian language teachers in the participating cities.

Throughout the academic year, students read the books that inspired the selected plays, fostering a dynamic exchange between the teaching community and the festival’s artistic direction. The lineup includes adaptations of classic masterpieces alongside contemporary drama, offering a lens to interpret recent history.

The festival opens on April 1 in St. Gallen (Kantonsschule Burggraben, 7:00 PM) with "La Locandiera – A Long Play", a production by the Centro Teatrale Bresciano. This theatrical concert, based on Carlo Goldoni’s comedy, features dramaturgy by Giulia Asselta. The character Mirandolina narrates her story using reimagined love songs from Italy’s singer-songwriter tradition. Directed by Paolo Bignamini, the performance showcases a remarkable musical trio: singer-songwriter Mille and the duo La Scapigliatura. The play will also be staged in Zurich on April 7.