KIT-Kairos Italy Theater Unveils 2026 Transatlantic Season for 26th Anniversary

KIT-Kairos Italy Theater (KIT) has announced its 2026 season, a transatlantic program unfolding between Italy and the United States that celebrates the company's 26th anniversary and reaffirms its mission of fostering artistic dialogue across cultures.

KIT's birthday will be celebrated on January 28, 2026, with KIT IS 26!, marking more than two decades of producing Italian and Italian American theater in the United States, supporting emerging artists, and building lasting bridges between theatrical communities in Italy and the United States. This milestone sets the tone for a year devoted to exchange, translation, and new creative work.

A central component of the Italian portion of the season is OnStage! Letture Americane, a series of readings of American plays translated into Italian, presented in collaboration with KIT Italia and Teatro Basilica in Rome. Performances at Teatro Basilica include Battezzati fino al midollo by Dave Johnson on January 19, Consenso by Frank J. Avella on February 16, and Actually We're Fucked by Matt Williams on March 9. The series will also travel to Cosenza, Calabria, where Consenso will be presented on February 19 at the Piccolo Teatro dell'Università della Calabria in collaboration with Rossosimona, extending the project's reach beyond Rome.

While in Italy, KIT will also lead a workshop on The Worth of Women by Moderata Fonte on February 8 at Arte Che Cura in Naples. This workshop marks the first in a long-term series dedicated to developing the play with different groups of participants, reflecting KIT's commitment to inclusive and community-centered theater practices.

In late March, the season returns to New York with the final events of the first edition of the Italian American Playwrights Series. On March 23, the John Calandra Italian American Institute will host readings of Loving Crazy by Theresa Carilli and Lifting the Veil by Maria Brandt, followed on March 30 by Five Degrees Above Polaris by Karen Howes.

On March 24 a special event will celebrate World Water Day at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo' at NYU with a staged reading of La Margherita di Adele in collaboration with AIRicerca NY.

On April 20, 2026, KIT will debut Tutti in Scena, the Show at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo' at NYU. Inspired by Tutti in Scena, the documentary produced by KIT in 2021 on the beginnings of Italian theater in the United States, the new stage production portrays a single day in Little Italy, where immigrants strive for a better life while navigating hardship, resilience, and the strength of community.

The spring season continues with the Emerging Directors' Mentorship Show at The Tank NYC, running for 8 shows from April 22 through May 15, and culminates with IN SCENA! Italian Theater Festival NY 2026, taking place from May 5 to May 19 across all five boroughs of New York City. Started in 2013, IN SCENA! is a citywide celebration of contemporary Italian theater, bringing Italian artists and companies to New York while fostering dialogue with American theater makers and engaging diverse audiences throughout the city.

With its 2026 season, KIT-Kairos Italy Theater celebrates its past, advances its present work, and looks toward the future, continuing to build cultural bridges between Italy and the United States through theater. KIT Fall season will be announced in Spring 2026.