Improfestival Salento

Overview

Improfestival Salento (also known as Salento Improfestival) is Italy's longest-running improvisational theatre festival, held each summer in Gallipoli on the Ionian coast of Apulia. The festival is produced by the Improvvisart cooperative (founded 2008) under the patronage of the Improteatro Professional National Association, with Alessandra Villa as President and Fabio Musci as Artistic Director.

Unique among improv festivals, Improfestival Salento runs as a residential gathering: participants stay at Villaggio Vecchia Torre and split their days between intensive theatrical workshops, site-specific performances around Gallipoli, evening shows, and time on the Salento coast's white-sand beaches. The 2026 edition runs July 29 through August 2 and features five 14-hour workshops conducted simultaneously, led by international faculty including Mauro Simolo, Ana Puerta, Omar Galvan, and Encarni Corrales.

Submissions

Registration for the 2026 edition is open via the festival's Google Form.

Past Editions

• 2025 Edition

Sources

• Improfestival Salento - Official Site
• Festival Page (Italian)
• Teachers / Docenti
• Corriere Salentino: 2025 festival coverage
• European Festivals Association listing